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Cuban professors visit Appalachian State University for sustainability tour

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Dr. Arbelio Penton Madrigal tries the Appalachian State University solar vehicle on for size. Also shown, standing left to right, are Dr. Nancy Martinez Alfonso, Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment student Dan Blakeley, Pedro Franco and Dr. Jeremy Ferrell.

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The Scrum board is used by Appalachian’s Solar Vehicle Team to monitor workflow on their solar vehicle, the Apperion, and was of particular interest to the visiting Cuban professors.

Posted April 25, 2016 at 10:54 a.m.

BOONE—Professors from Universidad de la Habana visited Appalachian State University recently to learn about Appalachian’s sustainable technology programs. Appalachian was one of only a few campuses the professors toured.

The Cuban professors are interested in starting a photovoltaic solar program in Havana and reached out to faculty in the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment (STBE). According to Dr. Jeremy Ferrell, a professor in the department, the guests toured the solar laboratory, the teaching facility in Katherine Harper Hall and inspected the Apperion, the university’s solar vehicle.

According to STBE student Dan Blakeley, “They wanted to learn all about what batteries and solar cells we were using. How the driver got in and out of the car and how comfortable it was to drive.” The professors were especially interested in the Scrum board, which is used to keep track of what needs to be accomplished on the car, who is responsible for it and when it should be done, he said.

The solar vehicle team is sponsored by both the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, which is housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, and the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The visit follows on the heels of the Cuban embargo lift by U.S. President Barack Obama. Faculty and students from Appalachian may visit Havana next summer, Ferrell said.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

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Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
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