As the project manager for the BEE Project, my role involved leading a team of high school interns to develop energy-saving solutions for SAISD, focusing on the E-Gauge, and spreading awareness among students and teachers.

I coordinated and guided a team of high school interns through the process of developing energy-saving solutions for SAISD in this capacity. My primary goal was to maximize the potential of the E-Gauge technology and raise awareness among students and teachers about its importance in energy conservation.

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I met with our stakeholders to understand our parameters, scope, and goals.

Aaron installed new energy meters, E-Gauges, on dozens of SAISD campuses this year to track and monitor energy usage in real time. This data will allow us to identify high-consumption areas and develop targeted energy-saving strategies. Although professionals used this tool, he was aware that anyone could access it and that it might be useful for students on that campus or for educational purposes. He required the interns to figure out how to make this tool enjoyable, engaging, and educational for students and faculty

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We met the interns and organized our stakeholders to start ideating different ways to introduce the E-Gauge to our audience.

With the interns officially on board, we kicked off an ideation session to better understand our goals and discover new ways to turn a mundane graph into a powerful educational tool. The interns would be in charge of developing and planning all of the interactive features and content that would make the E-Gauge interesting and enjoyable for both students and faculty. In addition, we would work with our stakeholders to gather feedback and insights to ensure that the final product meets our audience's needs and expectations.

Research and Background Analysis

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During the planning phase, we conducted research on energy conservation in SAISD, analyzing the E-Gauge interface to identify potential usages.We discovered that many buildings lacked optimal energy efficiency, leading to unnecessary waste.

During the planning phase, SAISD conducted extensive research on energy conservation, with a focus on analyzing the E-Gauge interface. This study discovered inefficiencies in numerous buildings, emphasizing the importance of improved energy efficiency in order to reduce waste. They were already operating at peak energy-saving levels, but more improvements were required to fully optimize energy usage and minimize waste. Broken electrical, unattended lights, and chargers were identified as common sources of energy waste.

Main Ideas:

• We wanted people to see that even the smallest changes in behavior, such as turning off lights when not in use or unplugging chargers when fully charged, can make a significant impact on energy conservation.
• Because you can see your direct effect on the energy grid, you become more aware of the importance of reducing energy waste and taking simple actions to conserve energy.
• Being more aware of energy waste, in tandem with the 5-minute shutdown challenge, helped us further reduce energy waste and optimize energy usage.

Our target audience included faculty and students with E-Gauge technology, guiding our strategy to educate them on individual grid influence and the importance of reporting maintenance issues.

We knew we had to involve students and teachers in this project in order to demonstrate the impact they have on the grid and to pave the way for future E-Gauge-related projects. We wanted something interactive with which students could interact, as well as guidelines for teachers to follow. This way of thinking is used to create deliverables.

General Deliverables

1. Introductory Video: The E-Gauge and the Challenge
2. E-Gauge tutorial video showing teachers and students how to use the E-Gauge

Targeted Deliverables

1. Promotional Flyers and Correspondence for students and teachers
2. Interactive challenges to engage the students
3. A presentation for Aaron Stein to give to teachers across the school districts
4. certificates to deliver to schools that participated in the interactive Challenge

Presentation Deliverables

1. Presentation summarizing key findings and deliverables from the internship

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Now that we have found our audience and researched solutions, we had 3 weeks to develop our deliverables in time for our final presentation at CPS Energy, the main energy provider in San Antonio, Texas.

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We were working with 5 high school graduates, many of these students were starting their first jobs, juggling multiple jobs, and preparing for their first year of college. I needed to be someone that could guide them but also provide support as needed.

We held weekly one-on-one meetings as well as weekly team meetings to ensure that everyone was on the same page and had the support they needed. In addition, I provided students with resources and guidance to help them balance their various responsibilities and prioritize their tasks.

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Project Solution Development:

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We couldn't change the interface of the E-Gauge, but we could change our audience's perception of it. Framing it in a way that promotes ownership and de-mystifies parts of its interface

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We created a tutorial video explaining what the E-gauge is and how to use it.

The interface of the E-Gauge is very graphical and numeric, which may be off-putting to some users. To address this, we will develop a user-friendly guide that breaks down the interface into simple steps and explanations. Additionally, we will create interactive tutorials and activities to help users become more comfortable with navigating the E-Gauge.

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To engage students and staff, we created the “See Your Energy Challenge,” transforming the mundane E-Gauge interface into an exciting event. Participants would measure their energy usage by synchronously turning off lights and observing the real-time impact on the grid with the E-Gauge graph.

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To introduce the challenge, we created an introductory video explaining what the challenge is.

To engage students and staff, we created the "See Your Energy Challenge," a transformative event centered on the E-Gauge. Participants could actively measure their energy usage by turning off lights at the same time and watching the impact on the E-Gauge graph in real time.

The goal of the challenge was not only to raise awareness but also to instill ownership and accountability in participants regarding their energy consumption. We hoped to instill a sense of responsibility and encourage sustainable habits by actively involving them in the process and allowing them to see the direct impact of their actions.

To encourage student participation in energy conservation challenges and raise awareness of their importance, an engagement plan was developed that rewarded schools that participated in the challenge.

Recognizing the value of engagement, we devised a strategy to encourage student participation in energy conservation challenges. Although we didn't have enough money to do anything extravagant, we decided that a certificate and a free visit from Aaron Stein, a local energy expert, would be appealing to at least teachers. He has activities and field trip plans that are more centered on energy conservation, which would be educational and engaging for students.

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We needed some way to promote the challenge, so we created marketing materials, outreach plans, and correspondence to SAISD staff and faculty.

We needed a way for faculty and teachers to understand what to do on the day after we finished the videos and the challenge concept, so we created a comprehensive guide that outlined the step-by-step instructions for participating in the challenge. Aaron would also visit schools and hold workshops to provide hands-on training and support for teachers who may have questions or need help implementing the challenge in their classrooms.

We also designed fliers that schools could distribute around campus to promote the challenge and provide information on how to participate. These fliers included information about the advantages of taking part in the challenge.

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Learning Lessons and Wrap-up

As the project neared completion, the real challenges of my internship began to emerge; internal issues arose, and some parts of the project had to be redone.

The internship's difficulties surfaced in the project's final stages, with internal challenges necessitating adjustments and the need to redo certain aspects of the project for a smooth conclusion. During the project's final stages, some interns failed to meet project standards, while others excelled in specific areas, prompting collaboration and task reassignment.

During our conversation, they expressed feeling overburdened and anxious about their lives, and they weren't sure if they could manage this particular aspect of the project. I emphasized the value of open communication while assuring the interns that their worries were valid. We talked about ways to help them de-stress and make sure that specific task component gets finished successfully, like giving them more help or dividing up the work.

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Final Presentation

Our final presentation took place at CPS Energy Headquarters as we completed our deliverables. We delivered presentations to CPS employees, SAISD executives, CAST school representatives, and others.

As the project came to a close, the culmination was a final presentation at CPS Energy Headquarters. This presentation allowed us to show off our completed deliverables and share insights with key stakeholders such as CPS employees, SAISD executives, CAST school representatives, and other interested parties.

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I introduced myself and summarized key goals of our project and what the interns have been working on

As the sole project manager and a previous Bee intern, I was able to follow the project from start to finish. It was rewarding to see the interns' hard work and dedication pay off when they confidently presented their deliverables to stakeholders. Furthermore, I emphasized the importance of sustainable energy solutions in today's world by emphasizing the positive impact our project could have on CPS Energy as well as the SAISD community.

The interns gave a phenomenal presentation and covered the various parts that they worked on.

During their presentation, I had such a proud dad moment, seeing how confident and knowledgeable the interns had become throughout the project. Their hard work and dedication had clearly paid off, as they eloquently explained the significance of their deliverables and answered questions with ease.