The City and County of Denver has awarded the Colorado State University Department of Systems Engineering a Green Workforce Development grant to help train building commissioning engineers in sustainability engineering at the CSU Spur campus.  

Aaron Brown, associate professor of Systems Engineering, is set to lead the effort, using the $50,000 grant to give construction and building inspectors knowledge to assess the resiliency and value of engineered systems that can help them attain licensure as building commissioning engineers.  

The grant is funded by the Climate Protection Fund (CPF), which generates more than $40 million annually to mitigate the causes of climate change equitably. Denver voters established the CPF in 2020 by voting to increase local sales and use tax by 0.25%. The grant is administered by Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency. 

This initiative also partners with Mead & Hunt, an engineering and architecture firm that specializes in commissioning for new and existing commercial buildings.

“It’s our responsibility to equip our workforce with the knowledge they need to make a positive difference in the world,” Brown said. “This is a small but impactful grant that puts CSU Spur in company with the kinds of professionals and partners who can meet the needs of a transforming city.”  

The course is planned for Fall of 2024, and it will be held in-person at the Spur campus with virtual attendance options. For those interested in joining the course, email Aaron.Brown@colostate.edu for updates.

The course content will include information about environmentally friendly practices in construction and design, energy-efficient design principles, green building standards, and evolving regulations. It will also address community engagement and resource equity around sustainable engineering to enhance transparency and constituent involvement.  

Spur is Colorado State University’s newest campus designed to bring enhanced innovation, research, and learning closer to Denver communities. CSU Spur brings together scientists at work with youth and families, showcasing career paths, while creating a space and place for collaboration across disciplines. 

The CSU Department of Systems Engineering offers graduate education to both in-person researchers and working professionals attending online. The department conducts research on a wide range of topics, including humanitarian engineering, water systems, aerospace, transportation, energy systems, digital engineering, cybersecurity, VR-AR, and more.