A Student with Building and Construction Technology wins prize in UMass Innovation Challenge

Tracie Reed, a Masters of Architecture student at UMass was awarded one of two second prizes in the UMass Innovation Challenge for "Turf Builder", a web-based election canvassing tool. This prize carried a financial award of $1,000. Tracie has attended many BCT classes and her faculty sponsor for this competition was Alexander Schreyer, Lecturer in NRC. Each team in the executive summary competition conceives an innovative product or service based on technology created on campus, then produces a five-page executive summary for its commercialization. All the executive summaries were reviewed by the judges before the competition to help determine the overall scores in the contest. On the night of the competition, each team leader presented a two-minute presentation, or elevator pitch, to the judges, who then grilled the team about its concept. Judges dished out more than $10,000 in prize money and other incentives Dec. 8 to six clever, timely and promising ventures conceived by students, faculty and alumni as part of...
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WFCR focus on biomass features Dave Damery

As featured on WFCR: AMHERST, MA (wfcr) - Who isn't in search of clean, cheap energy? Policy makers, residents and investors around the region are, and they are taking a close look at biomass energy, that is, burning low-grade wood or other plant materials for high-tech electricity generation. There are three large-scale biomass plants proposed for western Massachusetts, in Springfield, Greenfield, and Russell. Together they could provide electricity for as many as 135,000 homes, help the state meet goals for renewable energy, and create jobs. But they could also change the character of the region's woodlands, send numerous trucks through residential neighborhoods and emit toxins into the air. And there is little consensus on just how "renewable" the resource is. These are some of the questions about biomass we'll explore in this half hour of Focus Western New England. Follow this link to listen to the entire recording. ...
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We have a new name! – Building and Construction Technology

At the tail end of this past Spring, the Faculty Senate and other administrative bodies approved a revised undergraduate curriculum for the Department of Natural Resources Conservation that included a name change for Building Materials and Wood Technology (BMATWT).  We are now: Building and Construction Technology We believe that this name change more closely represents the breadth of our instruction spanning: design, engineering, materials, construction management, economics, information technology, building science, energy conservation and efficiency, and green building that make up our curriculum.  The new name should raise the level of awareness of our program both on-campus and off for prospective students, employers, and others. We are beginning to transition to the new name with new signage, website labeling, stationery etc.  This will be a long process. Final changes to course numbering and the degree title on students' transcripts will not be in place until Fall 2010. Current BMATWT students, who graduate after Fall 2010, will have the option to have their degree title...
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UMass in 3D on YouTube

Google just published a video on the topic "Why do people model for Google Earth?". UMass and Amherst are featured prominently in it. All of the three-dimensional models of the UMass campus buildings were made by students from BMATWT/BCT in NRC, LARP and Architecture at UMass. The models were created as part of Alexander Schreyer's course BMATWT 420 "Advanced topics in CAD". You can watch the video below: ...
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