On campus, if you have an air conditioner or anything with refrigerant in it, F&S refrigeration mechanics recover it by separating it, weighing it, and testing it for purity. And as of recently, they sell it. Kody Egolf, refrigeration mechanic foreperson, attended an ASHRAE convention–the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers–and learned about […]
Author: Travis Tate
Shop Spotlight: Roofers’ Safety in the Sun
When you’re serious about safety, you’ll find solutions for everything. Including the sun. Roofers spend their working hours in the open, on top of a building rather than in it. So, when the F&S roofers shop was tasked with tearing off the old and laying the new, foreperson Shane Carr knew he’d have to address […]
For the Kids: Pipefitters Aid Childcare
The last thing anyone wants, particular childcare professionals, is a hot room full of anxious kids. Thanks to F&S pipefitters, a summer day with malfunctioning air conditioning didn’t become anything more than a short-term problem. Per rules set by the Illinois Department of Child & Family Services (DCFS), a room cannot go past 85 degrees, […]
For the Kids: Touch a Truck!
Beep beep! Kiddos coming through! The Child Development Laboratory (CDL) from the Department of Human Development & Family Studies hosted a touch a truck event for daycare attendees, youngsters up to age 5, thanks to a few of F&S’ vehicles. “If you know children, trucks are a huge interest of young children in the age […]
E15 Lot Art: “The Path Forward”
If you’re east of Memorial Stadium, find your path towards a new campus multi-story parking deck: E15! It holds 450 vehicles, including some electric charging stations, and helps replace spots lost when nearby Wymer Hall started construction. On its exterior is an abstract aluminum wall sculpture: “The Path Forward.” It is part of the university’s […]
CSEA Winners for 2024 Include Two F&S Employees
By Rebecca Bigelow The University of Illinois blended two former award programs—the Chancellor’s Academic Professional Excellence (CAPE) award and the Chancellor’s Distinguished Staff Award (CDSA)—into one program: Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Awards (CSEA). Campus wanted a program with a single set of rules and protocols that recognizes the contributions of all university staff members. Read the […]
Shop Spotlight: Cement Finishers, Laborers One Bucket at a Time
Cement finishers used their collective thinking cap to finish a summer job at Fred H. Turner Student Services Building, along with plenty of help from F&S construction laborers. The goal: get cement into the basement through an underground entrance. Mission very possible. Picture a Cement Truck Picture a cement truck. It has that giant spout […]
Shop Spotlight: Sheetmetal Workers
You want real power? Try stepping (safely!) into an air handling unit (AHU) running full bore in the bowels of the Beckman Institute. The 1.46 inches of static pressure within the AHU is strong enough to knock you over when stepping through the doorway – if you’re close enough, it’ll try to drag you in. […]
INSIDER Magazine: ECIP Awards
F&S Utilities & Energy Services (UES) performs some of the most important work on campus, producing and distributing steam, water, and electricity across 24M gross square feet, more than 600 buildings, and to a ‘town’ of more than 50,000 students and 10,000 employees. So, when building experts and facility managers perform renovations, retrocommmissioning, or other […]
INSIDER Magazine: African American Heritage Trail Unveiled
By Rebecca Bigelow Local Black history and the history of campus intersect in Champaign-Urbana. It’s no wonder then that several stops on the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail tell the story of both. The trail committee collaborated with the university to ensure that several of these stories are memorialized around campus. Brent Lewis, university […]