YOUNG SCIENTIST CUTS ENERGY BILLS
Energy-saving benefits of rooftop gardens topic of a winning study
Sixth-grader wins science fair with study of rooftop gardens that could help cool your home.
Kaisa-Tinuviel Baca, 12, was beaming at the New Mexico chapter of NAIOP’s twelfth annual science fair on Monday.
The commercial real-estate association luncheon at the Marriott in Uptown honored 36 student winners in the 2017 Central New Mexico Science and Engineering Challenge. That included Baca, a spunky sixth-grader at Alice King Charter School, who won at the regional level for her study of rooftop gardens.
Visitors at Baca’s project booth heard a lively talk about the energysaving benefits of green roofs.
“It costs money to do it, but it pays off in the end,” Baca said. “It keeps your home cooler, and it can lower your energy bill.”
NAIOP has sponsored the engineering, transportation and energy categories of the annual science challenge for 12 years. To date, the group has raised $325,000 for cash and in-kind awards, including nearly $25,000 this year, said Kevin Yearout, CEO of Yearout Cos. and past NAIOP chair.
“These kids are the future workforce and businesspeople of New Mexico,” Yearout said. “We want them to stay in New Mexico and provide impetus for our economy.”
This year’s luncheon featured Matthew Fetrow, director of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s technology engagement office, and Edward Jakes, retired scientist at the Air Force Weapons Center. The speakers emphasized the critical role science plays in the development of military and commercial technology, highlighting the cutting-edge contributions that AFRL’s directed energy and
space vehicles directorates at Kirtland Air Force Base have made in satellites, lasers and high-powered microwaves.
Reaching out to youth to inspire them in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is a central goal of the AFRL, which employs about 1,900 people in New Mexico, Fetrow said.
“The Department of Defense recognizes that these kids are our future workforce,” Fetrow told the Journal. “It’s important that the STEM community come together to give these kids the best opportunities we can.”