EVERETT, Wash. — Fluke Corp. has announced the finalists in its Fluke Connect Student Contest, which tests the skills, innovation, and business application of student teams enrolled in two- and four-year colleges, universities, trade/tech schools, and apprenticeship programs utilizing the company’s newest test tools.

The finalist teams are:

• Brigham Young University Women in Manufacturing Team, whose project is live testing the temperature on friction bit joining welds;

• California Polytechnic State University Power and Energy Society, for conducting a commercial energy audit;

• University of Kentucky Solar Car Team, for live testing performance parameters on a solar car;

• San Jacinto College North, for improving the efficiency of charging ac systems;

• Western Iowa Technology School, for troubleshooting intermittent electrical issues in wind turbines.

A panel of six judges evaluated the teams on their technical skills, innovation and creativity, the business value of their projects, and the presentation skills of the team. The judges were: Mike Bacidore, editor, Control Design magazine; Martin Lorton, blogger, solar power and electronic measurement equipment; Glen Mazur, author, trainer, and former department chair of Joliet Jr. College; and from Fluke Corp.: Thomas Anderson, senior software engineer; Leah Friberg, education and public affairs manager; and Melissa Hammerle, mobility solutions business unit manager.

Final projects are due on Dec. 5 when they will be evaluated by the same panel of judges as well as voted on by the public on the Fluke Facebook page. The winners, who will be announced on Dec. 15, will be determined by which team made the biggest impact using the Fluke Connect system, with 75 percent of the decision based on the evaluation by the panel of judges and 25 percent on the public vote.

Three members of the first place team and their adviser will receive a paid trip to Fluke headquarters in north Seattle to spend a day meeting with Fluke executive and engineering leadership, tour Fluke engineering and manufacturing, and see the Boeing manufacturing facility and Future of Flight Aviation Center next door. The school’s department will win $1,000 worth of Fluke tools, and the Fluke Connect tools used in the contest submission, worth approximately $2,500.

Fluke Connect is a set of wireless test tools that, when connected to a smartphone app, allow technicians, electricians, and reliability engineers to capture, store, and share data across their entire team without leaving the field. It provides instant access to data and measurements from smartphones to review images, check reports, spot trends, and more, helping teams to get their jobs done better and faster, said the company.

For more information, visit www.fluke.com.

Publication date: 12/1/2014

Want more HVAC industry news and information? Join The NEWS on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn today!