In this Expert’s Corner, Lynn Bellenger, chair of National Engineers Week 2011, discusses the challenges and opportunities faced by 21st-century engineers.

In recognition of National Engineers Week 2011, which begins on Sunday, IMT recently picked the brain of Lynn G. Bellenger, 2010-2011 president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and chair of this year’s National Engineers Week initiative.

IMT: In his State of the Union address last month, President Obama declared that this generation’s “Sputnik moment” has arrived, referring to the United States’ need to invest in a level of research and development not seen since the height of the space race to ensure future competitiveness. To that end, what role do you foresee U.S. engineering playing in the nation’s effort to “out-innovate” the rest of the world?

LB: I see engineers leading the energy revolution by challenging ourselves to find the elegant solutions that will minimize energy use and provide exceptional indoor environmental quality. Our nation’s building stock constitutes 40 percent of the nation’s primary energy use and is the single largest area of energy consumption in the United States. As the industry that makes the biggest impact on the environment, we have the biggest opportunity to reduce that impact.

Mechanical systems in particular — heating, air conditioning, refrigeration and water heating — account for 65 to 75 percent of energy use in residential and commercial buildings. We already have the technology to dramatically reduce energy consumption in buildings and our design engineers, manufacturers, and researchers are exploring new and innovative systems for the future.

IMT: Grades K-12 STEM (science, tech, engineering and math) education has been receiving high-profile attention lately as a means to foster the nation’s future science and engineering workforce. Do you believe that better STEM education will result in significantly more interest in engineering fields? What are the key reasons for introducing science and engineering in education early?

LB: STEM education in grades K-12 forms the foundation for careers in science and engineering and certainly will have a positive impact on interest in engineering fields. Introducing science and engineering in education early provides a background that enables young people to envision themselves in careers that otherwise might seem unattainable. And exposure to those opportunities at an early age will provide a greater incentive to consider and pursue those career options through higher education.

IMT: Technological innovations have spurred significant changes in how engineering projects are developed and the effectiveness of engineering work. What are some advances in technology that have the potential to improve, or even revolutionize, engineering?

LB: One of the most exciting areas of engineering is building energy modeling. Modeling is a powerful tool that enables us to play “what if” with a variety of design parameters to discover relationships and dependencies that otherwise might remain hidden. So, it certainly influences the way we design buildings. For example, understanding the energy impact of infiltration has led us to demand higher performance in the construction of the envelope, with requirements for continuous air barriers and envelope commissioning. In addition to designing new buildings, energy modeling is used for analyzing existing buildings and identifying cost effective retrofit measures. As we expand our understanding of building science in new and existing buildings, we open up new opportunities for making our buildings more productive, healthy and energy-efficient.

Transforming the electric grid into a “smart grid” has begun. And it’s been compared in significance with building the interstate highway system or developing the Internet. Under a national smart grid effort, ASHRAE and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association are developing a standard together that will define the protocol for appliances and equipment to share information with energy suppliers and respond to signals from them. The purpose of Standard 201P, Facility Smart Grid Information Model, is to define an abstract, object-oriented information model to enable appliances and control systems in homes, buildings and industrial facilities to manage electrical loads and generation sources in response to communication with a “smart” electrical grid and to communicate information about those electrical loads to utility and other electrical service providers.

IMT: You are the first female president in the 116-year history of ASHRAE. On a personal level, when and how did your own interest in becoming an engineer first arise?

LB: My undergraduate degree is in mathematics from Principia College in Elsah, Ill., a small liberal arts college on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. I then studied environmental science at Rutgers University and was awarded a master’s degree with a thesis topic of Energy Conservation in Industry. That described the work I was doing in plant engineering and maintenance at Xerox’s major manufacturing facility in my hometown of Webster, N.Y.

While I didn’t start my education intending to become an engineer, it was a natural progression from studying environmental science to working in energy conservation, and that has been the focus of my entire career.

My theme speech, Modeling a Sustainable World, opens with this paragraph:

I’d like to take you back in time to your childhood. To a time when you were dreaming of making a difference in the world, of being a powerful influence for good. That time is now. Never in the history of our industry has there been a greater need or a better opportunity to change the world. And the global community is looking to us to lead the way, to be the role models for the 21st century.

I remember those childhood dreams, and I truly believe we have an incredible opportunity to make a difference in the world by improving the energy performance and indoor environmental quality of the built environment.

I’m ASHRAE president for only a year, which is a remarkably short period of time. It will take more than one year to transform our design culture from a silo approach to true integrated design. I’m hopeful that my emphasis on early collaboration, strong communication, and modeling throughout the design process will have an impact on our industry and perhaps hasten that transformation.

IMT: In our Q&A with Blaine Leonard, 2010 National Engineers Week co-chair, he offered his advice for would-be engineers. What words of advice do you have for the younger generation of students looking to enter the field?

LB: Learning the fundamentals of building science through an architectural engineering or mechanical engineering program is a place to start. I would encourage serving as an intern through a summer job or college co-op program to learn the industry first hand. And ASHRAE offers a wide variety of online and face-to-face continuing education courses that are focused on sustainable design. Also, the Young Engineers in ASHRAE program encourages involvement by the 35-and-under crowd and has energized our chapter activities in many cities.

Lynn Bellenger is a professional engineer and partner at Pathfinder Engineers & Architects LLP, Rochester, N.Y., and serves as the 2010-11 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers president. She is the first female president in ASHRAE’s 116-year history. Bellenger is ASHRAE-certified as a Building Energy Modeling Professional and a High Performance Building Design Professional.