Sustainable sign-off: Engineering faculty member retires after 37 years

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Following an instructional profession spanning 37 years with Penn State’s Faculty of Engineering, Andy Lau, affiliate professor of engineering, retired on Dec. 31, 2020. 

Lau got here to the College in January 1984, becoming a member of Penn State Harrisburg to show engineering expertise programs and to additional develop engineering expertise applications. 

Andy Lau served on the group that designed the Boise Cascade manufactured photo voltaic dwelling throughout his tenure on the Idaho Nationwide Lab.

On the Harrisburg campus, Lau researched photo voltaic power expertise and heating, ventilating and air-con (HVAC). He additionally helped create the campus’ honors program, serving as its first director. He was promoted to affiliate professor in 1990. In 1992, Lau was a part of a group that acquired a grant from the Pennsylvania Power Improvement Authority to design, construct and take a look at a photovoltaic-powered electrical automobile charging station. When Lau moved to College Park in 1999, the charging system was moved to the Heart for Sustainability, now often called the Sustainability Institute, on the nine-acre Sustainability Experience Center on the College Park campus. 

As a College Park school member, Lau taught sections of the first-year engineering design course, EDSGN 100: Cornerstone Engineering Design; coordinated and taught first-year engineering seminars; labored to combine sustainability and ethics into the undergraduate engineering curriculum; and accomplished analysis in renewable power and sustainable design. His favourite course was a first-year seminar he developed and taught for 16 years referred to as, “The Ethics of Star Trek.” He additionally developed a number of first-year seminars on sustainability and served because the assistant director of the Heart for Sustainability, serving to to guide its transition to the Sustainability Institute in 2013. 

Lau stated he views essentially the most vital mission in his profession because the 2007 Solar Decathlon competition that led to the development of the 100% solar-powered Morningstar Home, the core facility on the Sustainability Expertise Heart. This mission group included tons of of undergraduates, many graduate college students and college members from throughout the College.   

Lau served on a group that acquired a grant from the Pennsylvania Power Improvement Authority to design, construct and take a look at a photovoltaic-powered electrical automobile charging station. The charging station is now situated at Penn State’s College Park campus.

“Andy has had a huge effect on the training of Penn State engineering undergraduate college students, notably first-year college students,” stated Sven Bilén, head of the Faculty of Engineering Design, Expertise, and Skilled Applications and professor of engineering design, electrical engineering and aerospace engineering. “He has highlighted the significance of sustainability to the engineering design course of and has left a legacy of instruments and modules that our school will proceed to make use of with future college students.”

Along with his work with college students and college, all through his tutorial profession, Lau consulted with Met-Ed, York Worldwide, Trans/Air Manufacturing and Power Alternatives Inc. 

From 1999 to 2008, Lau served as a accomplice and power modeler for 7group, an engineering agency specializing in inexperienced design consulting, primarily for business buildings. Previous to his time at Penn State, he labored for 4 years as a design engineer growing manufactured photo voltaic houses on the Idaho Nationwide Lab and for 2 years at Southern Photo voltaic Power Heart in Atlanta, Georgia. At Southern Photo voltaic, Lau managed a photo voltaic water heater research involving Invoice Aungst, a school member on the Harrisburg campus. From that relationship, the concept of finishing a graduate diploma and instructing engineering expertise emerged. 

Lau views essentially the most vital mission in his profession because the 2007 Photo voltaic Decathlon competitors that led to the development of the 100% solar-powered Morningstar House, the core facility at Penn State’s Sustainability Expertise Heart.

Lau acquired a fellowship to review on the Photo voltaic Power Lab on the College of Wisconsin-Madison the place he earned his grasp of science in mechanical engineering in 1983. Lau earned his bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Penn State in 1977. 

Upon retirement, Lau acquired emeritus standing. 

“My best satisfaction throughout my profession at Penn State is working with college students to think about and create a greater, extra simply and extra sustainable world,” he stated.