WindJax Energy Club
Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
Faculty Adviser
David Willy, david.willy@nau.edu
Student Lead
J. Owen Murphy, jom28@nau.edu
Vision and Mission
The United States has set an ambitious goal of reaching 100% carbon-pollution-free electricity by 2035. Although many see this goal as unobtainable, we see it as a wonderful opportunity. Participating in this year’s U.S. Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC) will equip our team members with the technical and interpersonal skills necessary to pursue this goal in our future careers in renewable energy. Throughout our own personal growth, we also hope to inspire a future generation of renewable energy professionals by making our work accessible to the public, particularly to youth.
Background
The WindJax Energy Club has participated in the CWC since the competition’s inception in 2014, winning an honorable mention in 2017. While the team still mostly consists of capstone students, we have evolved into a club that welcomes any student with a passion for renewable energy! We recruit members through public seminars and promotional literature. Although we are still led by engineers, adding communications, business, and environmental studies students to the mix has offered more diverse perspectives, which greatly benefits the team.
Top (left to right): Chase Hughes, Mikela Petersen, and Sam Nearing.
Middle row: Ben Chesney, Dario DeDonato, Samirah Gnangbe, Lucas Johnson, Tess Hopton, Ben Coulter, and Bryce Greenberg.
Front row: Shane O’Neil, Davis Ray, Graham Burnside, J. Owen Murphy, and Caden “Cādo” Wilfert.
Strategy
The team this year has excelled organizationally. We ensure everyone is aware of their roles and responsibilities within their projects, which has helped to naturally separate the work into manageable tasks for each member. But where we really shine is in presenting. We bring a combination of group charisma and technical knowledge to the table, and we are confident that our presentation will delight the audience and impress the judges at the competition this May.
Follow Us
This content was submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy by the team. Find more information on CWC 2022.