The grants are used to design and construct projects, such as Minnesota State University — Mankato’s proposal to design and construct a renewable and HVAC technologies test-bed “shack.”

“In the spirit of the solar decathlon and the movement toward ‘tiny homes,’ this project aims to design and build a structure of some 24 square feet that can be used to demonstrate renewable and HVAC technologies,” said Patrick Tebbe, faculty advisor at Minnesota State University — Mankato. “The shack will be designed to accommodate a range of technologies for demonstration and testing in the classroom and research projects.”

The shack design will be loosely based on a typical ice-fishing hut. The inclusion of ice fishing creates an immediate engagement for both students and the public, said Tebbe.

“Students hope this will generate interest in energy efficiency and sustainable design topics beyond upper level engineering courses. The shack also will be portable — as it will most likely be constructed on a sled — so it could be moved to test sites, high schools, open houses, and other locations, allowing for greater demonstration. It also could be adapted for summer applications.”

The project will also incorporate a flat-plate solar collector to supplement interior heating, testing of various wood and pellet-fueled stoves, and weather stations from previous solar research. The construction materials likely will be supplemented with local recycled and reused materials.

Other institutions receiving ASHRAE grants include Purdue University — Calumet, Hammond, Ind.; American University of Beirut, Lebanon; Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, N.C.; Sinclair Community College, Dayton, Ohio; Transylvania University, Brasov, Romania; Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Colombia; Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia; University of Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska; University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Uni-versity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Ill.; University of Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia; University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria; University of Maryland, College Park, Md.; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.; University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada; Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Ky.; Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio; California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Calif.; Jimei University, Xiamen, China; and University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.

ASHRAE will begin accepting applications for the 2013-2014 scholarship program in August. The final deadline is set for December 2012.

For more information on the grant program, visit www.ashrae.org/grants.

Publication date: 5/28/2012