APRIL 2026 ASHRAE ATLANTA CHAPTER MEETING

Tuesday, April 14th, 6:00 - 8:30 PM

Maggiano's Little Italy, Cumberland Mall (1601 Cumberland Mall, Suite 200)

Please note this is a dinner meeting.

Note: Register by Friday 4/10 for discounted Chapter and Society Member Rates

Technical Program Description

Flexible and Efficient Energy Systems for a Sustainable Future

Our speaker for the April 14 student night dinner meeting (6 PM, at Maggiano’s in Cumberland Mall) will be Dr. Allison Mahvi, an upcoming leader in thermal energy storage and high efficiency HVAC systems.

Meeting modern energy demands requires both innovation in fundamental thermal science and strategic system-level design. This seminar will cover novel approaches to energy systems that can reduce peak power, shift loads, and improve efficiency of HVAC systems. The presentation will focus on how thermal energy storage can be integrated into heat pump systems to boost performance, especially in cold climates. Thermal energy storage offers a pathway to enhance grid flexibility by decoupling the timing of heating and cooling production from end-use. This can reduce peak loads, lower operational costs, and support integration of renewable energy sources. While materials research has advanced significantly, system-level design remains a critical challenge.

This seminar will connect fundamental heat transfer research with practical applications, offering a systems-oriented perspective on how mechanical engineers can contribute to the future of sustainable building technologies.

Speaker

Dr. Allison Mahvi

Dr. Allison Mahvi is the Duane and Dorothy Bluemke assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Dr. Mahvi is the director of the Laboratory for Energy Transport and Storage, and the co-director of the University of Wisconsin Solar Energy Lab. She received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2018 and her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2012. Between 2018 and 2019, Allison worked as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and then transitioned to a second postdoctoral position at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where she worked between 2019 and 2022. Allison’s research in two-phase flows, surface enhancements, advanced thermal energy systems, and thermal energy storage devices has resulted in 25 archival journal publications. During her graduate studies, Allison was awarded the ASME graduate teaching fellowship, the Sam Nunn Security Program fellowship, the Woodruff fellowship and the ASHRAE Grant-in-Aid.

**REFUNDS WILL NOT BE ISSUED FOR CANCELLATIONS WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THE EVENT**