Society Spotlight:

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers

	You Could Save The World! …by designing a building system that uses less energy! …by designing a system that allows people to breathe cleaner air! …by designing surgical equipment to treat certain types of cancer! …by designing a cooling system that preserves medicine and live organs for use! These are just some examples of how you could save the world through a career in the exciting and ever-changing heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigerating (HVACR&R) engineering industry! For more information about careers in HVAC&R engineering, contact ASHRAE at: ASHRAE Assistant Manager of Student Activities 1791 Tullie Circle NE Atlanta, GA 30329 Phone: 678-539-1212 Email: students@ashrae.org Web: http://www.ashrae.org/studentzone

WHAT IS "E" TO YOU?

E is for Energy
The rising energy costs show that we are running out of cheap fossil fuels. The ASHRAE Engineers are looking for ways to make our buildings use less energy to extend these resources. They are also looking at using new energy sources like solar energy, wind and Photovoltaics in buildings.

E is for Environment
ASHRAE is the world's leading resource on maintaining good Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) so the air you breathe in your home, school and workplace is safe, healthy and fresh. But ASHRAE is also involved with reducing the pollution that is emitted into our environment from equipment such as boilers and furnaces and from applications such as chemical and biology labs. We are also involved with many industrial processes from the food industry to the transportation industry.

E is for Efficiency
Trying to squeeze the most energy out of every barrel of oil or ton of coal is the focus of the engineers in ASHRAE. What is the best type of heating and cooling system for each application in various climates around the world? How do we operate and control these systems to get the best performance in all weather conditions for the coldest night to the hottest day? That knowledge is what makes our profession so important — we keep the wheels of commerce turning.

E is for Electricity
Electricity is the highest quality of energy mankind has harnessed so far. It can do everything from power your computers, televisions and lights to pump drinking water into your house and even heat it for your shower. But we waste too much electricity in our homes with things like inefficient incandescent lights that can be replaced with screw-in fluorescent bulbs.

E is for Economics
The above three driving forces are often in conflict. What is best for the environment often requires higher efficiency equipment, which can take more energy to produce. So the decisions made always involve an understanding of the complex world of economics. Putting a solar system on a building will cost extra money today. But will it save enough electricity over the next few years to save money in the long run?

E is for Employment
There is a growing need for young professionals to solve the problems related to energy and the environment. If you want a challenging career solving problems for people, then sign up for lots of math and science courses in high school along with communications and computers. You will need a strong background in all of these topics to be successful in this field. But graduates who choose to major in these topics will always be needed by society. Since they are a rare commodity, they will be well paid for their expertise. And, they will have an opportunity make peoples' lives better!

E is for Engineering
Engineering is the profession that uses math and science to turn ideas into reality to meet the needs of people. Engineers build the one-of-a-kind and first-of-a-kind projects that open new opportunities for the rest of us. The engineers are assisted by engineering technicians and technologists (with 2-year and 4-year college degrees respectively) who have the specialized knowledge to make that reality happen for the rest of us. The technicians and technologists help construct these complex systems and then keep them operating efficiently so the rest of us don't have to worry about whether our furnace will run tonight or if the alarm clock will go off tomorrow.

E is for Expertise and Experience
You can gain the expertise of what building mechanical systems are supposed to do through college courses at an ABET-accredited program. But for experience, you will need to find a part-time job while going to school where you can get "up close and personal" with the equipment you need to understand to grow in this profession.

E is for Everything Else that starts with the letter E.
Words like Enthalpy and Entropy will become part of your vocabulary. You might also run into Electrostatic Precipitators, Engines, Evaporation, Exhaust and Expansion because they are also listed in the ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals Index.