Team Uses Fluke Connect System to Capture and Share Measurements in Simulated Ethanol Production

EVERETT, WA — A team from the Northwest Iowa Community College has been chosen the winner of the Fluke Connect Student Contest, which tested the skills, innovation, and business application of student teams enrolled in two and four year colleges, universities, trade/tech schools, and apprenticeship programs.

The Northwest Iowa Community College team — students Tory Schmidt, Joel Groeneweg and Eric Berneir, and advisor Mark Bohnet — designed a project to increase the efficiency of technicians and electricians when troubleshooting or performing preventive maintenance in ethanol production. Since they could not perform measurement in an actual ethanol plant, the team simulated the process control system of a diverter gate and distillation column used in a grain handling during ethanol production. Their project demonstrated a significant improvement in troubleshooting and preventive maintenance as a result of capturing and sharing measurement data using the Fluke Connect system.

“The projects produced by the Northwest Iowa Community College team and the other finalists demonstrate how capturing and sharing measurements across team members using mobile technology can speed troubleshooting and improve maintenance practices,” said Leah Friberg, education and public affairs manager for Fluke Corp. “We look forward to the Northwest Iowa team’s visit at Fluke Park and using the feedback and learning from all the team projects in the continued development of Fluke Connect.”

The winners of the Fluke Connect Student Contest were determined by which team made the biggest impact using the Fluke Connect system, with 75 percent of the decision based on the evaluation by the panel of six industry judges and 25 percent on the public vote on the Student Contest website.

The Northwest Iowa Community College team and their adviser receive a paid trip to Fluke headquarters in north Seattle in May to spend a day meeting with Fluke executive and engineering leadership, tour Fluke engineering and manufacturing, and see the Boeing manufacturing facility and Future of Flight Aviation Center next door. The school’s department receives $1,000 worth of Fluke tools, and the Fluke Connect tools used in the contest submission, worth approximately $2,500.

For more information, visit www.fluke.com.

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