A team of Ball State construction management students took third place in the Green Energy Challenge competition this fall. The team submitted a video presentation of their work and fielded judge’s questions through Zoom to land the third-place overall ranking – the first time Ball State has placed in the top three.

The competition, sponsored by the ELECTRI International Foundation and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), challenged students to develop a project proposal for an organization or entity within their community. The Ball State “Great Lakes Energy Corporation” team selected the Ronald McDonald House in Indianapolis. They worked with NECA members and alumni to develop net-zero energy solutions, including a lighting retrofit and solar energy system proposal, for their facilities. The students also volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House, directly engaging their community partner.

Coach Sherif Attallah and team members Clayton Berrisford, Michale DeLong, Cassie Dorony, Cory Huffman, Kelsey Ricci, Dylan Roach, and Megan Whiteman completed this proposal in the spring 2020 semester – right in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis when we transitioned to online learning. Two of the members, Michale and Cassie, graduated in May, but offered moral support as the rest of the team completed the presentation and Q&A sessions this Fall.

One of the express purposes of this event is to interest students in careers in the electrical contracting industry, and it is clearly working at Ball State – we now have many alumni in this industry and Green Energy Challenge Cassie Dorony joined NECA member company ERMCO after she graduated in May.