Happy New Year!

We would like to wish you a wonderful and prosperous new year!
The team at the BEST Center is looking forward to what’s to come and invite you to catch up on our news and activities.

Annual Institute is Coming Soon.

We are excited to welcome 43 faculty members from 32 U.S. community and technical colleges from 18 states to our national institute from January 3-6, 2018. This year’s theme “Buildings as Information Systems” connects the work of technicians with the management of high-performance buildings and its positive impact on energy efficiency. Read more.

Updated: Equipment and Software Discounts

Members can access equipment and software discounts from our industry partners. Jon Zeh from Sacramento City College has arranged for free Armstrong Hydronics products and Control Depot offers 45% off list for EasyIO products.
Read more.

Smart Energy Analytics Campaign

In the December meeting, Silicon Valley Working Group welcomed Clair Curtin of LBNL to present on the Smart Energy Analytics Campaign. Sponsored by the DOE, the campaign is providing technical resources such as Fault Detection and Diagnostics to companies/colleges who sign up. Peralta Community College District has signed up all four of its campuses including Laney College. View the PPT slides.

Dr. Deb Hall Reviews the 14th Annual Women in HVACR Conference

Dr. Deb Hall walked away with Texas-sized inspiration from the Women in HVACR conference. Read about her experience and don’t miss her shout out to BEST Center member, Mike Laster of Tarrant County College. Read more.

MATC and COD Launch BAS Programs

In the fall of 2017, Milwaukee Area Technical College in WI and College of DuPage in IL started BAS programs. MATC’s Automated Building Systems (ABS) that was set up to target entry-level technicians in three markets: Contractors, Property Management firms, Facility Owners. College of DuPage’s new 1-year certificate program includes six new courses such as Building Automation Systems Object-Oriented Programming. Read about MATC. Read about COD.

CABA Education and Training Whitepaper Now Available

Last month, CABA published a whitepaper focused on education and training in the home systems and intelligent building sector. The paper examines the training gaps in the connected home and intelligent building industries and the shortage of professionals in the sector. COD, GPTC, Mt. Sac, MATC, and Laney are featured and Larry Chang was a co-author. Read more. Download the whitepaper.

Watch the New Video of Sacramento City College’s Instructional Lab

Take a tour of SCC’s Living Lab at the Mechanical Electrical Technology Department. Guided by Department Chair Jon Zeh, the video covers 18,000 SF of interior and exterior lab space.

A Recap of a K-12 BAS Outreach Opportunity

Dr. Deb Hall presented a hands-on workshop about the refrigeration cycle at Eccleston Elementary, a local area elementary school near Valencia College’s West Campus. By the end, she said the kids knew the difference between a commercial and a residential building, the refrigeration cycle, and that an A.S. degree could be completed in as short as two years! Read more.

“We must follow our consciences and radically overhaul the paradigms of our shared lives on this planet, and to this end we must forge ideas, notions and rules enabling us to lay the foundations of this new commitment.”