Teachers or students in Coos county can register for any or all of the following opportunities.
**Attending the site visit and/or having an in-class workshop is recommended for students hoping to participate in the Build-a-thon challenge, as these will provide content knowledge to help students prepare as well as opportunities to ask questions of experts in the field.
Weatherization fieldtrip/site-visit:
Students can come to the Hugh Gallen Career and Technical Center in Littleton to experience a blower-door test and energy audit activities to investigate one of the tiny homes built by students at the center. Ben Southworth, from Garland Mill, is partnering with NHEEP to help provide equipment and best-practice expertise around high-performance buildings. Participants will use thermal cameras and other tools/activities to investigate thermal transfer, and work with other students to explore connections between this work and why it matters for people, planet, and prosperity. If transportation is a barrier, please contact aubrey@nheep.org to try and work something out.
Heat Transfer and/or Modeling Climate Science - In-class Workshop with NHEEP educator:
An energy educator from VEEP/NHEEP can come to your class and do hands-on investigations and demonstrations with your students to help them understand heat transfer and/or figure out the connection between weatherization and climate. Click here to register for an in-class workshop!
What the Weatherization?- Build-a-thon Challenge:
Small groups of students participate in an engineering design and build challenge to demonstrate the main principles of weatherization. They receive a small building stipend and their design is submitted virtually for judging by a small panel of professionals. The winners receive prizes.
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More about the what the weatherization? build-a-thon:
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Goal: In small teams, design and build a tool, activity, demonstration or experiment that can be used to help students figure out how to achieve optimal building performance in regard to one or more of the following weatherization principles:
Category 1 - Convective heat transfer
Category 2 - Conductive heat transfer
Category 3 - Moisture transport and impacts*
Category 4 - Building ventilation**
OPEN Category - Buildings as Energy Systems- Combination of all 4 principles and the interactive nature of these concepts.
CRITERIA:
Fun, Interactive and Creative: How effectively did the design engage the learner and provide a unique, meaningful and memorable experience?
Accessible, Clear, Safe, Audience-Appropriate: Were the elements of and the instructions for the project approachable for the intended audience (including for learners with different needs)?
Scientifically Accurate and Well-Researched : Did the project list sources, provide evidence for their reasoning and present the building principles, scientific concepts, and best practices accurately?
Materials Cost, Scalability, Sustainably Sourced: Is the project simple enough to build that it could be scaled up and be used widely as a low-cost, sustainably sourced resource for learners across New England?
Industry Relevance/Applicability- How effectively will this design help prepare the learner(s) to participate in the weatherization or building systems industries?
Building Systems and Impacts- Did the project demonstrate how various aspects of weatherization principles are interrelated and why this work matters (for people, planet, prosperity)?
Interested? Please register below!