With deep roots in engineering and innovation, Norwich Technologies (NT) continues to support new research in clean energy technology. Our own R&D department explores new ideas in solar technology and energy storage. This year the team supported two unique collaborations with college students on projects tied to our work.
As May came around and the semester came to an end, we took some time to interview the students and asked them to reflect on their experiences working with us. Here’s a bit of background. Be sure to watch the videos for more details.
When Norwich University reached out with a request for us to work with their engineering students, we jumped in. How could we say ‘no’ to this homonymous institution?!
Four students spent the 2024-25 school year working with our R&D team designing a racking system to support vertically mounted bifacial solar panels. The engineering lab at Norwich University has needed tools and equipment to create the designs, fabricate 1/13 and full scale models, and conduct wind and vibrations testing.
The student team included: Demetri Deering, Megan Juhola, Khiari Tyler, and Clayton Cisar. It was organized by Illari Vihinen, P.E. - Professor of Practice at Norwich University, and they had NT staff support from Troy McBride, Jonathan Lynch and Leif Johnson.
The student group designed a vertical racking system for bifacial panels that optimizes material costs, material usage, installation costs, and installation time – while meeting all code requirements. The group considered complicated terrain, durability and end-of-life considerations, as well as aesthetics and potential permitting requirements.
The final designs were submitted for a Provisional Patent and their names are listed on the documentation.
Hear more from the students Demetri, Megan, Clayton and their professor about their experience:
Providing Hands-on Learning Support for the Greenway Institute Program
The second project was an embedded paid internship in collaboration with Greenway Institute.
For those that don’t know about Greenway; it is a new engineering program co-founded by Norwich Technologies own Troy McBride. The college program is being built as a “disruptively different approach to undergraduate engineering education that will better serve students, industry, and the world.”
This is their second cohort, and the students each participated in a paid internship at various businesses in Vermont. We were fortunate to host one of them.
For the full semester, Hunter Taggart, a junior at Elizabethtown College, worked with our engineering staff designing EV charging stations for the Greenway campus, and upgrading the linear motion tester for the Heat TrapTM mechanism that has been developed by our R&D team for the Durion project.
Hunter had an “amazing” time working with Jack Greene, Leif Johnson, Berrett Walter, and the team. The unique mastery based approach at Greenway provided a new way of learning for Hunter and his fellow students, while the hands-on internship offered insights into how the work he does impacts people and communities in real life.
Hear a bit about his story: