Girl Scouts Tour Abbott Power Plant 2025

Girl Scouts from Champaign and nearby counties visited Abbott Power Plant in April to learn about the co-generation facility that provides heat and power to most of campustown. There, they interacted with demonstrations held by Grainger College of Engineering students, who showed how electricity and steam work, toured the production floor and other areas of Abbott with Utilities & Energy Services experts, and climbed on … Continue reading Girl Scouts Tour Abbott Power Plant 2025

2025 Chief Engineers & Facility Managers Conference: What’s So Cool About Chilled Water

At the 2025 Chief Engineers & Facility Managers Conference, Mike Larson, director of utility operations at Abbott Power Plant, described part of why the Urbana campus is so remarkable in utility and energy production and distribution: chilled water. Cold water, taken down to 42 degrees Fahrenheit at five chillers in Champaign and Urbana, is pumped throughout the campus in 26 miles of underground pipes to … Continue reading 2025 Chief Engineers & Facility Managers Conference: What’s So Cool About Chilled Water

2025 Chief Engineers & Facility Managers Conference: Keynote Recap

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a world-leader in teaching, collaboration, research and workforce development – and a conference has helped position Illinois as a leader within the state and region for those who perform similar work to F&S. The Illinois Chief Engineers & Facility Mangers Conference was a two-day gathering held in March, meant to spur discussion and find solutions to common issues at … Continue reading 2025 Chief Engineers & Facility Managers Conference: Keynote Recap

Snowy Daze: Parkland Students Tour F&S Facilities

F&S, and the crafts and trades nation-wide, are always looking for the next generation of skilled, passionate professionals who maintain critical utilities systems. Buildings have required heating and electricity for decades, and will continue to for the foreseeable future – it might be the folks from a recent tour to do just that. Parkland College, located in Champaign, is just the place for many students … Continue reading Snowy Daze: Parkland Students Tour F&S Facilities

Abbott Power Plant Welcomes Girl Scouts: 2024 Edition!

Abbott Power Plant generates steam, electricity, and for some local girl scouts, memories from their tour of the one-of-a-kind facility. Associate professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) in the Grainger College of Engineering, Ashlynn Stillwell welcomed dozens to Abbott on a Saturday morning, and introduced the basic science behind the functions of Abbott, and the importance of safety on premises. Stillwell has led the … Continue reading Abbott Power Plant Welcomes Girl Scouts: 2024 Edition!

Chief Engineers & Facility Managers Conference: ‘Above the Line Behaviors’

Russ Reynolds sees the value of the individual as part of a team and recognizes how each person, and the choices they make, turn personal culture into organizational effectiveness. To Reynolds, chief engineer at Abbott Power Plant, each moment while on the job is another opportunity to be ‘above the line.’ These positive and proactive work and interpersonal behaviors are generally those that include owning … Continue reading Chief Engineers & Facility Managers Conference: ‘Above the Line Behaviors’

Mike Larson, F&S Abbott Power Plant, gives a tour to local girl scouts

Girl Power: Education at Abbott

Local girl scouts came on a Saturday morning to learn about the utility systems operated at Abbott Power Plant. Associate professor in Civil and Electrical Engineering (CEE) in the Grainger College of Engineering, Ashlynn Stillwell helped organize and manage the groups and distributed safety and personal protective equipment (PPE). Stillwell is also the former Central Illinois Girl Scout leader. Kids toured the power plant with … Continue reading Girl Power: Education at Abbott

Powering Up: Apprentice Certifications Show Employee Development

Welders have a lot to learn. There’s various techniques, each offering their own challenges, before even considering the plethora of materials one can weld. All in all, there might be 100 certifications in pipe welding mastery alone. Before you know it, a couple of apprentices at F&S will have learned a bunch of them! Utilities pipefitters apprentice Brandon Lovett received two United Association (UA) Pipe … Continue reading Powering Up: Apprentice Certifications Show Employee Development

Tours Open Again

The impact of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is widespread. Most operational aspects at F&S continued, but under much different guidelines and challenges than before. One that couldn’t continue: public tours. As a university resource provider, F&S offers facility tour opportunities, especially to students and children. Garage and Car Pool; Waste Transfer Station Nobody loves big trucks more than a bunch of little kids! … Continue reading Tours Open Again