A project centered on energy efficiency in the Benjamin Building is among 14 grants totaling $930,000 awarded earlier this year through the University of Maryland Sustainability Fund. Most of the grants fund student-led projects and internships.
“There’s nothing like learning by doing,” said Office of Sustainability Director Scott Lupin, noting that the student focus is intentional because the fund comes from undergraduate fees. “We want to give students the opportunity to get out there and participate in research, internships and learn from faculty advisors or staff about topics that affect sustainability. Hopefully it’s rewarding and gives them a leg up in the job market.”
A grant of $33,338.88 will fund “AI-Enabled Decision Framework to Maximize Climate Return on Investment in Building-Envelope Retrofits.” Over the next two years, students will use drones and deep learning to identify inefficiencies in building envelopes — areas where heat, air or energy is escaping via walls, windows or the roof — and predict the energy, carbon and cost impacts of retrofit strategies, focused on the Benjamin Building. They will gain experience and skills in predictive AI, drone-based sensing, hygrothermal modeling and life-cycle assessment.
Since the fund’s inception in 2011, projects have received a total of $6.1 million.
Read about all the recent Sustainability Fund grants in Maryland Today.
