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Prairie SPRING 2022
PETER
MURPHY
communication skills," she says.
Working with Romano, Chiang
says, her students "developed a deeper
sense of campus sustainability and a
more tangible idea of the efficiency of
campus energy and vehicle utilization."
The students built databases that
included 1,400 data points taken
from electric meter readings across
campus and historical temperature
information provided by the
National Weather Service. "We really
challenged the students," DeGood says.
"We gave them this problem in a very
open-ended fashion, and we asked
them to pose the right questions."
For Romano, the students'
work — cost accounting, database
development — has been central to
informing TCNJ's energy strategy.
"They're helping the college assess our
environmental and financial impact,"
he says.
— Christopher Hann
