Hoque and Weil participate in another successful Eureka! summer

Hoque and Weil participate in another successful Eureka! summer

BCT faculty Ben Weil and Simi Hoque participated in this summer’s Project Eureka! a partnership between CNS and Girls, Inc. of Holyoke to provide STEM education to middle and high school girls from underrepresented communities. Ben taught a workshop on energy conservation in the built environment and Simi organized a tour of the zero energy Mill building in Holyoke and a workshop about passive design. This is the second year that BCT faculty have volunteered to teach building construction and technology concepts to Eureka! scholars. Peggi Clouston offered workshop during the inaugural summer (2013) on bridge design. Both Governor Deval Patrick and Senator Elizabeth Warren have recognized the program and thanked the faculty during their visits for volunteering their energy and time in this vitally important project. Links: Story on Deval Patrick's visit Story on Masslive about Senator Elisabeth Warren's visit ...
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Commencement 2014

Commencement 2014

We had the absolute pleasure to congratulate our graduating undergrad (BS) and grad (MS) students today and yesterday at UMass' commencement. Most but definitely not all of our undergrads are shown in the image above. Below are more impressions from these ceremonies. We are so proud of you all!!! All the best from us. ...
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Simi Hoque Speaks at Windsor Conference in the UK

Simi Hoque Speaks at Windsor Conference in the UK

BCT faculty member Simi Hoque presented her and Ben Weil's research on April 13, 2014 at the Windsor Conference in the UK in a presentation called "Cold Comfort - Thermal Satisfaction in Academia". For more on the conference and a link to download the proceedings, follow this link: http://windsorconference.com...
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Simi Hoque interviewed on WHMP about Eureka! program

Simi Hoque interviewed on WHMP about Eureka! program

BCT faculty member Simi Hoque was interviewed today for the Bill Newman show on WHMP in Northampton, MA about her experiences with last summer's Eureka! program. During the Eureka! program, teenage girls from Girls, Inc. in Holyoke visited UMass for a workshop series at UMass. You can listen to the entire podcast here: http://whmp.com/podcasts/the-bill-newman-show-12-11-13/ More on the Eureka! program can be found here: https://www.umass.edu/bct/news/hoque-and-weil-introduce-eureka-students-from-girls-inc-to-energy-conservation/ and here: https://www.umass.edu/bct/news/clouston-and-hoque-host-girls-inc-eureka-summer-camp/...
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Simi Hoque’s Urban Modeling

Dr. Simi Hoque is passionate about improving the ways in which buildings use the earth’s resources.  She teaches environmental systems and sustainable design principles in the Department of Environmental Conservation at UMass Amherst. Her research, partially funded by the Center’s Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station, is focused around the application and development of energy-efficient buildings. Dr. Hoque specializes in energy modeling, resource efficiency, and systems design. She is co-author of a recent online publication (October 2013) intended to provide a quantitative approach to assessing sustainability indicators in a city. Research Cities today generate almost two-thirds of the world’s primary energy demand. By 2030, this is projected to increase to three-quarters, matching the urban sector’s expected share of global energy-related CO2 emissions. The current urban outlook demands a comprehensive understanding of urban sustainability policies and programs to address climate change and energy security. Dr. Hoque’s research is aimed at developing an analytical framework to integrate the performance indicators for buildings, transportation systems, and green spaces...
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