NEW Fundamentals of HVAC Hydronics Class starts March 15

Dr. Harmohindar (chapter PAOE rock-star) Singh will be presenting a new Hydronics fundamentals course this spring with coordination help by Ira Poston and Jim Fields, Jr.  There will be 6 classes held on Thursdays 6:00pm to 8:30pm from March 15 to April 19.  Location will be the JMP Little Red Schoolhouse at 603 Diamond Hill Court, Greensboro.  Cost will be $125.00 per person and includes a copy of the latest ASHRAE textbook.  

Teachers will be local engineers and experienced professionals focusing on their area of expertise, with guidance by Dr. Singh.  Classes will follow the directed-learning format of the ASHRAE Fundamentals class, and feature a brand-new textbook not even released at this date!

Dr. Singh has presented this course in the past to rave reviews.  Its a great opportunity for new engineers to receive real-world knowledge from local professionals, and for seaoned engineers to gain exposure to the newest technologies and trends from ASHRAE.  This class will not be presented every year, and you don't want to miss it!

David Pleasants speaks on Ultrasonic Metering February 21

David Pleasants will cover Ultrasonic Flow and Energy Metering at our next chapter meeting. If you have heard David speak (and most of you have), then you know he is a dynamic and informative speaker that puts the important facts in your hands.  There are few folks around in our area with more wet-side experience and knowledge.  If you don't know David, then you should definitely come network with us more often.  Help us celebrate Engineer's Week (February 19-25) with a little knowledge and professional fellowship.

Mathcounts--February 4

Saturday, February 4 will be the next Mathcounts event at McNair Hall on the A&T Campus.  This is a special program to me (most of you know), and I am asking for volunteers to help grade papers, register folks, or proctor for tests.  While the main reason to volunteer is to help middle school kids foster a love for math, it's also a lot of fun.  If you have that morning free, it will be a great way to spend some time.  Let me know if you need more details, or feel free to contact James Chandler at AC Corp directly, he is in charge of the event this year.

Christmas Party

Thanks to everyone that attended and especially to those who donated time and treasure.  While it was a lot of fun, attendance was short of years past.  We still raised good money for research, but actually lost a little money on the event itself.  It has been suggested we might need a change of format to generate some new interest, so if you have been holding back a great idea...its time to let it loose.  

Nominating Committee

For those anxious to fill themselves with purpose and glory, the nomination committee of Tom Phoenix, Jeff Vestal, Bryan Holcomb, and Bryan Lampley can fulfill your dreams.  Please contact them if you are interested in helping with the chapter.  It is a fantastic way to give back to the chapter, develop management skills, and network in our industry.  In our last meeting, Drayton Stott and David Pleasants were showered with glory and awards for their contributions--maybe next year it will be YOU.

Next Meeting--February 21 during Engineer's Week

Our next meeting has been moved from the 2nd Tuesday to avoid a conflict with Valentines Day.  ASHRAE has long been a supporter of romance and love, and we felt moving our meeting to Engineer's Week (Feb 19--25) would be more appropriate.  So please spend time with your special partner on the 14th, and spend time with us on the 21st.

The Apparatus for Treating Air – A peak at the life of Willis H. Carrier

By Morgan Jones  North Piedmont Chapter Historian

In 1902 the Sackett–Wilhelms  Lithographing and Publishing Co. of Brooklyn, New York  installed an apparatus to improve product quality by lowering the working space relative humidity to 55% (Adjustable). The apparatus was designed and built by an engineer from the Buffalo Forge Company. That engineer was Willis Haviland Carrier. Willis Carrier was born near Lake Erie in Angola, New York. His college education was at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Willis called the system, “The Apparatus for Treating Air”. The design had at its center a fan blowing air across a coil with chilled water flowing through it. In the months before Willis built the “Apparatus” he engineered the first calculations and charts that determined how much steam coil was needed to heat a given space.

There are volumes written about the engineering ideas of Willis Carrier. Some would say a “Ton”. The words printed about the man that makes up the engineer are so inspiring.

He said,”…I felt as if no problems would be too hard for me – I’d simply break them down into something simple and they would be easy to solve.”

He said, ”Time spent staring into s[pace while thinking is not time wasted.”

So it was the humidity! How a kindly engineer from the Snowbelt made the Sunbelt boom. (Molly Ivins)