Engineering society president’s visit highlights Penn State, industry ties

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Bill McQuade, a three-time Penn State alumnus and the president of ASHRAE, formerly known as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, visited Penn State on Jan. 27, meeting with faculty and students in the Department of Architectural Engineering (AE) and highlighting the University’s leadership in building systems, indoor air quality and sustainable design.

With decades of experience in the HVAC and building systems industry, McQuade has built a career focused on advancing energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality and sustainable building design. As ASHRAE president, he works with engineers, researchers and industry leaders around the world to promote technical standards, research and professional development across the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration fields.

McQuade’s visit included individual meetings with faculty, a combined luncheon and distinguished speaker seminar and discussions with student leaders, including members of the Penn State ASHRAE Student Branch, whose leadership helped coordinate aspects of the visit.

“McQuade’s visit to Penn State served as an example of the potential which every Penn State student carries and the opportunities that are available with our degrees,” said Jack Riley, a fifth-year student studying architectural engineering and president of the Penn State ASHRAE Student Branch.

According to Jin Wen, head of the Department of Architectural Engineering, the visit provided an opportunity to strengthen connections between Penn State and ASHRAE, which has chapters in 130 countries.

“McQuade’s 2025-26 ASHRAE Society Year theme ‘Healthy Buildings: Designing for Life’ reflects ASHRAE’S impact on human health and wellbeing, alongside its long-standing mission of improving the energy performance of buildings,” Wen said. “Penn State, especially the architectural engineering department, has long been part of this mission with our faculty, alumni and students contributing through research, education and leadership across the building industry.”

ASHRAE is a global technical and professional society for engineers involved in the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration industry. ASHRAE standards for energy efficiency, ventilation and refrigeration are the basis for building codes in the U.S. and around the world. It plays a critical role in two of the key issues of the day: climate change and indoor environmental quality. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ASHRAE was the primary group responsible for the development of guidance and standards to protect building occupants.

William “Bill” Bahnfleth, professor of architectural engineering and director of the Indoor Environment Center who previously served as ASHRAE president, was instrumental in shaping some of these guidelines, specifically for indoor air quality. He previously chaired ASHRAE’s Epidemic Task Force during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the development of evidence-based guidance for ventilation and air cleaning in buildings worldwide.

Bahnfleth said that ASHRAE and Penn State have a long history of synergistic collaboration and that, for architectural engineering students focusing on HVAC, ASHRAE standards and research findings are everyday parts of the curriculum.

“Penn State engineering faculty and one alumnus have served as its president, and another alumnus is in the pipeline to be president in 2028-29,” Bahnfleth said. “Many more Penn State alumni have been board members and leaders in technical and standards committees, bringing global recognition to its contributions. ASHRAE research grants have supported many graduate students and faculty members, and Penn State has had an ASHRAE Student Branch since 1983. The visit of the president of ASHRAE inspired students and faculty to make professional service an important part of their careers and also strengthened ties between ASHRAE and Penn State that will support continued collaboration in the future.”