We’ve put together another excellent and varied panel for our third “Critical Cooling & Controls” educational session this January at the AHR Expo. Two is just a couple in a row, but this will be number three, so I can say “third annual,” right? The lineup:

Rebecca Ellis, P.E., LEED AP, CxA

President of Questions & Solutions Engineering and our very own commissioning columnist, Rebecca is no stranger to regular readers and I’m really pleased she can join us for an in-person presentation.

Brandon Kingsley, P.E., CxA, CEM

Brandon is project manager at Primary Integration Solutions and has made some great observations about trends in the data center arena, regarding both cooling and controls aspects.

Aaron Duda, P.E., PA LEED BD+C

Aaron is UA Tier Designer Senior Associate/mechanical engineer at Environmental Systems Design in Chicago. ESD has participated with excellent content at both previous sessions, and we’re glad that Aaron will be continuing that tradition with his own insights.

The plan again this year is to offer professional credits for attendees, and the session is free as always. The one requirement is that you must pre-register. Our room is limited to about 75, so we need to plan and get a headcount accordingly. The URL for sign-up (is not concise, but you only have to type it once): www.regonline.com/criticalcoolingcontrol2016.

Oh, you want to know when and where? Details, details … we’re on Monday this time around, running 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., right there in the Orange County Convention Center, Room S320D. It can’t be any further away from the Expo floor than the session rooms at McCormick Place were last year; I wasn’t sure if I was going to our event or participating in a 5K. I think it was both.

This session will be an excellent opportunity to absorb some expertise on cooling, controls, and even standby power for data centers and other critical environments. Take advantage of the Q&A, chat afterwards, pace yourself a little after strolling the Expo floor and before your various evening activities. And those credits don’t hurt, either.

OLD FRIENDS, NEW INFO

We always take a minute to let you know about the sessions produced by Ken Sinclair, our friend, former building automation columnist, and founder of the ever-popular www.automatedbuildings.com. I’m in my 18th year with Engineered Systems, and this January will mark the 17th year that Ken has assembled some solid content of his own at the Expo.

This year, he has enlisted a formidable trio — Jim Sinopoli, Brad White, Paul Oswald — to spearhead a four-session series stretch from Monday morning through Tuesday afternoon. One of Ken’s strengths is his openness to change and a wide array of input, which is perfect for these times in his field. BAS folks should get the details at his website and sit in when you can. ES