Dr. Lin Li receives another new grant from DOE

Dr. Lin Li received a new grant of $625,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy as Principal Investigator.  The grant "Commercial and Public Sector Building Efficiency Workforce Development with the University of Illinois Chicago's Industrial Assessment Center" is from 9/1/2021 to 8/31/2026.

The funded Commercial and Public Sector Building Efficiency Workforce Pilot Program will provide:

1. Technical Assistance, in the form of energy efficiency assessments to commercial and public sector buildings that are less than 100,000 square feet. Collaborating with the Illinois State Energy Office and Illinois Central Management Services, the team of University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College will assess 10-20 commercial and public sector buildings per year with area utilities, including office buildings, warehouse, community centers, cooling centers, community shelters, etc., especial v in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
2. Expanded Workforce Development - UIC Industrial Assessment Center will work with community colleges from the City Colleges of Chicago, training 10-15 students per year, and providing education to perform energy efficiency assessments of commercial and public sector buildings through hands-on training. An emphasis will be placed on diversity and inclusion for minorities and women. Students graduating from these community colleges who participated in the program will pursue technical careers in HVAC or transfer to 4-year universities to continue their engineering careers. Training will include a combination of online training, in-class training, and hands-on-experience in the field. UIC IAC will develop training modules for the program that could be utilized to further expand the program.