Solar Decathlon team woos, wows alumni

Students from the University of Cincinnati’s Solar Decathlon team wooed and wowed alumni Wednesday, with a detailed presentation and demonstrations of the team’s proposed solar home.

The interdisciplinary team of more than 200 students will enter its 800-square-feet home in the national Solar Decathlon, a select competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and corporate partners.

Twenty teams from across the globe will compete to create the most efficient and architecturally attractive solar-powered home. Homes will be displayed on the National Mall Oct. 12-20 in Washington DC.

Speaking before a crowd of alumni and industry professionals, alumni member Ed Ratterman called the team’s collaboration between multiple colleges a “groundbreaking first” for the university.

The interdisciplinary team includes students from the university’s internationally recognized College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) and Colleges of Business, Engineering and Arts & Sciences.

“It was imperative we work across lines to accomplish [the house],” said Christopher Davis, a member of the team’s executive committee. “We’ve learned a lot from each other.”

For DAAP Associate Dean Anton Harfmann, the cross-collaboration of students exceeded his expectations. Harfmann, whose background is in architecture, says the event was a learning experience for everyone on the team.

“We all got smarter on the deal,” he said. “It’s everybody doing what they do best and educating others in the process.”

Ratterman, a 1980 graduate of DAAP and current senior development officer for the city of Cincinnati, says the team’s integration of disciplines speaks well for his alma mater.

“The business world is more about teamwork and UC is changing to keep up,” he said. “This shows the university is starting to work like we do in the real world.”

Steven James, a 1973 graduate from the College of Engineering and a retired environmental engineer, says that although his generation marked the start of the environmental movement, today’s students are leading the way to make it affordable and practical.

“It’s still an expensive technology,” he said. “But incorporating technology in homes is important.”

And, according to Harfmann, the future of solar homes is bright, with thanks, in part, to teams like UC’s.

“The [competition] has instantaneously catapulted the university into the issues of sustainability,” he said.