Group: Climate Change

Members: Daniel Shamailov, Suatcan Isik, WuJie Zhang, Simon Yuen

11/4/19

 

Climate Change Within the Classroom:

A Proposal to Manage Classroom Temperature

 

Introduction:

Climate change is not only occurring around the world, slowly warming the planet, but it is also changing one of our campus buildings, the North Academic Center (NAC). Only that in the NAC, while it is warm outside, it’s freezing inside. During the summer and winter, the temperature outside can go to extreme highs and lows. Imagine yourself going to the NAC building for a course during the summer with a t-shirt on you; suddenly, when you enter a classroom, you feel the temperature difference between the outside and the class. Now you are cold, with no way to keep yourself warm. Under these conditions, you’ll need to stay in the classroom for an hour and fifteen minutes and try to focus on your class.

  Students are suffering from the temperature differences between the classrooms and the world outside. The students are feeling too cold or hot in the classroom without an efficient way to solve the issue. We may contact the school management center for a classroom change or a temperature change to the system. However, the school management team might not even respond to the request. This situation leaves students in a classroom unfit for learning, despite the fact that these are problems that can be fixed. In this proposal, we plan to provide a potential solution.

The cause of this issue is the “more than adequate” cooling system. Many classrooms are sent a large amount of cold air during the warmer seasons and due to the amount of cold air, the rooms are very cold. The temperature is much lower than what would be comfortable for students. We surveyed 80 students around the campus and we found out that many students thought the same. More than 90% of the students think that the temperature in the classes should be adjusted. It would be appreciated by students if they could change the temperature in the rooms. However, students don’t have access to the thermostat controls and cannot change anything on their own. The Climate Change team believes that, in cases like these, students should be able to change the temperature. So we asked their opinion about controlling the temperature of their classroom. The answer was the same, 91% of the students agreed with our idea. Comments made by the students can be viewed in the appendix at the end of the proposal.

The temperature of a classroom has a significant impact on students that are studying. Temperature is one of the fundamental parts of any environment, and we know that an uncomfortable environment makes learning much more difficult. A study published in the journal Psychological Measurement found that when students are uncomfortable due to classroom temperature their “short-term memory, verbal ability, and the overall cognitive C-score scores were lower…” Clearly, the environment has an effect on the students’ performance and well-being. While the study was performed on students other than undergraduates at the college level, a study published in the PLoS ONE academic journal concluded the following about this topic. “Maintaining adequate ventilation and thermal comfort in classrooms could significantly improve the academic achievement of students.”

Such a conclusion goes to show, the issue we face in NAC classrooms are indeed significant. It does lead to lower performance by students, not due to something that is within their own control. At the City College of New York (CCNY), we must provide our students with the best chance to succeed. One of the first steps is to provide them with a suitable classroom. 

Our last but definitely not least concern, is a health concern. Students and teachers do not go to classrooms in the summer dressed for winter. Some may come prepared for a rather cold class, some may not. Besides being uncomfortable, the cold invites illnesses. We do not wish for anyone to be sick while attending classes at CCNY.

 

The Action Plan:

In order to fix the problem, we decided that the best way to do so was to examine which classrooms needed help and then provide solutions in those classrooms. Not all the rooms in the NAC have a problem and so there’s no need to implement any drastic building-wide changes. The second issue with large changes is their cost. So we will avoid those solutions. Our step-by-step plan goes as follows:

1. Examine all classrooms in the NAC and determine if they have this issue. 
2. Examine the nearby classrooms on the same floor, if they all have the same issue, the issue can be solved by the facilities department by adjusting thermostat values. 
   1. Continue step two until all classroom temperatures have been adjusted to a proper temperature. If this approach isn’t possible, then continue with the plan.
3. Find the vents that bring the cold air into the room and cover them with the cover that is already in place. They are usually narrow openings on the edges of the ceiling in most NAC classrooms. 
4. Then we will install smart vents in place of the ceiling tiles. The smart vents are screwed into the ceiling and are held tightly there. They work using batteries and will require some maintenance every few years.
5. Install a single controlling device connected to all smart vents in its room. Using the CCNY WiFi, students and professors will be able to manage the temperature of their classroom on their smartphones.

This plan should be put in place at times when classes are not in session. An example of such a time is during the winter semester, a time when most students are not attending classes. In our research, we found approximately 73 classrooms in the NAC. Assuming all of them have the temperature issue we discussed will be the worst-case scenario for this project. The smart vents we are installing are designed to manage airflow. They control the airflow in order to control the temperature in the room. If there is less cold air entering the room, the room won’t be as cold. That is how those in the classroom will be able to control the temperature in their room. The controlling device will be in charge of all the smart vents in the room. Due to the size of most classrooms, more than one vent will be installed so that the HVAC system does not run into back pressure problems. Our team will have to discuss such problems with the facilities department at our school to sort out the specifics. 

On the topic of installing the vents, the vents may not be the size of the ceiling tiles. However, from rudimentary measurements made by our team, we know that the tiles and smart vents are of similar size. This is a reassuring fact because if our ceiling tile sizes do not match the sizes of provided smart vents, a request for different size smart vents can be made to the companies making them. The devices installed in the rooms all work on batteries, which means they’ll require maintenance from time to time. However, this is a small price to pay to fix the great temperature issues in our classrooms. 

 

Costs:

The cost of this project will require total funding of $27,935.56. Buying enough smart vents that will help control the room temperature for every classroom will cost about $17,301. This is assuming every classroom we counted will require three smart vents installed, which we believe is the worst-case scenario and an unlikely outcome. We will also need to hire HVAC specialists to install all of these new vents into the ceiling and walls of each classroom of the NAC after the vents arrive. Since the installation isn’t massive, we expect that each room will only require one hour of work. We found that the hourly rate for a professional HVAC installer is $25.72 an hour. Making the working labor cost a total of $1877.56. We found this hourly rate on PayScale.com, a website that uses statistics to estimate hourly rates and salaries for all jobs. The top ten-percent of HVAC installers are paid above $25.72 an hour. Batteries are cheap and can be bought in packs of 100s and it only costs 20 dollars a pack. Buying 300 batteries would help sustain the new venting system for an estimated four years and that will only cost $60. In total, this project does cost about $27,935.56. Now, we will consider how to fund this project. The simplest way to fund this is to add a fee to the tuition students pay. We estimate that every student that attends CCNY will only have a fee of $1.70, rounded to $2.00. To mitigate costs to the students themselves, we propose only to have these fees in the spring and fall semesters, where financial aid is given. The majority of students attend classes in those semesters as well.

Project Materials	Costs x Quantity	Total Cost
Smart Vents	$79 x 219	$17,301
Smart Pucks	$119 x 73	$8,697
Workforce	$25.72 x 73	$1877.56
Batteries(100)	$20 x 3	$60
Total	Approx. $28,000	$27,935.56

Benefits:

The benefits of accepting this proposal are that students that take classes in the NAC will have their experience in the NAC improved. Students will be able to come to class without having to worry if the room temperature is too hot or cold every day. This system will give the students and professors the ability to control the temperature in any of the NAC classrooms to their preference. The system will be able to be controlled by using a phone app or by using a device in the room to adjust the temperature in the room, both very easy and convenient solutions. According to our survey, many students have a hard time focusing in class if the classroom is too cold or hot, but with these new vents, that problem will be relieved. Improving the focus of students will allow them to perform better on exams and in their studies as found by the studies referred to in the introduction.

It also helps excess cold air from the already implemented air conditioning system to be controlled rather than dumping all the cold air into rooms unevenly. There are also many rooms in the NAC that smell like sweat when students enter and this is mostly because some of the rooms are not cool enough on days that are very hot outside. After implementations, most of the students attending City College of New York will no longer have to sit in freezing or sweltering classrooms with these new vents and have a better learning experience. 

 

The Climate Change Team:

• Daniel Shamailov is a sophomore computer engineering student at the City College of New York, expected to graduate in May 2022. He is a hardworking individual looking to help himself and peers succeed in their studies. He has interests in cryptocurrencies and video game development. He is one of the freezing students at CCNY.  
• Simon Yuen,  a computer science major with the knowledge to create software applications for computer programs as well as mobile applications for smartphones, while having the flexible communication skills to work in a team productively to solve hard problems efficiently and quickly. 
• WuJie Zhang is a sophomore from the City College of New York, majoring in computer science. He is an entry-level computer scientist and new to the English language, but hard-working toward the exciting stuff and issues. Sometimes things get on his path, making him working lazier or slower; eventually, manage to finish everything at the end.
• Suatcan Isik is a computer engineering student at City College of New York. He is interested in studying about virtual reality, philosophy, and Japanese. He will graduate in May 2022 and planning to do master’s in virtual reality. He is considerate, a good listener, and a critical thinker, which makes him good in team projects.

 

Conclusion:

The temperature of the classrooms inside the NAC is an issue. Teachers and students should be allowed to change the temperature of the room if it is not appropriate for that day’s weather. Using smart vents will help reduce the amount of cold and hot air entering the room, adjusting the temperature inside of the classroom in any season so that it will be suitable for learning. This project will cost an estimated $28,000 to finish the project. But with more detailed research, discussions with facilities office, and further talks with smart vent companies, the cost can be reduced further. Class temperature will be easier to adjust and won’t be an issue anymore. There won’t be any reason for anyone to carry their jacket on hot days. We, the climate change team, believe that fixing this issue will help students focus and study more efficiently in the classroom. Our students will study harder, thrive, graduate with a better GPA, increase our popularity of the school, and join the world ready to succeed. Thanks for going through our proposal and we hope you consider the benefits our proposal has for students and faculty.

 

Works Cited

 

• F Barbic, M Minonzio, B Cairo, D Shiffer, A Dipasquale, L Cerina, … R Furlan. (2019). Effects of different classroom temperatures on cardiac autonomic control and cognitive performances in undergraduate students. Physiological Measurement, 40(5), 1. https://doi-org.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/10.1088/1361-6579/ab1816
• Haverinen-Shaughnessy, U., & Shaughnessy, R. J. (2015). Effects of Classroom Ventilation Rate and Temperature on Students’ Test Scores. PLoS ONE, 10(8), 1–14. https://doi-org.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/10.1371/journal.pone.0136165
• Average HVAC Installer Hourly Pay. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2019, from https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=HVAC_Installer/Hourly_Rate.

 

Appendix

Calculations

“CUNY–City College has a total undergraduate enrollment of 13,666.

In Fall 2018, it had 16,257 students in graduate, masters, PhD & undergraduate programs in Liberal Arts and Science, Architecture, Engineering & Biomedic Education.” so according to the information taken from CCNY website;

27,93516,257=1.71=>$1.70

we can say that every student should only pay $1.70 to solve the temperature problem.

 

Comments made by students

Maybe a portable fan or something or when it gets to cold a portable heater as well

It’s brick or an oven in some rooms

it’s too cold sometimes but letting people change it would cause more issues with people trying to get that perfect temperature. so don’t implement that people can just weak a sweater.

After walking up that god awful hill on 138th when its above 70 degrees outside, I think we deserve to change the temperature at least a little bit.:)))

I believe in some rooms, or maybe for professors that know how, it is possible to turn up or lower the air conditioning, since one of my professors had done it in the NAC before.

I can barely feel my hands when I am writing

fix 1/511, it’s frigid

It would definitely help if you are able to adjust the temperature of the room to your liking.

Just turn up the heat for all floors 4 and up. 1,2, and 3 all have entrances and exits that are constantly being used so those are floors are gonna be cold no matter what

I think the temperature in the lounge gets really cold. I makes me sleepy and then I can’t study or finish the work I had.

On the second floor, library, it can get chillyyyy

That the temperature should be able to be adjusted

The library’s upper levels are the coldest!!!! Definitely needs to be adjusted.

Full Survey: 

Have you taken any classes in the NAC building?	While taking classes, did you feel the temperature needed to be adjusted?	Which semester did you attend?	Did the temperature affect your learning experience badly?	Do you think there should be a way for teachers/students to change the temperature in the room?
Yes	Yes	Summer	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring;Fall;Summer	Yes	Yes
No	No	Fall	No	No
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring;Fall;Summer	Yes	Yes
Yes	No	Spring;Fall;Winter	No	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring;Fall	No	No
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	No	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Spring;Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring;Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Spring;Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring;Fall;Summer	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring;Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring;Fall;Summer	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring;Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring;Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	No	Yes
Yes	Yes	Winter	Sometimes..	No
No
Yes	Yes	Winter	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring	No	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	No	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	No	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	Sometimes..	No
Yes	Yes	Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	No	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	No		Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Sometimes..	No
Yes	Yes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Sometimes..	No
Yes	Yes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	No	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	No	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Spring, Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring, Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	No	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	No
Yes	Yes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Spring, Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Spring, Summer, Fall	No	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall, Winter	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	No
Yes	Sometimes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
No
Yes	Yes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Spring, Fall	No	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring, Summer, Fall	No	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring, Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	No	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring, Summer, Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring, Summer, Fall	Sometimes..	No
Yes	Yes	Fall	Yes	Yes
Yes	Sometimes	Spring, Summer, Fall	No	Yes
Yes	Yes	Fall	Sometimes..	Yes
Yes	Yes	Spring, Winter	Sometimes..	Yes