Her students created posters around an energy balance that they conducted on a real-world system. Some examples of the systems they studied include: turbines, nuclear reactors, coffee, reverse osmosis systems, showers, cars, and a jet engine core. Students were graded on their ability to explain the system, energy balance, and any assumptions they had made. Students assessed the impact their energy system has on society as a whole through some order-of-magnitude calculations made using energy balance equation(s). Each group of four students was given several minutes to present their poster, and they were also evaluated four other posters from their peers.
Cash prizes for the top three posters were generously provided by the George B. Grim Student Enrichment Fund. The winners were:
First place: “iPhone in a Standard Room” - Jessica Brooks, Kayleigh Meinzen, Ryan Mamlic, and Louis Parent.
Second place: “GE90 Jet Engine Core” - Adam Bunge, Kevin Burns (Aerospace), Peter Leipert, and Ian Sanders-Schneider.
Third place: “Stirling Engine” - Ahmed Attallah, Erick Diaz, Silvio Mama, and Joe Toombs.
Hutchens with a group that analyzed car headlights as a system. Gregory Romanchek, Mark Moy, Youngjun Kwon, and Jesse Zhou.
Adam Bunge, Kevin Burns, Peter Leipert, and Ian Sanders-Schneider, holding a 3D printed model, took second place for their study of a jet engine core.