Campus News: Week of Dec. 4, 2000

Researcher Helps Airport Meet Environmental Regulations

Simeon Komisar, associate professor of environmental and energy engineering, has helped Albany International Airport meet strict environmental regulations and save hundreds of thousands of dollars on airplane de-icing. Albany's new de-icer waste treatment system is the first of its kind in the world and could help other airports that face similar regulations (go to http://www.albanyairport.com/3/welcome.html, then scroll down to "Environmental").

Komisar's research led to an on-site facility that anaerobically treats de-icer fluid. The fluid had previously been sent through the Town of Colonie's sewer system to the Albany wastewater treatment facility, an expensive process. This state-of-the-art Stormwater Recovery and Treatment Facility that uses Komisar's research utilizes microorganisms to "digest" propylene glycol, a key ingredient of de-icer fluid, to below detection limits. In addition, the system creates methane gas as a by-product, which is reused as fuel to heat the incoming fluid and to speed its processing. The gas is also used to heat the airport's treatment facility.

With the new system, Albany International Airport cut the cost for de-icing containment, collection, treatment, and disposal by nearly 75 percent, from about $1 million to approximately $250,000, in its first season of full-scale use, according to Stephen Iachetta, airport planner. Kevin McCann, sales manager at EFX Systems, which designed the system, said that about a half-dozen airports are currently looking into purchasing the system after seeing Albany's system at work. The system won the Airports Council International - North America 1999 Environmental Achievement Award.

The initial pilot project was funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Also working on the project were Michael Switzenbaum and Sean Veltmann of the University of Massachusetts and Clough Harbour and Associates, a local engineering firm.

"Studio 305" Adds New Technologies to Architect's Toolbox

In a third-floor studio in the Greene Building, students are employing powerful new technologies that may alter the future of architecture.

Here, a milling machine follows computer-created designs to carve three-dimensional objects out of foam or wood. Working in the opposite direction, another device, called a three-dimensional scanner, is able to create a computer-based image of physical objects.

In creating Studio 305, Assistant Professor of Architecture Brian Lonsway and his colleagues chose not to let thecomputer take the place of the drawing board and handmade models, but rather to use the computer as an additional tool.

In this very flexible studio, all furniture is on wheels, letting students arrange things in ways that best make sense for the job at hand. A motorized curtain can close off one end of the room to create a theater where students can present their projects, on video, to as many as 50 teachers and peers. A professional-quality video editing station allows students to create simulated tours of their proposed buildings, or even show their projects within a video image of an actual site.

Aided by computers, architects are now able to answer such questions as how much a room will weigh, or how much a building will cost to heat, according to Mark Mistur '83, clinical associate professor of architecture.

Computer technology can also streamline the construction process, says Mistur. Currently, an architect's ideas must be translated into plans that can be used on a building site. In the future, the architect and consultants might all work together online, with the final building instructions delivered to the site in powerful, portable computers.

Committee to Study Space Allocation

"The committee has been given the authority to make decisions about the optimal use of space on campus." — Shirley Jackson—

President Shirley Ann Jackson has named a Space Utilization, Management, and Allocation Committee to formulate astrategy for efficiently and effectively using space on the Rensselaer campus.

The study is particularly urgent in light of the new construction that is part of the Rensselaer Plan.

Chairing the committee is Ted Mirczak '66, acting vice president for administration. Committee members include Eddie Knowles, interim vice president for student life; John Kolb '79, chief information officer; G. P. "Bud" Peterson, provost; and Art Sanderson, vice president for research.

"The committee has been given the authority to make decisions about the optimal use of space on campus. We're moving away from the idea of ownership to tenancy," said President Jackson. "The idea is to evaluate the way we use space all across the campus."

The committee will develop and present "possible space scenarios" resulting from the proposals for the biotechnology and interdisciplinary studies building and the electronic media and performing arts center, Mirczak said. The scenarios will also address the allocation of spaces created when faculty, staff, and students move into the new facilities, he said.

Mirczak stressed the president's emphasis on "optimal use" of space, in terms of both cost and efficiency. "Each square foot we save represents $200. We want to manage space effectively and have operations where they should be," Mirczak said.