{"id":34,"date":"2024-09-12T13:27:55","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T12:27:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/sustainable-imperial\/?p=34"},"modified":"2026-03-12T15:44:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T15:44:29","slug":"leaf-award-in-electronic-and-electrical-engineering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/sustainable-imperial\/2024\/09\/12\/leaf-award-in-electronic-and-electrical-engineering\/","title":{"rendered":"LEAF Award in Electronic and Electrical Engineering"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reposted from Imperial news article “LEAF Awards: Our Purple lab goes Green for Bronze!” by Jane Horrell<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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We are pleased to announce that our Level 1 Teaching Lab has received a Bronze LEAF Award for sustainable laboratories.<\/h4>\n

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If you’ve ever visited EEE\u2019s Level 1 Lab you\u2019ll know it\u2019s a huge space in constant use. A dynamic and collaborative learning environment where up to 200 students can be working on hardware experiments to support their taught modules, alongside staff and teaching assistants.<\/p>\n

This means that power supply units, oscilloscopes, soldering irons, and computers for analysis and simulation of electronic circuits are running throughout the day, consuming a significant amount of energy. To add to the sustainability challenge, many thousands of electronic components are used over a year.<\/p>\n

The LEAF\u00a0Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0scheme is designed to improve sustainability and efficiency in higher education teaching and research. Labs undergo self-assessment and peer review to reach Bronze, Silver or Gold standard, demonstrating the estimated financial and carbon savings their actions have achieved. Imperial estimates that 247 tonnes CO2 equivalent has been saved through the LEAF scheme across the university since the start of 2024.<\/p>\n

Leading the challenge<\/h4>\n

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Sustainability lead in the lab is Electronic Support Group Technician May Tang. May has already been active in sustainability efforts for more than two decades as a member of our Technical Services team, who have all helped towards this achievement, supported by fellow technicians Vic Boddy and Amine Halimi, Technical Services Manager Danny Harvey, Teaching Fellows Dr Ed Stott and Dr Hakan Merdan, and Ben Gray, Imperial\u2019s Sustainability Initiatives Coordinator. May says the team is \u201cdeeply committed to environmental stewardship and promoting sustainable practices in the scientific community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEmbracing and integrating these practices aligns with Imperial\u2019s broader commitment to reducing our ecological footprint. This is crucial for the longevity and ethical responsibility of scientific research.\u201d<\/p>\n

Practical action<\/h4>\n

To achieve the Bronze LEAF accreditation, the team has implemented a series of measures. \u201cWe\u2019ve introduced sorting and recycling programmes for electronic components, adopted a more efficient procurement strategy to minimise waste, and optimised our energy use by reducing computer screen and oscilloscope brightness. We\u2019ve also helped our students and staff adopt best practices, ensuring that everyone can contribute to our green goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

As well as taking simple steps such as using recyclable materials, and ensuring all equipment is well maintained to cut down on replacement, a notable innovation has been inspiring the students to design a recycling component sorting machine.<\/p>\n