Penn State hosts Energy & Sustainability Day at The Navy Yard

by Colleen Lynch, PR ’14
Intern, GridSTAR

On Wednesday March 19, Penn State held Energy and Sustainability Day at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia, as part of the Schreyer Honors College Shaping the Future Summit. Over fifty students and faculty members from a variety of educational backgrounds were welcomed from Penn State’s University Park, Abington and Berks campuses.

The event was hosted by Penn State’s Grid Smart Training and Application Resource (GridSTAR) Center, an innovative learning and research environment focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy and smart grid technologies.  The GridSTAR Center is coordinated by Penn State’s Department of Architectural Engineering and is based on The Navy Yard campus in Philadelphia.

David Riley, professor of architectural engineering at Penn State and the Principal Investigator of the GridSTAR Center said, “Penn State is fortunate to be a part of the redevelopment of The Navy Yard, as it will offer our students excellent opportunities for learning and research about sustainability.”

The day began with an introduction from Navy Yard leaders, including the director of the Consortium for Building Energy Innovation (formerly known as the EEB Hub), Martha Krebs; Senior Vice President of Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), Will Agate; and Principal at Kieran Timberlake, David Riz; who is the leading designer of Penn State’s new facilities at The Navy Yard. Students were then taken on a bus tour of The Navy Yard, led by Will Agate, with a variety of stops including GlaxoSmithKline headquarters, the Courtyard Marriot and Penn State’s new facilities, The Center for Building Energy Science and Engineering and The Center for Building Energy Education and Innovation. The tour concluded at the Urban Outfitters headquarters where students enjoyed lunch at the Shop 543 food court.

After lunch, participants visited the GridSTAR Center for demonstrations of cutting edge technologies in the Smart Grid Demonstration Residence, including energy storage systems, solar modules, sustainable construction methods and electric vehicle charging stations. Students also had the opportunity to learn from our industry partners at Solar Grid Storage about what it is like to work for a start-up in the energy sector. The demonstrations and workshops within the GridSTAR Center were most popular among participants. A student from Penn State Berks said, “All of my classes are based on micro grids, solar power and electricity, so being able to see it in action brings life to it. It’s new and exciting.”

Though some were unaware of Penn State’s presence at The Navy Yard, many were impressed with the progress that has been made. After their visit, students and faculty from a variety of academic backgrounds recognized the growing importance of interdisciplinary sustainability and left feeling energized about the potential of Penn State’s initiatives in Philadelphia.

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The New Leaf Initiative – A New Coworking Space in Downtown State College

by Dr. Tim Simpson

NewLeafFlyerIf you are student, undergraduate or graduate, or faculty member wanting to do entrepreneurial “things” and haven’t heard of New Leaf Initiative yet, you are missing out on some great networking opportunities and are probably not aware of the new coworking space that is opening this February in State College.

New Leaf started more than 3 years ago by Spud Marshall, Christian Baum, and Eric Sauder, and has become an integral member of our local entrepreneurial ecosystem. When New Leaf first opened, it operated out of 100 South Fraser Street—across the street from Hammond Building, beneath Dunkin Donuts, the same place Freeze Thaw Cycles began. Marshall and Baum have since spun-out co.space, leaving Sauder and Serena Fulton, the newest edition to the team, to run New Leaf.

Now, New Leaf is on the verge of opening a 2,500 sq. foot coworking space in the 3rd floor of the State College Borough Building, located at 243 South Allen Street, one building south of the Schlow Library. New Leaf offers a variety of coworking memberships, which provide either 10, 20, or 40 hours per week of access to desks and private meeting space. The rates are reasonable and all inclusive, and more than 20 companies and local entrepreneurs have signed up thus far (full house is about 36 members, and they are gunning for >80% occupancy when they open next month).

So how do I know so much about New Leaf and their new endeavor?  Well, New Leaf has been my “secret office” in town while I’ve been on sabbatical (did you see me in their photos yet?). Working at New Leaf has provided unique insight into our local entrepreneurial ecosystem, from literally right across the street. It has been a great way to network with local entrepreneurs in a range of industries, as well as get to know people working in the Borough and Chamber of Business and Industry Centre County. There are some phenomenal people who are working very hard to make State College and Happy Valley a mecca for recruiting talented entrepreneurs into the area and, more importantly, providing opportunities to students and alumni to stay in the area to work on their latest invention and innovation. I’ve been renting my own desk space in New Leaf, and I’ve lost count of how many students and faculty I’ve helped connect to local ecosystem. It’s worked equally well in reverse, as I’ve been able to help connect many local entrepreneurs with people and resources at Penn State. In fact, being on the outside this year has been very eye opening in many regards, including how difficult it is for local entrepreneurs to navigate the wealth of resources at Penn State and connect with the right people (maybe it’s time for a 1-800-PSU-ESHIP number?).

There are other incubators and office spaces in town, and Penn State is involved with two facilities: (1) Technology Center at Innovation Park and (2) Zetachron in Science Park. Rates vary depending on what you need (e.g., $14-16/sq. ft. for office space; $20/sq. ft. and up for wet lab space), and there are some cool start-ups incubating there now. More important, however, is the list of successful former tenants of which I was previously unaware. It’s an impressive list when you read it.

I think New Leaf’s coworking space will complement these existing incubator spaces well and provide a shared working space within walking distance of campus, which may be attractive to students and faculty just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey. I’ve put down my own money (not PSU’s money or my grant money) for a 10hr/week membership, and I’m looking forward to helping shape the culture in this new space while continuing my entrepreneurial cross-training.

If this interests you and you want to learn more the New Leaf Initiative and their coworking space, check out the Grand Opening is Wed, Feb. 5 from 4-6pm in 243 South Allen Street.

Tim Simpson is a professor in both mechanical engineering and industrial engineering. He holds affiliate appointments in the School of Engineering Design, Technology, and Professional Programs (SEDTAPP) and the College of Information Sciences & Technology. From 2007-2012, he served as director of the Learning Factory, and now he serves as co-Director of the Center for Innovative Materials Processing through Direct Digital Deposition (CIMP-3D), a DARPA-funded Manufacturing Demonstration Facility for Additive Manufacturing. This is his second sabbatical. 

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