Noelle Layman of Hubertus, Wis. Wins Green Energy Challenge

2011 Nov 9

Milwaukee School of Engineering's student chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) won the national championship in the 2011 Green Energy Challenge Student Competition! Noelle Layman, an architectural engineering and business double major from Hubertus, Wis., was part of the team of students who presented their entries at NECA's annual convention in San Diego on Oct. 22. This is the second year MSOE has participated in the contest, and the second year in a row that they won the championship!

The competition is sponsored by ELECTRI International - The Foundation for Electrical Construction and NECA, and was open to teams of students studying electrical construction, engineering, design and management. The students were challenged to conduct an energy audit of a dormitory at their university. They focused on lighting systems, opportunities for overall dormitory energy efficiency, and student/campus energy awareness. All efforts were undertaken from the perspective of a design-build electrical contractor.

MSOE students analyzed the Roy W. Johnson Residence Hall on MSOE's campus for the competition. The team of architectural engineering majors studied the 89,500 square-foot building and recommended updating the building's lighting and heating controls. They also recommended installing solar panels to heat water and reduce energy costs. Their final plans were financially sound and followed LEED standards.

Dr. Dudley Outcalt, civil and architectural engineering and construction management assistant professor, is the faculty advisor for MSOE's NECA student chapter, and members Jessica Iversen, Brandon Jacobson, Noelle Layman, Jessica Phillips, Elise Pinkerton and Dylan Sandretto represented MSOE in the competition.

MSOE is an independent university with 2,500 students. MSOE offers 18 bachelor's degrees and 10 master's degrees in the engineering, engineering technology, building and infrastructure engineering, health-related engineering, computer, business and nursing fields. The university has a national academic reputation; longstanding ties to business and industry; dedicated professors with real-world experience; and extremely high placement rates and according to PayScale Inc., the highest starting salaries among all colleges and universities in Wisconsin. MSOE graduates are well-rounded, technologically experienced and highly productive professionals and leaders.