Posted on Mar 26, 2010

Superpower exhibit – from left to right are Rhonda Becker, Prof. Jim Hedrick, Lindsey Walaski, Pete DiSalvio, Krystle Gallo, Denly Lettsome, Demarcus Hamm, Jim Walker, Sam Barstow, and Prof. Becky Cortez

Members of Union’s mechanical and electrical engineering departments offered some hands-on, technical expertise recently by designing and building part of a new exhibit on superconducting technology at the Schenectady Museum and Suits-Bueche Planetarium.

The new display, “Superconducting City of Lights” was part of the 10th anniversary celebration of SuperPower, Inc., a leader in the development of second-generation high temperature superconductors and related devices.

“This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to work together on an interdisciplinary project, to put many organizational and team project skills taught in the classroom into action,” said Rebecca Cortez, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

In addition to Cortez, the team included James Hedrick, senior lecturer in electrical engineering, Rhonda Becker, Mechanical Engineering Department administrative assistant, and students Sam Barstow '11, Peter DiSalvio ’11, Krystle Gallo ’12, Demarcus Hamm ’10, Denly Lettsome ’11, Stephen Sanchez ’11, Lindsey Walaski ’10 and James Walker ’10. 

Superpower exhibit – from left to right are Krystle Gallo, Peter DiSalvio, and Sam Barstow. The students are attaching the lights to the boards of the city’s buildings.

They worked together in small groups for more than a month.

“The experience was amazing,” said Lettsome, an electrical engineering major. “It was true ‘real-world’ engineering work – working with other engineers in different fields, updating each other based on progress, sharing different ideas on what we should do next to make it better, and of course, deadlines. I applied engineering principles I've been studying since freshman year.”

“There was a lot of brainstorming," said mechanical engineering major Gallo. "We learned we would be building a city that would light up in different ways when buttons were pressed to simulate their products. We spent a great deal of time planning what each button would do, what the city would be made out of, how we would wire it."

Sperpower exhibit – Demarcus Hamm is soldering a board for the display. (Denly Lettsome is behind him).

Using LED Christmas lights, Gallo said, "we worked on plotting out where the lights would be placed into the boards, drilling the holes, and cutting the boards so that they would fit correctly. It was amazing to see the final product at the museum, working perfectly. The opening was a huge success.” 

“Superconducting City of Lights” is a permanent interactive display in the museum’s “Power House” exhibit, which will be open to the public throughout the year.  

Union has partnered with SuperPower since 2006 to help develop a workforce  for its commercial production of superconducting wire. Among the community and government leaders who helped mark the anniversary milestone was U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY).