In thermodynamics, chemical engineering students find themselves immersed in the principles and laws of how energy is transformed. And while this knowledge is essential for students to learn in the classroom, seeing it in action adds a new layer to how thermodynamics is practically applied in everyday life.

With her students exploring the concepts of how energy behaves in the universe, professor Heather Walker took the opportunity to introduce her class to the top-of-the-line machinery that is putting this study in action right across Dickson Street.

The university's heating and cooling plant is located just a short walk from the engineering buildings and is responsible for campus power and temperature control of U of A buildings and water. Facilities Management employees staff the plant 24/7 to monitor the complex systems keeping campus running.

One of Walker's students, Michael Zotti, said he found the tour to be enlightening, being able to observe thermodynamic concepts put into practice.

"Though I've taken thermodynamics courses in the past, actually seeing the mechanisms of energy generation, transformation and transport at such a scale broadened my view on what it means to work with energy systems," Zotti said. "This experience really bridged the gap between the textbook concept of what a thermodynamic cycle is and how it is translated into something that can operate in the real world."

This is not the first time Dr. Walker has brought one of her classes to take a behind-the-scenes look at the utility plants on campus. She said the value of seeing these operations up close only serves to benefit the students looking to earn their engineering degree.

"Thermodynamics is foundational to engineering, but it can be abstract and intimidating to students," Walker said. "Our goal is to help them connect classroom concepts to real-world systems, and there's no better way to do that than by seeing thermo in action at the U of A Heating Plant."

Energy Conservation Engineer Jeffrey Siebler, who led the class tour of university facilities, said giving students exposure to the operations of campus heating and cooling is beneficial both to the students and the Facilities Management staff.

"For the students, it's a chance to see real-life examples of the theories they learn about in the classroom," Siebler said. "For our team, it demonstrates the hard work needed to keep the utility plants operating properly. Often, this effort can go unnoticed."

Students were shown the central chilled-water and heating plants, the electricity generators and a section of the underground utility tunnel.

Another one of Walker's students, Ashlyn Bullington, said she was able to appreciate the effort that goes into maintaining power and utilities on a campus the size of the U of A.

"I am grateful for this experience because it helped to deepen my understanding of the different technical elements that each have a part in large-scale energy systems and showed me how the concepts we study are applied in practical, impactful ways that relate to our everyday life," Bullington said. "I saw the critical role that operations play in ensuring the campus energy services are constantly available for everyone to complete their daily tasks."