Engineering Commons^™

2023 Fall Engr333 Section A Final Report, Owen Kalsbeek, Panashe Makuvaro, Luke Penning, Caleb Gaffner, David Visser, Jared Skaggs, Stephen Langerak, Kyle Borror, Caleb Clark, Michael Lanning, Brayden Raches, Sam Mennega, Seth Devries, Kyle Vandusen, Hayden White

ENGR 333

On 6 December 2017, then-president Michael Le Roy signed the President’s Climate Commitment, which committed Calvin University to carbon neutrality by 2057. Within a global scope, humanity has already emitted approximately 83% of its carbon allowance before causing global warming of 1.5°C. The Paris Climate Accords stated this temperature increase as the point at which humanity’s damage to the planet becomes irreversible. Given this, the year 2057 seemed like a dangerously late date for Calvin to achieve carbon neutrality. These concerns led President Boer to task the students of Engineering 333 with the following question: what earlier year should Calvin …

2023 Fall Engr333 Section B Final Report, Ally Gauss, Stuart Johnston, Zachary Rozendal, Nora Terbeek, Samantha Bush, Daniel Cordeiro, David Harris, Nathan Zylstra, Mikayla Bindon, David Schmurr, Zachary Swart, Micah Vandeburg, David Conhoff, Mitchell Cook, Yonggi Kim, Mark Schultz

ENGR 333

Calvin University is currently committed to being carbon neutral by 2057. However, by 2057 the earth will see irreversible damage due to global warming. Because of the constant rise in global carbon emissions, President Boer tasked the students of ENGR-333 to find an earlier date for Calvin to become carbon neutral. Carbon net neutrality involves eliminating the emissions associated with heating and electricity. To have the most immediate impact, it was desired to reduce the most carbon as fast as was cost effective. Starting immediately, Calvin would start buying carbon free electricity from Consumer’s Energy, continuing until 2040 when Consumer’s …

2023 Fall Engr333 Seminar Presentation File, Michael Lanning, Panashe Makuvaro, David Harris, Stuart Johnston

ENGR 333

File for student presentation on Carbon Neutrality for Calvin University, given by students in the Fall 2023 class of ENGR333.

2023 Fall Engr333 Section B Poster, Ally Gauss, Stuart Johnston, Zachary Rozendal, Nora Terbeek, Samantha Bush, Daniel Cordeiro, David Harris, Nathan Zylstra, Mikayla Bindon, David Schmurr, Zachary Swart, Micah Vandeburg, David Conhoff, Mitchell Cook, Yonggi Kim, Mark Schultz

ENGR 333

Poster of Section B of ENGR-333 Fall 2023.

2023 Fall Engr333 Section A Poster, Owen Kalsbeek, Panashe Makuvaro, Luke Penning, Caleb Gaffner, David Visser, Jared Skaggs, Stephen Langerak, Kyle Borror, Caleb Clark, Michael Lanning, Brayden Raches, Sam Mennega, Seth Devries, Kyle Vandusen, Hayden White

ENGR 333

Poster of Section A of ENGR-333 Fall 2023.

International Information Management And Bim Best Practice Report, Ted Mckenna, Davitt Lamon

Reports

In order to inform the Digital Leadership and Cultural Change pillar of the Build Digital, a study of international best practice in digital adoption within the built environment sector globally was undertaken and is presented here-in. In order to identify key learnings for Ireland in the context of digital transformation, eight countries were included in this study, namely, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), New Zealand, Australia and Singapore. These countries were selected for various reasons, including the level of digital maturity, the scale of the built environment sector and geographic spread. Key data for each country is included …

Sustainability And Circular Economy Horizon Scan And Needs Analysis, Sadaf Dalirazar, Mark Kelly, Derek Sinnott, James O'Donnell

Reports

The construction industry plays a crucial role in addressing the climate crisis as it is the largest global consumer of raw materials and contributes significantly to global energy consumption and emissions. Considering the world’s continuous population growth and the imperative to address infrastructure and housing demands the construction sector needs to adopt further sustainable strategies in its activities to reduce the pressure on natural resources. In addition, the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector is responsible for generating substantial amount of waste known as Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW), which is projected to increase due to the future construction developments. …

Digital Construction Annual Survey 2022 Report, Davitt Lamon, Ted Mckenna

Reports

The Annual Survey 2022 was conducted to assess the state of digital transformation in the Irish construction and built environment sector. This report presents the analysis of survey data, with a focus on implications for the Build Digital project and Build Digital’s five pillars: Digital Leadership & Cultural Change, Digital Standards, Digital Education & Training, Digital Procurement, and Sustainability & Circular Economy. Key findings from the survey indicated that a significant number of organisations have started their digital transformation journey, with many identifying themselves as proactive and possessing a clear business-focused strategy. However, a considerable cohort of respondents are keen …

2023 Fall Engr 333 Project Assignment: Calvin Carbon Neutrality Date Project, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

Description

The Fall 2023 ENGR333 project focused on the carbon neutrality date for Calvin University. In 2017, then-president Michael LeRoy committed Calvin to carbon neutrality by 2057, which seems rather too far into the future from the perspective of 2023. I asked the students “What earlier year should Calvin University choose for its carbon neutrality date?”

Customer

The customer for this project was Dr. Wiebe Boer, President of Calvin University.

Winter Dynamics Of Storm Water Management Ponds And Winter Tolerance In Three Aquatic Plant Species, Patrick Strzalkowski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The vast majority of the research into the performance of stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) has been performed in warm regions or during the warmer seasons in temperate regions. It is presumed that SWMPs are inactive in the winter as any potential stormwater is trapped in snow and ice. The main goal of this thesis was to test this presumption and to study the dynamics and performance of three SWMPs during the winter. Remote water level loggers were installed into the three SWMPs and daily grab samples from the influents and effluents were taken and analyzed for total phosphorus (TP), chloride, …

2022 Fall Engr333 Project Section A Final Report, Dat Cao, Sam Hoover, Sawyer Masselink, Ian Vanderkooi, Matthew Carlson, Jacob Heeres, Anthony Nykamp, Jacob Wyngarden, Nate Anderson, Anna Giboney, Gia Mien Le, Jonathan Washburn, Jess Camp, Aubree Peters, Alin Stoica, Drew Stoneburner, Claire Sheppard, Alayna Spiering, Reid Veneman, James Viel

ENGR 333

Calvin University has committed to being carbon neutral by 2057. This entails removing all the natural gas consumption for heating, converting to electrical heating options, and then making carbon free electricity. This project looked into four different options: air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps, renewable natural gas, and the efficiency of current equipment. Each option was examined throughout the course of the semester to determine feasibility of each solution, and which ones would be best to implement. As a class, section A decided ground source heat pumps along with thermostatic valves and the implementation of double pane windows …

2022 Fall Engr333 Project Section B Final Report, Nicholas Paternoster, Nick Grossman, Jared Ruba, Zac Runhaar, Caleb Styf, Anne Ghata, Micah Lee, Thomas Noble, Liam Austin, Kai Barboza, Mark Bekhet, Jordan Tuter, Jacob Tanis, Sara Vansolkema, Aidan Bakker, Ben Casey, Sarah Mccarthy, Elise Miera, Christine Vanoyen

ENGR 333

Sustainability is a multi-faceted grand challenge. One of today’s largest challenges is related to sustainability: CO2 emissions from energy consumption. Calvin University purchases natural gas for the energy services it provides; however, it is a major contributor to the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. The ENGR 333 section B class was tasked with the question: What would it take to eliminate Calvin’s natural gas-related net CO2 emissions? After many hours of research and calculations, the ENGR 333 section B class answered this question with recommendations such as implementing ground source heat pumps, console heat pumps, air source heat …

2022 Fall Engr333 Poster, Section B, Nicholas Paternoster, Nick Grossman, Jared Ruba, Zac Runhaar, Caleb Styf, Anne Ghata, Micah Lee, Thomas Noble, Liam Austin, Kai Barboza, Mark Bekhet, Jordan Tuter, Jacob Tanis, Sara Vansolkema, Aidan Bakker, Ben Casey, Sarah Maccarthy, Elise Miera, Christine Vanoyen

ENGR 333

• “What would it take to eliminate Calvin's natural gas-related net CO2 emissions?”
• Former Calvin President Michael Le Roy signed the President’s Climate Commitment on Dec 6, 2017
• Pledged carbon neutrality by 2057
• Results so far have been mixed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but gains have come from: Improved lighting efficiency, Reduced enrollment, Renewable electricity is already being tackled through partnerships with companies like Sun FundED.

2022 Fall Engr333 Poster, Section A, Dat Cao, Izuchi Ebeku, Samuel Hoover, Sawyer Masselink, Ian Vanderkooi, Matthew Carlson, Jacob Heeres, Anthony Nykamp, Jacob Vanwyngarden, Nate Anderson, Anna Giboney, Gia Mien Le, Jonathan Washburn, Jess Camp, Ryan Macintyre, Aubree Peters, Alin Stoica, Drew Stoneburner, Claire Sheppard, Alayna Spiering, Reid Veneman, James Viel

ENGR 333

In 2017 President Michael K. Le Roy signed Second Nature’s President Climate Commitment. This commitment outlines that Calvin’s governing body will ensure Calvin University is a carbon neutral educational institution by 2057. In June of 2022, Calvin University’s presidential seat was passed from Dr. Michael K. Le Roy to Dr. Wiebe Boer. In his short time as the president of Calvin University, Dr. Boer has put many projects into motion to help Calvin achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2057. This past fall Dr. Boer tasked the ENGR 333 class with answering the following question: What would it …

2022 Fall Engr333 Seminar Presentation, Jordan Tuter, Aidan Bakker, Samuel Hoover, Jessica Camp

ENGR 333

File for student presentation on Carbon Neutrality for Calvin University, given by students in the Fall 2022 class of ENGR333.

2022 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2022 ENGR333 project focused on sustainable heating for Calvin University.

I asked the students “What would it take to eliminate Calvin’s natural gas-related net CO2 emissions?”

Matt Kucinski (Calvin PR) wrote a story about the project. President Boer wrote a complementary post about the students’ work on LinkedIn.

Customer

The customer for this project was Dr. Wiebe Boer, President of Calvin University.

Hydropower System Design In Nazarét, Panama, Claudia M. Bible, Matthew J. Tolson, Andrew Houser, Aj Condra, Nathan Smith

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

2021 Fall Engr333 Project Section B Final Report, Calvin University 2021 Engr333 Section B

ENGR 333

In 2020, residences used 16.5% of all final energy in the United States, and residences were responsible for 19.3% of all U.S. CO2 emissions. Calvin ENGR 333 students partnered with Habitat for Humanity to tackle the issue of carbon emissions when designing their homes. Habitat for Humanity for Kent County is endeavoring to design homes that reduce energy consumption, energy expenditures, and carbon emissions. They are embarking upon a “carbon footprint build” that will minimize energy consumption and carbon emissions, both during construction and across the lifetime of their new Habitat for Humanity homes. This semester, the senior mechanical engineering …

2021 Fall Engr333 Project Section A Final Report, Gerald Darkey, Jonathan Jansma, Chris Singh, Ryan Whitney, Adam Brunsting, Adam Tjoelker, Jack Van Der Molen, Cornelius Van Liere, Derrick Bittner, William Terpstra, Matthew Winkle, Kelsey Yen, Kasen Anderson, Jack Cahalane, Samantha Krupa, James Kulaga, Chukwudubem Nweke, Nathan Holwerda, Jacob Meulink, John Stehouwer, Isaac Spackman, Moses Yang

ENGR 333

Habitat for Humanity (HFH) requested a carbon footprint analysis of their most recent home build. Mark Ogland-Hand, a representative of HFH, connected with Professor Heun’s ENGR 333 students to perform the carbon footprint analysis on their new low carbon house. Assuming Consumer’s Energy will incorporate their predicted percentage of renewables into their electric grid, the London home reduces projected carbon emissions by 18% when compared to a “To Code” house over a 25 year lifespan. For the current Consumer’s Energy grid, the “Improved” London house is shown to reduce projected carbon emissions by 30% when compared to the current London …

2021 Fall Engr333 Poster, Section B, Calvin University 2021 Engr Section B

ENGR 333

In 2020, residences used 21% of all final energy in the United States and were responsible for 20% of all U.S. carbon dioxide emissions (henceforth referred to as carbon emissions). Habitat for Humanity for Kent County is endeavoring to design homes that reduce energy consumption, energy expenditures, and carbon emissions. They have established a goal of a “low carbon footprint build” that will minimize energy consumption and carbon emissions, both during construction and across the lifetime of the house. To accomplish this goal, Habitat for Humanity for Kent County partnered with Calvin’s ENGR 333 – Thermal System Design and asked …

2021 Fall Engr333 Poster, Section A, Gerald Darkey, Jonathan Jansma, Chris Singh, Ryan Whitney, Adam Brunsting, Adam Tjoelker, Jack Van Der Molen, Cornelius Van Liere, Derrick Bittner, William Terpstra, Matthew Winkle, Kelsey Yen, Kasen Anderson, Jack Cahalane, Samantha Krupa, James Kulaga, Chukwudubem Nweke, Nathan Holwerda, Jacob Meulink, John Stehouwer, Isaac Spackman, Moses Yang

ENGR 333

Habitat for Humanity (HFH) built a low-carbon home at 726 London Street SW. Mark Ogland-hand, a representative of HFH, connected with Professor Matthew Heun to begin a carbon study of this new home with the goals of understanding the carbon footprints of a traditional HFH home, the London home, and future improvements feasible for HFH to make in reducing the carbon emissions of their houses.

2021 Fall Engr333 Seminar Presentation, Anika Huizinga, John Stehouwer, William Terpstra, Duncan Waanders

ENGR 333

File for student presentation, given by students in the Fall 2021 class of ENGR333.

2021 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2021 ENGR333 project focused on the sustainable housing and featured a partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Kent County.

I asked the students “What is the expected carbon emissions savings of the [Habitat for Humanity] carbon footprint build house?” And “If the carbon footprint build house is not carbon-neutral, you must answer a second question: How can carbon emissions be reduced by a further 20%?”

Calvin’s PR office followed the students’ work throughout the semester. At the end of the semester, the project was featured on Calvin’s News and Stories site with an article by Matt Kucinski …

Beaver Creek Restorative Design Using Engineering In Nature, Lindsay M. Levatino

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Stream restoration work can be instrumental for the wellbeing of an ecosystem. Located in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia is Beaver Creek, a well-known spot for fly-fishing due to its pristine water conditions and open surroundings. In order to maintain these conditions, a 100-foot stretch of Beaver Creek needed to be restored to prevent further erosion, stabilize the banks, and enhance the natural habitats. The project involved excavating a sediment island, filling in an eroded bank, building a cross vane, and adding stakes. Local stakeholders came together to complete this project contributing their expertise, equipment, and time. The construction was …

Irrigation Design In Montana: Accommodating Varying Water Accessibility Across The Continental Divide., John Garrett Lampson

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The design work performed in this project was conducted over two summers (2018, 2019) of internship experience with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) across the state of Montana. The first summer’s design work was based out of Glendive, MT, in Dawson County, approximately 50 kilometers from the North Dakota border. The second summer was in Missoula, MT, in Missoula County, near the Idaho border. The two areas differ significantly in topography, weather, and water availability with the main separating geographic influence being the Rocky Mountains.

This paper focuses on the design process and requirements for two farms located outside …

Promoting The Sustainable Utilization Of Groundwater Resources In Ethiopia Using The Integrated Groundwater Footprint Index, Xinyu Lin

Honors Scholar Theses

The country of Ethiopia is highly vulnerable to human-caused climate change and is already suffering from the effects. The predominately rural population relies heavily on small-scale agriculture, with 78% of households having at least one member engaged in the field, yet staple crops are highly susceptible to droughts and other weather shocks. Total and agricultural GDP growth in the country have been strongly linked to inter-annual rainfall variability, of which Ethiopia has among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. A decrease in rainfall since the 1970s has been one of the primary causes of low crop yields, and stresses the immediate …

Dry River Watershed Valuation And Management Plan, Julia Hutchens

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Water quality has become a major environmental and human welfare concern in the world today, it’s no longer just for developing countries. There have been many incidences in the US of health problems related to water quality and a shortage of water. The City of Harrisonburg and the surrounding community also have a need for a well-developed watershed management plan. The focus of this study will be the Dry River because that is a main source of the city’s water. The Dry River watershed is threatened by illegal dumping, erosion from primitive roads and future road building sedimentation, a lack …

How Moisture Content Levels And Packing Density In Soil Affect Crude Oil Spreads, Shaylin N. Williams

Venture: The University of Mississippi Undergraduate Research Journal

Crude oil spills are one of the most destructive disasters that can occur, and they are extremely difficult to recover from. Many studies focus on what can be done to clean these crude oil spills, but more research should be focused on means of prevention. Currently, very little is known about how the moisture content levels and the packing efficiency of soil can affect an oil spill. These two factors alone can offer a variety of information to environmental agencies, manufacturers, and refineries. Through utilization of a chemical engineering lab, a recording mechanism, and ImagePro software, data was collected and …

Civil Engineering Design Of Cornhusker Council's Outdoor Education Center, Kelly Weiler

Honors Theses

A team of geotechnical, structural, hydraulic, environmental, and transportation experts collaborated to provide engineering solutions to the Cornhusker Council in an effort to solve the current problems facing their Outdoor Education Center. This results of this project provided the structural design of three bridges on the property, transportation plans for two parking lots and roadway design, geotechnical recommendations for soil testing and erosion prevention, and an environmental and hydraulic analysis of the property. A major challenge in the design of this project is the consideration of the dangers and regulations that accompany the floodway and floodplain regions on site. Various …

2018 Fall Engr333 Project Final Report (Section B), Alexander Cooper, Katie Diekema, Grace Fasipe, Daniella Sugijanto, Alec Dejonge, Timothy Dykhuis, Breanna Kooiman, Samuel Olson, Brennan Boice, Tyler Gustman, Daniel Norton, Christopher Vanwhye, Robert Capozzoli, Jared Minderhoud, Clark Richeson, Nathan Schuyten

ENGR 333

What is the largest possible reduction in Calvin College’s annual energy costs from a $5M initial investment in renewable energy? Renewable energy systems are essential for Calvin College to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality to meet the Carbon Commitment that President Le Roy signed in December 2017. Also, a significant cost reduction could be a positive result of transitioning to renewable energy sources such as geothermal, wind, solar, and biomass. Four renewable energy sources were studied throughout the semester to determine a feasible renewable energy plan for Calvin with a $5M investment.