Team Name
Seattle University
Collegiate Wind Competition Objectives
This is the second year Seattle University (SU) competes in the Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC).The SU team appreciates this opportunity to gain valuable experiences and looks forward to learning from others in the competition. Team members are using the knowledge they’re developing to work outside of the classroom in internships, volunteer opportunities, and clubs to build experience that will help prepare them for a career after college.
Team Strengths
The team brings a range of experience and interests. Their studies cover mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, finance, business, and math. This multidisciplinary team will work collaboratively to come up with some creative solutions to the unique challenges in wind energy.
Team Hurdles
Two of the mechanical engineering students worked on the siting competition last year but the rest of the team is new to the competition. The team faculty advisor, Yen-Lin Han, took over the competition in September after a personnel change in the department.
Game Plan
The team comprises talents from various disciplines and a variety of backgrounds. Every team member brings something unique to the table, helping us work together toward our common goal. Weekly team meetings help keep the team on track with reasonable progress. The team works on various small-scale testing plans, testing the full competition-scaled turbine in the wind tunnel outside of campus.
The team adviser was academically trained in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and business administration. She advises both the technical turbine design team and the siting team. The team manager, Nicole Kahasha, is a senior studying mechanical engineering. She participated in the 2018 competition and is using her experience from the siting challenge and her previous internships to oversee the team’s operations.
Madison Halliday, a senior studying finance and math, and Pearl Lee, a senior studying business economics, international business, and Chinese, are working together on the siting competition. Their interests in the finances and economics of renewable energy motivate them to research these subjects and bring in new perspectives to the project.
The mechanical engineering team has three design focuses: a variable pitching system, new blades, and a new nacelle with an updated yaw system. James Lamont, a senior studying mechanical engineering with experience in general contracting and construction, is leading the implementation of a new variable pitch system. Kees Westra and Emily Zaretsky, two seniors studying mechanical engineering, are working with Nicole Kahasha to update the design of the turbine blades and nacelle.
The electrical engineering team consists of two seniors, Thanh Nguyen and Jeremy Yarborough. Thanh works in the campus IT department and is focusing on the control algorithm. Jeremy is an experienced AV technician and is investigating the generators and designs for all circuits in the system.
Reports
This webpage was submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy by the team.