Architectural engineering students receive ASHRAE Graduate Grant-in-Aid awards
10/25/18
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.— Hyeunguk "Henry" Ahn and Youngbo Won, architectural engineering Ph.D. candidates and members of the Penn State – University Park Student Branch of ASHRAE, have been selected as recipients of the ASHRAE Graduate Grant-in-Aid award for the 2018-19 academic year.
The $10,000 grant is intended to further student research while pursuing an HVAC&R related education. Additionally, the goal of the Grant-In-Aid program is to promote involvement in ASHRAE, its research and establish careers that actively engage in continued contributions.
The awards will support Ahn’s project "Technical and economic feasibility of combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) systems for commercial buildings” and Youngbo's project titled "Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling of indoor chemical reactions under varied HVAC operating conditions."
A CCHP system is one of the promising distributed energy systems that can provide energy, environmental and economic benefits by generating cooling, heating, and electrical energy from a single energy source. Ahn’s research entails investigating the energy and economic performance of CCHP systems applied for commercial buildings such as office buildings and hospital buildings.
He expressed gratitude for receiving the award and highlighted how he plans on further developing his research with the allotted amount of funds.
“As a student member of ASHRAE, it is a great honor for me to receive the award,” Ahn said. “Also, it a recognition that I am on the right path for my research and there are more opportunities that I can contribute to ASHRAE society.”
Youngbo’s research relays how indoor chemical reactions influence in indoor air quality. By using CFD simulations, he simulated multiple chemical reactions around the human body and photochemical reaction near indoor light sources.
He views the award is a wonderful opportunity to propel momentum in order to expand his research.
“I want to upgrade my laptops to save time for simulation and attend academic conferences to present my research,” Youngbo said.
In order to receive a grant, awards are made on the basis of applications jointly prepared by the student and advisor and submitted by the advisor. Ahn is advised by James Freihaut, professor of architectural engineering, and is co-advised by Donghyun Rim, assistant professor of architectural engineering. Youngbo is also advised by Rim.
A portion of the award will be used for student travel and registration for the ASHRAE 2019 Winter Conference, which will be held in Atlanta on Jan. 12 -16, 2019.
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