By Deb Hall
I presented a hands-on workshop about the refrigeration cycle at Eccleston Elementary, an elementary school near Valencia College’s West Campus. There were four different classes back-to-back (one 3rd grade, two 4th grade, and one 5th grade). By the end, I thought the kids enjoyed it and now know the difference between a commercial and a residential building, the various states that refrigerant goes through within the refrigeration cycle, and that an A.S. degree could be completed in as short as two years!
I’d like to express my IMMENSE gratitude to the BEST Center along with those brilliant University of Wisconsin at Madison DDC instructors and Orange Technical College HVACR instructors for sharing their invaluable wisdom and insight with me as I have been trying to piece together how to bring these high-level HVACR and BAS DDC concepts into a hands-on K-12 learning environment that could actually get young kids excited about one day pursuing a career within the BAS industry. This past community outreach workshop would absolutely have not been possible without your extraordinary input and encouragement!
Contact Deb Hall if you would like to more information on how to conduct this hands-on refrigeration cycle workshop in order to excite K-12 students about the amazing world of BAS and HVACR and all of its exciting career opportunities!
Deb Hall, Energy Management and Controls Technology Program Chair | Electronics Engineering Technology Program Chair | Co-Principal Investigator NSF ATE Proposal 1601403 | IEEE Orlando Section Vice Chair | ASHRAE Valencia Student Branch Faculty Advisor, Valencia College
Photos taken by Blake Urbach
Edited by BEST Center