ComEd, Metra Rail Sponsor Spring 2018 INTM Faculty-Led IPROs
When Substation Construction Supervisor at ComEd, Jonathan Spathelf (BINTM/MITO ’15) encountered a problem with wildlife gaining access to energized outdoor substation equipment and eventually causing avian electrocutions, unplanned outages, and equipment failures, he saw an opportunity. Remembering his experience in an Interprofessional Project (IPRO) while a student at Illinois Tech, he thought an Illinois Tech IPRO team might discover creative solutions for ComEd. Working with INTM Adjunct Professor Blake Davis, and Stuart School of Business Professor Steve Hammond, Jonathan developed a scope of work for the IPRO with the support of ComEd managers, engineering, and environmental experts who have been affected by the wildlife intrusions.
Professor Davis, Hammond, and the students in IPRO 497-221: Innovative Solutions to Wildlife Intrusion at O’Hare ComEd Substations researched the problem, created options, and presented their ideas to more than 20 ComEd representatives at the end of the semester. ComEd Transmission and Substation Director Vito Martino stated “the students’ work was very impressive and innovative, and is worthy of serious consideration as viable new options to a long-term problem for ComEd.”
For Metra, the idea was to examine transit patterns on its Rock Island train line that has a stop adjacent to the Illinois Tech Mies campus at 35th/State Streets. The student, faculty, and staff population that currently rides, or has accessibility to this line, as well as the academic resources at Illinois Tech seemed like a good fit for a study of how Metra could gain a stronger foothold and maintain loyalty among current and potential commuters. In IPRO 497-101: Developing Solutions to Enhance Metra Ridership & the Commuter Experience, INTM Adjunct Professor Phil Lewis and Illinois Tech Institute of Design Adjunct Professor Limia Shunia guided students in research, documentation, and real-time observation in order to develop practical options to present to Metra executives at the end of the project.
