When Luke Ferland (B.S. ’11) began his undergraduate studies at NYIT, he planned to make technology education his career. But his interest in biofuels, energy, and the environment led him to spend increasing amounts of time at the School of Engineering and Computing Sciences. He began researching and producing biodiesel as part of the Department of Energy Green Print Grant received by NYIT in 2008—not too challenging a task, considering he’d been producing and using his own biodiesel for years.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Ferland enrolled in NYIT’s graduate program in energy management. Before he began classes, he flew to China to work as a consultant for an energy management company he had discovered at an NYIT meeting with the Association of Energy Engineers. He found an opportunity to fuse his expertise in education with his newfound passion—by teaching energy management to people interested in expanding their businesses with a greener mindset.

His experience was not without challenges. The English vocabulary of the 30 students in the class did not include many energy management topics, so Ferland compared ideas to objects or events related to the subject matter, enabling the students to associate what they were learning with something they already knew.

“China is a dynamic country,” he says, adding that he visited Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Shaoxing. “Having the chance to work in China just days after my 26th birthday was an absolute dream. I learned a lot about international business, energy consumption in China, and, of course, myself.”

Ferland enjoyed several walkthroughs and site studies of textile printing and dye facilities, where he was charged with identifying areas of energy inefficiency. “All the equipment was large, usually very dirty, and consumed lots of energy,” he says. “These conditions added a definite layer of complexity to the project and a nice challenge to the day.”

Now back in the United States continuing his graduate studies, Ferland is working as a consultant conducting energy audits on large multifamily buildings in New York City.

He adds: “Many of the opportunities that NYIT has given me—winning a design competition for the USS Intrepid, founding the Sustainability Club, and exposing me to new ideas—also helped me in this position.”

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Winter 2012 Table of Contents