Techsan Wind Team
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
Faculty Advisor
Suhas Pol
Student Leads
Declan Sackett
What is your team name, institution name, city, and state?
We are the Techsan Wind Team from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. We are partnering with South Plains Community College in Levelland, Texas.
Who are your faculty advisor and student lead(s)?
Our faculty advisor is Suhas Pol, and our student lead is Declan Sackett.
Why is your team participating in the Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC)?
Our team members are participating in the CWC because of all the benefits it provides: the real-world experience, the opportunity to connect with industry, and the chance to learn more about renewable energy in a hands-on manner.
Techsan Wind Team includes David Naverette, Declan Sackett, Christian Castillo, Leslie Omonzane, Nathan Dyer, Edward Ogawa, and Will Mynatt, Leyna Caglar, Brooke Jones, Kody Nguyen, Ayobami Ajala, Kate Hopkins, Mindy Duncan, Seth Stines and Griffin Morsi, Trey Gloeckler, Ely Orona, Riley Edwards. The photo also includes two South Plains Community College students, Ely Orona and Brenda Ramirez.
What is your vision for a renewable energy future?
Our team’s vision for a renewable energy future is one where wind is a reliable source of energy, helping to replace fossil fuels, and future generations continue to maintain and develop new sources of renewable energy.
Describe your project, objectives, and game plan.
Our goals for the competition this year are to improve on last year’s performance by maintaining effective communication between our subteams. We’re planning to achieve those goals by assigning each member to a subteam and holding weekly meetings to update each other on subteams’ progress.
Who has your team connected with in the wind industry? What lessons have you learned from them, and how can your team apply those lessons to the competition?
We have been able to connect with professionals from four unique areas within the wind energy industry, gathering information about how the industry operates and how to best approach the competition. The team has learned about project development, applications of artificial intelligence, industry law practices, and research, all of which are helping to give the team a comprehensive understanding of the wind energy industry that we can apply to our project.
What does your team do exceptionally well? How will you use your team’s strengths to your advantage in the competition?
Our team’s strengths lie in organization and teamwork. Each week, the three subteams present their progress to update those on the other subteams and practice presenting for the final competition. These weekly check-ins give team members short-term goals to work toward and a sense of accomplishment.
What is your team’s strategy for success in the competition?
We plan to use a divide-and-conquer approach to the competition so that each member of the team has a job to fulfill, and no single person is overwhelmed by their responsibilities. This system also ensures that the final product is the result of a wide range of inputs from each subteam, making it unique.
This content was submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy by the team. Find more information on CWC 2023.