EÇEM/CEEE Newsletter | October 2020

Prof. Dr. M. Pınar Mengüç Honored with “Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Award” by Purdue University

Prof. Dr. M. Pınar Mengüç has been honored with the Outstanding Mechanical Engineer Award by Purdue University, US. Prof. Dr. Mengüç will receive his award during a special awards ceremony to be organized on Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus in the 2020-2021 Spring semester.

Every year, the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University recognizes alumni who have demonstrated excellence in industry, academia, governmental service, or other endeavors related to mechanical engineering with its Outstanding Mechanical Engineer Award. The Outstanding Mechanical Engineer Award is regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in the field of mechanical engineering. To date, only 294 alumni out of over 30,000 Mechanical Engineering alumni of Purdue University at the bachelor’s, master’s and PhD. levels have been recognized with this award.

https://engineering.purdue.edu/ME/People/OME 

Dr. Cem Keskin Promoted to R&D Team Leader at CEEE

Cem Keskin who has been working as M.Sc. engineer at the CEEE since 2015, completed his doctoral studies and was promoted to R&D Team Leader at the CEEE. Keskin obtained his Ph.D. degree in June 2020 with his dissertation on a novel system he developed in order to increase air conditioning systems’ energy efficiency and adaptability to the preferences of building residents. 

Keskin joined the CEEE family to work on the Horizon2020/TRIBE project, where he is currently working on intelligent systems for buildings and energy efficiency, human behavior in buildings, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence. Following his doctoral graduation, Keskin revved up his research and project development pursuits. Currently, Keskin is working on building a new laboratory at the CEEE, where he can proceed with his research and development pursuits more comprehensively.

CEEE Researchers Contribute to ZeroBuild Froum ‘20

ZeroBuild Forum ‘20 took place online from September 23 through September 27, to open Zero Energy Buildings for a discussion with participants with in-depth expertise during both national and international sessions.

Latest building technologies were discussed in detail, combined with real case analyses and recommended solutions. Prof. Dr. M. Pınar Mengüç, who was also on the Honorary Board of the Forum, attended the forum’s session “Approaching Zero Energy Buildings” with a keynote presentation titled “Towards Near-Zero Energy Buildings and Regions by Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Approaches”. Prof. Mengüç talked about ongoing projects currently underway at the CEEE and potential approaches for their applications in zero energy buildings. [a1]  Meanwhile, Ms. Nil Kutlar, MSc Architect and a CEEE researcher, was the moderator of the international session “Zero Energy Buildings & Building Information Modeling”. The session put a spotlight on the role of BIM-enabled design education for achieving sustainable and high-performance buildings, as well as architect friendly BIM-Based daylighting simulation tools, and BIM-based continuous measurement and verification.

CEEE Recognized with an Award at ISIF ‘20 International Invention Competition

Istanbul International Invention Fair / ISIF announced the winners of the “ISIF ‘20 International Invention Competition on September 27, 2020. Organized since 2016, this year, Istanbul International Invention Fair took place online with a rich program made up of an online exhibition, international invention competition, and entrepreneurship acceleration program. During the ISIF ‘20 International Invention Competition, Dr. Cem Keskin and Prof. M. Pınar Mengüç were honored with a Silver Medal in recognition of their patented invention “An Adaptive Vent System for Localized and Customized Thermal Comfort”. A culmination of ongoing research conducted on thermal comfort and intelligent systems under the roof of the CEEE, the patent presents a new system designed to minimize the amount of energy spent on air-conditioning unnecessary spaces in buildings and to adapt indoor air environment to user preferences. The system is composed of a novel diffuser design with individually operable flaps, distributive sensor network, user interface, and AI-enabled control unit.

CEEE Contributes to IPA 2013 Energy Sector Program Education Projects 

The project “Teacher Training Videos and Supportive Booklet Preparation” was brought to a successful completion with the contributions of the CEEE. Conducted by the Department of Foreign Relations and Projects at the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the project was completed within the framework of “Consulting Services for Enhancing Visibility of IPA 2013 Projects’ Outputs and Raising Public Awareness” under the mentorship of RETA Advertising Agency within the scope of Phase 2 of the IPA 2013 Energy Sector Program.  The CEEE supported the project in preparing videos and written materials to be used for teacher training purposes and to be released on online platforms under the leadership of Dr. Cem Keskin and in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Pınar Mengüç. The training materials prepared for the project offer technical and scientific content on energy, renewable energy, and energy efficiency at the secondary school and high school levels. In alignment with the main goals listed in the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the CEEE recognizes the importance of raising public awareness in the importance of energy efficiency practices, and as a research center, continues to pass its knowledge on to society through a wide array of studies.