Engineering Renewable Energy for Haiti

Engineering Renewable Energy for Haiti Engineering Renewable Energy for Haiti Engineering Renewable Energy for Haiti Even before they graduate, engineering students at Georgia Tech have started to bring much-needed, inexpensive, and reliable solar power to a small remote village of about 6,000 in Haiti, devastated by the 2010 earthquake.Students say projects like these are bedrngnis only great learning experiences, they are also very rewarding, as they know they are helping make peoples lives better in addition to making themselves feel like real practicing engineers.The village, called Thoman, a three-hour drive east of Port-au-Prince, is being developed as a sustainable community by a Mississippi-based nicht gewinnorientiert ministry. The people still live in primitive housing and have no electricity or running water. Only last year did Thoman get connected to Haitis main power grid, but service is so unreliable that a recently opened health center relies mostly on a diesel generat or that is expensive to operate.Living conditions are so poor that one gruppe member, Edlawit (Julie) Bezabih, originally from Ethiopia, said, Haiti is different. I had never experienced conditions like I saw in Haiti. I am from Ethiopia, obviously from Africa, so most of these things are not new for me.ORS Team in Atlanta (from left) Elizabeth Robelo, Julie Bezabih, Wondewosen Kihinet, Liyao Wu, Kyron Longwood. Image Georgia TechRestoring PowerTwo independent teams developed systems that are making life a bit easier. One team of 23 students, led by Frank Lambert, principal research engineer at Georgia Techs National Electric Energy Testing, Research, Applications Center, developed and installed a hybrid micro grid system in the health center, which now provides 24/7 power.The system includes a 7.2-kW photovoltaic array and a battery bank to replace the diesel generator in everyday operations. The team chose this system over other power-generating units after evaluating options, ba sed on technical and economic criteria, such as daily energy production and maximum annual capacity shortage, as well as ease of use and ability to obtain replacement components when needed.The other, smaller team of five students, guided by Ph.D. mentor Liyao Wu, developed and installed a smaller solar-powered system that provides LED light, replacing kerosene lamps for single family houses and phone charging so that residents dont have to travel miles to find a power source. When this team started its project a year ago, they knew their work was destined for Haiti eventually but had no idea when, so they didnt expect to see the final results. Several months later when they learned they would go to Haiti the next spring to do the installation themselves, that gave them even mora inspiration to design the very best project for the Haitian people, Bezabih says.The team spent the first several months learning about power electronics circuits, doing simulations, and talking about diffe rent designs. By February, they had a system they thought would work, consisting of a controller board that interfaced with the solar roof panels to dienstgrad LED lights and phones via USB ports.Then testing began. One of the first issues the team faced was a circuit board that blew out around noon when radiation and voltage are very high. Under the guidance of Wu, the team employed a voltage regulator to take it down so that the circuit board worked perfectly.ORS Team inside the second house theyve powered, with the owner and her daughter. Image Georgia TechEven bigger challenges arose after they arrived in Thoman. They did not know ahead of time what schrift of houses they would be working on, and the team realized it had to create a new mount for the solar panels to be positioned for maximum sun exposure. The installation kit they brought wasnt useful, and they learned that only two team members were light enough to work on the weak rooftops. We had to drill and do everything ou rselves, Bezabih says.When they needed guidance and troubleshooting, they called for help from someone on the health care center team, who had previous experience installing solar panels. That first installation took two days, the second one, only five or six hours.Optimizing DesignAlthough what happens next is not set yet, Wu is ready to hand off the project to a new graduate student to work with the next team because he will be focusing on his Ph.D thesis, and most, if not all, of the other team members are graduating. But Wu has laid out ideas for what could come next.The design is not yet optimized, Wu says. What we have is a working prototype that provides power to the customer, but the board is large and bulky. We should be able by mora careful design to shrink the size and make it lighter and still give the same or better performance.The system currently is charged via a power bank during the day, but he would like to see a battery incorporated so that it will automatically g et charged during the day. We werent able to do that before because of time constraints, he says.An added benefit that the researchers hope can happen is that the teams can teach the Haitians how to build and install the systems themselves, providing much needed employment opportunities where none exist today.Wu hopes one day he can get back to projects that offer help to people in need. Our project helped two families, and there are hundreds there, he says. I hope that more can be installed in more homes and that they can be more functional, not just for cell phones and lighting but to power more complex functions maybe pump water and other things they need electricity to do. They have a very long way to go.Nancy S. Giges is an independent writer.Learn about the latest energy solutions at ASMEsPower Energy Conference and Exhibition.Our project helped two families, and there are hundreds there. I hope that more can be installed in more homes and that they can be more functional.Liy ao Wu, Ph.D. student, Georgia Tech

Overcome Age Discrimination on Your Resume

Overcome Age Discrimination on Your ResumeOvercome Age Discrimination on Your ResumeWhen youre searching for a new job, you would think that extensive experience would always be a plus but, as many experienced job seekers can attest, sometimes employers are wary of hiring more experienced individuals. To be clear, age discrimination is illegal and we, in no way condone not hiring employees on the basis of their age or any other any discriminatory basis. But unfortunately, age discrimination is a reality with which more experienced job seekers need to be knowledgeable about so they can effectively manage their job search and resume materials.So what can you do to overcome age discrimination on your resume? Here are some tips to help youFocus on the past 10 to 15 years.If you have a 40-year career, then your resume is going to be lengthy. Not only do hiring managers tend to focus on your most recent position(s), but its unlikely that youre going to attain a role based experience from 25-40 years ago.Including your entire hintergrund will also tip-off hiring managers to your age. For those reasons, we recommend focusing on the most recent 10-15 years. Keep in mind that your resume is a marketing document, not an autobiography. You are not required to keep every role from earlier in your career on your resume.Create a Gmail account.If you have an AOL, Yahoo or Hotmail account, it can immediately age you. There is nothing inherently wrong with those email providers, but theyre less common among younger workers. Instead, we recommend creating a Gmail account for your job search. When you do, make sure you dont include your birth year, such as mmi52il. Stick to something simple and straightforward with your name in it. Beyond that, also avoid dated referenced to old technologies or buzzwords.Skip graduation dates.While its important to include dates in your employment history, you dont need to include the year you earned your degree. If you do, hiring managers can q uickly determine your age. Instead, leave that information off and simply include the name of the university you went to and the degree you earned, as well as any minors or special honors.Get rid of the objective.In the past, it was standard to include an objective on your resume. But todays hiring managers know that youre looking for a job, so it simply wastes space. Instead, to avoid age discrimination on your resume, use that area to list a summary of qualifications most pertinent to the position youre applying for. Highlight key accomplishments, as well as tasks and responsibilities.Create a LinkedIn profile.In todays world, hiring managers expect you to have a profile on social media especially LinkedIn thats complete and compelling. If you dont, make sure you create one now, before you begin your job search.Are you looking for a new job and suspect youre suffering from age discrimination on your resume? Let the team at ResumeSpice help. We can help you create a resume that g ets noticed for all the right reasons and avoids the pitfalls of age discrimination on it. Get started or learn more today by calling 832.930.7378.

Calculating Your Sales Activities

Calculating Your ausverkauf ActivitiesCalculating Your ausverkauf ActivitiesOne of the toughest aspects of being a salesperson is the uncertainty factor. Its always possible to have a bad month or even several bad months in a row, which can put any salesperson in real financial difficulties. The good news is that you can lessen the odds of a long losing streak by knowing exactly which sales activities to pursue and how often to pursue them. Sales Metrics To know which activities will yield best for you based on your current situation, youll need to keep track of your sales metrics on a regular basis. Keep a cold call tracking sheet and fill it out each time you make calls this will help you to figure out your call percentages. Specifically, you can track the number of dials it takes on average to yield one appointment. This number will change from day to day depending on your mood, your approach, and sheer luck (good or bad). So if you track this number over time, youll have a m uch more accurate idea of your real average. Appointment Percentage Youll also need to keep track of the next important percentage in sales the percentage of appointments that you manage to close. Again, you should look back at your activities over several months to get a reliable average. With these two percentages, youll have an excellent idea of how to construct a sales pipeline that will keep your sales flowing in smoothly. Before you can use this number, however, you need to consider the result. If you dont have a set goal, youll be just as in the dark as if you hadnt bothered to track your activities at all. Your sales goal should be achievable, and it should be enough to cover your expenses with some money left over. That extra money can go towards covering your costs during the slow months. Past Sales Once youve picked a goal, its time to evaluate your past sales. If you havent been tracking these numbers, your sales manager can probably give you her records from pr evious months. Specifically, youre looking for how much money you earn in commissions on an average sale. This calculation can get complicated if youre on a sliding commissions scale (e.g. if you get one commissions percentage for meeting your quota and then a higher commissions percentage if you go above your quota). You may need to juggle some numbers based on how many sales you think you can close on an average month. Dont use your exceptionally good months as the standard for comparison you want a number that you can reach at least half the time, and youre safer if you pick a more pessimistic total. For example, lets say you receive a 10% commission on every sale and your average sale is for $4,000. In that case, you make (on average) $400 for every sale you close. If your goal is to take home $3,200 per month in commissions, you need to close eight sales per month consistently. Remember, its better to be pessimistic than optimistic in these calculations, or youre likely to and rang out of money in the bank. If eight sales per month is a real stretch for you, youll need to make some significant changes. You can either cut your expenses, or you can start a crash course in selling until youve improved your overall performance to the level you require. Whats the Number? Assuming that eight sales per month are a workable number for you, you can now plug in the two percentages that you figured out earlier. Lets say that it takes you 12 cold calls on average to set one appointment, and you close one out of every four appointments you set. In that case, you need to make 48 cold calls to close one sale. And since your goal is to make eight sales per month, youll need 384 cold calls a month to make your goal. The beauty of having these numbers at your fingertips is that you dont have to wonder if youre doing enough prospecting or if youre going to meet your quota this month. You will always know exactly how close you are to achieving your goals, and knowing th at will help boost your confidence thus helping you make even more sales.