COLLEGE STATION, Texas, May 4, 2009 – A student-led effort to help Texas A&M University Dining Services reduce food waste by taking advantage of compost and recycling processes is among four local community-based initiatives that will be reviewed in detail Tuesday, May 4 at the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering.
Undertaken by service-minded Texas A&M students throughout the past semester, each of the four projects is part of an engineering course known as EPICS, which stands for Engineering Projects in Community Service. Project presentations are scheduled to begin at 12:45 in Rm 256 of the Jack E. Brown Engineering Building on campus.
Students participating in the EPICS program earn academic credit with multiyear, multidisciplinary projects that solve engineering and technology-based problems for community service and education organizations.
This semester’s projects include partnerships with Texas A&M Dining Services, the Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley, Texas A&M Transportation Services and Habitat for Humanity.
A partnership between EPICS and the university’s dining services has been formed in an effort to reduce the amount of food waste transported to landfills. This semester, a team of students has focused on determining food-waste output in Texas A&M dining facilities as well as the treatment of this waste. The team also has explored a new system of efficient food-waste treatment, including compost and recycling.
Another team of students is assisting the Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley in providing more interactive and quality educational programs and exhibits. The project team has worked to create a safe, sustainable, and fun health exhibit for children and their families as part of an attempt to improve science and engineering educational resources for the community.
EPICS also has partnered with Texas A&M Transportation Services, helping to upgrade the design of parking garages throughout campus with the goal of lowering transportation services’ utility costs while also reducing its overall carbon footprint. A student team is studying the feasibility of implementing the installation of solar panels and high efficiency light bulbs. The team is also examining methods of water reclamation, creating a green roof habitat, and utilizing better use of natural light.
A student team also is working closely with Habitat for Humanity as part of a project aimed at designing independent green homes for the organization’s clients. These homes are intended to help the environment and the families inhabiting them by conserving energy, gas and water, and making use of environmentally friendly products in the construction of these homes.
Though it’s only been offered at Texas A&M for two semesters, EPICS has existed since 1995 when it was developed at Purdue University. Through the years, it has gained popularity throughout the country, and today it can be found at 15 universities, attracting thousands of students.
At Texas A&M, the course is open to all engineering students and is instructed by Lale Yurttas of the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering. For more information on the EPICS program at Texas A&M, contact Yurttas at (979) 847-9316 or via email: yurttas@chemail.tamu.edu.
