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As facilities professionals, we grapple with the challenges of keeping up with innovation, evaluating and learning new technologies, and often pursuing ever-narrowing margins of efficiency savings.Thankfully, within our educational settings, we often have access to a dynamic talent pool of AI-ready, innovative students who are adept at managing a rapidly changing world, and eager to apply their skills to our field.
The University of Georgia’s Facilities Management Division has had success in deploying interns in our Commissioning, Engineering, Operations and Maintenance and Sustainability Departments, leveraging student engagement to identify and advance innovative solutions in energy management and multiple areas of operational efficiency. Attendees will learn from a range of case studies and gain practical insights for applying similar approaches in their own institutions.
1. Positive Case Studies: Attendees will learn from positive case-studies where students effectively applied new skills to solve challenging, time-consuming problems. Emphasis will be placed on innovation, the use of metrics-based tools, and measurable impacts, including cost, labor, and resource savings, as well as sustainability improvements.
2. Skills Transferability for Continuity: Attendees will understand the importance of deploying talented students who can quickly learn new skills, and how to capitalize on this learning by transferring newly developed skills organization-wide, utilizing tutorials and other continuity innovations to ensure skill transferability and sustainability.
3. Effective Relationships: Attendees will gain practical insights into developing effective working relationships with faculty and staff. The focus will be on maximizing opportunities for high-quality student recruitment and engagement through clear communication, goal setting, and fostering mutual benefits.
Dr. Justin Ellis is the Program Manager for Operational Strategy and Impact Analysis at the University of Georgia’s Office of Sustainability within the Facilities Management Division (FMD). In this role, Dr. Ellis uses data analytics to shape and improve UGA’s strategic vision and operational strategies for sustainability. He established and leads the Office’s Clean Energy and Climate Solutions program and the Biodiversity and Landscape programs, while also co-leading the Campus as a Living Lab initiative. He recently directed a Waste Reduction Services grant project to install fork scales on front loader trucks, allowing the University to measure waste per customer similar to metering for water and electricity. Additionally, he serves as the chair of FMD’s Fleet Electrification Workgroup.
As a restoration ecologist and GIS specialist with over two decades of experience, Dr. Ellis has a proven track record in using data analysis and modeling to plan, implement, and achieve sustainability targets.
Gordon Stead earned his first degree in Physics from Oxford University in Britain in the early 2000s, and spent his early career in science education. On marrying into a Georgia family, Gordon moved to Athens in 2019 and pursued a Masters in Engineering from UGA. Since 2022, hen has been heading up the new Commissioning (Cx) Department in the UGA’s Facilities Management Division, with a focus on achieving energy savings through New Construction Cx, Ongoing Cx, and other campus-wide energy saving procedures. Partnership with students, their academic departments, and the Office of Sustainability at UGA has been both a rewarding and fruitful part of the Cx Department’s work, and inspiration for this presentation at SRAPPA 2024.
Ian is a member of the mechanical engineering team and an EIT. He provides in-house mechanical and plumbing design for the alteration and repair of existing buildings, district energy networks and mechanical plants for the university. He also works with engineering design consultants to facilitate larger design projects. Along with design activities, Ian maintains steam schematics for the main campus, performs laser scanning, and assists with the hydraulic modeling of the chilled water networks. The project management, operations and maintenance and utilities and energy management departments receive Ian’s support with repairs, documentation and improvement for various mechanical systems on and off campus.
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