Author Archives: mike@standardsmichigan.com

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Best Coffee Spots Near Campus

 

“The coffee-house is an original British institution, but as there are daily effusions of wit and humor

in several of these little periodical papers, I think we may be justly said

to have our Coffee-houses among us.”

(From “The Spectator,” No. 9, March 10, 1711)

Michigan Central | Major Projects University of Michigan Capital Plan

Ellie Younger: Best Coffee Spots Near Campus

Artisanal coffee departs from mass-market approaches and replaces it with emphasis on craftsmanship, quality, and attention to detail throughout the entire process—from cultivation to brewing.  Key aspects:

» Artisanal coffee producers often prioritize high-quality beans. They might focus on specific varieties, regions, or even single-origin beans, showcasing unique flavors and characteristics.

» The roasting process is considered an art in itself. Artisanal coffee roasters carefully roast the beans to bring out the best flavors. They may experiment with different roasting profiles to achieve specific taste profiles.

» Unlike mass-produced coffee, artisanal coffee is often roasted in smaller batches. This allows for better quality control and the ability to pay closer attention to the nuances of each batch.

» Artisanal coffee is appreciated for its distinct flavor profile. Roasters and baristas might highlight tasting notes, aromas, and other characteristics that make each cup unique.

» Artisanal coffee shops or enthusiasts often explore various brewing methods, such as pour-over, AeroPress, or siphon brewing. These methods can be more time-consuming but are believed to extract the best flavors from the beans.

From the way the beans are ground to the water temperature during brewing, artisanal coffee enthusiasts pay attention to every detail to ensure a superior cup of coffee.

— Publisher Marketing

The Decline of Men in Colleges

The Great Good Place: Ray Oldenburg

 

“I have often pleased myself with considering the two different scenes of life which are carried on at the same time in those different places of rendezvous, and putting those of the playhouse and the coffee-house together.”

(From “The Spectator,” No. 10, March 12, 1711)

America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything

“For decades, left-wing radicals patiently built a revolution in the shadows. Then suddenly, after the death of George Floyd, their ideas exploded into American life.

Corporations denounced the United States as a “system of white supremacy.” Universities pushed racially segregated programs that forced students to address their racial and sexual “privilege.” And schools injected critical race theory in the classroom, dividing children into “oppressor” and “oppressed.”

In this New York Times bestseller, Christopher F. Rufo exposes the inner history of the left-wing intellectuals and militants who slowly and methodically captured America’s institutions, with the goal of subverting them from within. With profiles of Herbert Marcuse, Angela Davis, Paulo Freire, and Derrick Bell, Rufo shows how activists have profoundly influenced American culture with an insidious mix of Marxism and racialist ideology. They’ve replaced “equality” with “equity,” subverted individual rights in favor of group identity, and convinced millions of Americans that racism is endemic in all of society. Their ultimate goal? To replace the constitution with a race-based redistribution regime, administered by “diversity and inclusion” commissars within the bureaucracy.

America’s Cultural Revolution is the definitive account of the radical Left’s long march through the institutions. Through deep historical research, Rufo shows how the ideas first formulated in the pamphlets of the Weather Underground, Black Panther Party, and Black Liberation Army have been sanitized and adopted as the official ideology of America’s prestige institutions, from the Ivy League universities to the boardrooms of Wal-Mart, Disney, and Bank of America. But his book is not just an exposé. It is a meticulously-researched and passionate refutation of the arguments of CRT—and a roadmap for the counter-revolution to come.”

Manhattan Institute


“To be at home is to have a place in the world which is yours, where you are not a stranger and where you find the outlines of your identity. In the modern world, however, where the sense of home has been eroded by technology and bureaucracy, architecture can create a substitute for this sense, by defining spaces which answer to the dreams and memories of the people who live in them.”
— Roger Scruton

Excellence in Facilities Management

Roadway Electric

Rules for electric supply (power) and communication (telecommunication) lines and equipment, including those along or crossing roadways across and along campus perimeters. Copyright restrictions prohibit our sharing of the First Draft.  IEEE should be making this draft free of charge according to ANSI’s Incorporation by Reference Recommendations but, alas, we pick our battles. We have purchased the Draft Copy and have been discussing the changes for the past several weeks and will continue to do so until the March 24th deadline.

Shoes hanging on power lines

Relevant sections:

Sections 1–3 and 9 (Introduction, Definitions, References, Grounding Methods) — apply to all parts.

Part 1 (Rules 100–199): Electric supply stations and equipment (substations; generally not roadway-specific).

Part 2 (Rules 200–299): Safety Rules for the Installation and Maintenance of Overhead Electric Supply and Communication Lines — primary coverage for roadway scenarios.

Part 3 (Rules 300–399): Safety Rules for the Installation and Maintenance of Underground Electric Supply and Communication Lines.

Part 4 (Rules 400–499): Rules for the Operation of Electric Supply and Communication Lines and Equipment (work practices, employee/public safety).

 

 

Revisiting the Campus Power Dilemma: A Case Study (Michael A Anthony P.E, Patricia Koman Ph.D, Max Storto Ph.D 2013)

Wires, Roads, and Real-World Challenges at Clemson University

Challenges with Aging Electrical Infrastructure at California State University Fresno

Conceptual Study to Underground Utility Wires in Berkeley (UC Berkeley Campus Area)

Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering v. Department of Telecommunications & Energy: A Massachusetts Supreme Court case where the college challenged utility regulations on power and telecom lines, including overhead and underground installations. The ruling interpreted provisions affecting campus wiring safety and compliance.

Mega Construction Co. v. United States (Virginia Tech Case Study): A construction dispute analyzed at Virginia Tech involving delays and mismanagement in utility projects, including power line installations potentially affecting campus infrastructure.

 

2028 National Electrical Safety Code

NESC 2028 Call for Comment

7th Edition (2018): Geometric Design of Highways & Streets

7th Edition (2018): Geometric Design of Highways & Streets

Michigan State University

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction throughout the United States.  Despite its name, the association represents not only highways but air, rail, water, and public transportation as well.   Its technical committees are responsible for route numbering recommendations.

Although AASHTO sets transportation standards and policy for the United States as a whole, AASHTO is not an agency of the federal government; rather it is an organization of the states themselves. Policies of AASHTO are not federal laws or policies, but rather are ways to coordinate state laws and policies in the field of transportation.

One of its consensus products — the so-called “Green Book” — is heavily referenced in campus design guidelines and construction contracts because most education communities exist within municipal infrastructure.   Power, water supply, sewers to schools and campuses large and small all tend to follow transportation pathways.  The Green Book is revised periodically, the 2018 Edition the most recent.

SUMMARY OF KEY REVISIONS AND UPDATES

We do not advocate in this product at the moment but follow the movement in concepts relevant to education communities; notably the recent reorganization that emphasizes transportation of people, rather than focusing primarily on moving vehicles.  A new chapter discusses multimodal level of service and puts greater emphasis on lower-speed, walkable, urban zones in which new mobility technologies are emerging (such as micro-scooters on campuses)

We maintain the AASHTO catalog on our Pathways, Zoning and Mobility colloquia.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting, open to everyone.

Land Measurement

Standards March: Water

Curated list of our interest and accomplishments in water-related codes, standards and related best practice literature.

International Building Code | Chapter 29 Plumbing Systems

IAPMO International

Backflow Prevention

Fire Pump Reliability

Legionella

Emergency Shower & Eyewash Testing

Gallery: Great Lakes

Building Water Demand

Water and Electricity

Florida Gulf Coast University | Lee County

Water Management

University of Newcastle | New South Wales

Natatoriums 300: Advanced Topics

University of Southern California | Orange County

Qualität der Wasserversorgung

DRINKING, WASTEWATER & STORMWATER SYSTEMS

 

Vegetation & Animal Management

Facility Management units in educational settlements rarely deal with tree obstruction on overhead supply sources except where off-campus sources provide power to agricultural units. The NESC does not provide specific tree‑species or pruning schedules—that is often left to local utility standards guided by NESC clearances. The IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee deals with these borderline cases, often collaborating with the IEEE Rural Electric Power Conference.

NESC Minimum Vertical Clearances (Rule 232)

Voltage (kV) Minimum Vertical Clearance (ft)
0 – 750 V 12 ft
0.75 – 22 kV 18 ft
22 – 46 kV 22 ft
46 – 72.5 kV 26 ft
72.5 – 121 kV 30 ft
121 – 145 kV 32 ft
145 – 230 kV 37 ft
230 – 345 kV 40 ft
345 – 500 kV 44 ft
500 – 750 kV 50 ft

NESC Minimum Lateral Clearances (Rule 234)

Voltage (kV) Minimum Lateral Clearance (ft)
0 – 750 V 3 ft
0.75 – 22 kV 3 ft
22 – 46 kV 4 ft
46 – 72.5 kV 5 ft
72.5 – 121 kV 6 ft
121 – 145 kV 6 ft
145 – 230 kV 8 ft
230 – 345 kV 10 ft
345 – 500 kV 12 ft
500 – 750 kV 14 ft

2022 Guide for Animal Deterrents for Electric Power Supply Substations

Stray Voltage: Sources and Solutions

Michigan State University

 

Stray Voltage: Sources and Solutions

Truman C. Surbrook – Norman D. Reese – Angela M. Kehrle

 

Abstract.  Stray voltage is caused by voltage drop and ground faults and may have its origin on the primary electrical distribution system or on the customer’s secondary electrical system. The rms value of the neutral-to-earth voltage along a primary distribution line may be at a value of zero some distance from the substation depending on the condition of the conductor resistances, grounding resistances, and the amount of load. Neutral-to-earth resistance is not the cause of stray voltage; however, the value of this resistance to earth at a particular location will affect the level of stray voltage. A four-wire single-phase feeder system supplying farm buildings from a single metering point is effective in preventing on-farm secondary neutral voltage drop, provided the four-wire system is extended to all farm loads, and provided no high-magnitude ground faults are present. Isolation of the primary and secondary neutral systems at the distribution transformer is effective in preventing off-farm sources from entering the customer’s system. This separation may be accomplished using a number of commercially available devices.

CLICK HERE for access to the entire paper

2022 Guide for Animal Deterrents for Electric Power Supply Substations

1264-2022 – IEEE Guide for Animal Mitigation for Electric Power Supply Substations

IEEE Power Engineering Society

Abstract: Documented in this guide are methods and designs to mitigate interruptions, equipment damage, and personnel safety issues resulting from animal intrusions into electric power supply substations, thereby improving reliability and safety, and minimizing the associated revenue loss.
Scope: This guide documents methods and designs to mitigate interruptions, equipment damage, and personnel safety issues resulting from animal intrusions into electric power supply substations, thereby improving reliability and safety, and minimizing the associated revenue loss.
Purpose: Intrusion by animals into electric power supply substations has been a problem experienced by most of the electric utility industry. The costs associated with outages caused by animals continue to escalate. Although animal problems differ in nature geographically, the damage to equipment, interruption of or loss of service to customers, and safety problems encountered by operating personnel result in similar general concerns. This guide identifies various animals, the problems they cause, and mitigation methods. Further, it recommends criteria for applying mitigation methods, documents survey-reported effectiveness of various methods, and recommends factors for evaluating effectiveness of methods once they are applied.

CLICK HERE to order the guide

Related:

IEEE Standards Association

PES General Meeting 16-20 July | Orlando

“Mountain High Apple Pie”

North Carolina State University Facilities

 

Kitchens 300

Standards North Carolina

Clearance Envelopes

We revisit first principles regarding the a safety “buffer zone” enforced by code to make high-voltage infrastructure compatible with surrounding development. Ignoring it risks lives, property, and legal issues—hence the detailed regulatory focus on design (calculations), construction (compliance checks), and management (lifetime enforcement), especially critical around expansive campus boundaries. Often these zones define where new facilities can be built.

Transmission Line Right-of-Way

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