14 Oct Student project a triumph for O.C.
Alex McDonald’s road to graduate school started with a grant and a desire to build a solar-powered house.
The 30-year-old first approached UC Irvine with his idea for Casa Del Sol, a sustainable, drought-resistant home inspired by California’s state flower, the poppy, when he was volunteering for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon challenge in 2013. California poppies are considered drought-tolerant.
The idea blossomed over the next year as McDonald helped write the grant that would help fund the endeavor. Once the $50,000 grant was secured, McDonald started his graduate studies in mechanical engineering at UCI. The house will be his main graduate project, and he’ll be the project manager.
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