Janice K Means
1070 Greentree Rd
Bloomfield Hills,, MI 48304
United States
(248) 935-6468
Region: V
Honorarium: $50 for Research Promotion
Languages Spoken: English
Means

Janice K. Means has diverse experience in both industry and higher education in the fields of HVAC, alternative energy, facility O&M, and the writing and interpretation of codes and standards. She has been a U.S. State of Michigan Registered Engineer for over 40 years. As a strong promoter of sustainability and outreach to the public and students, she chaired ten local solar energy/sustainability conferences which included training others on ASHRAE Standard 90.1. She taught building MEP, solar energy, and environmental classes at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan USA for 15 years following her work in industry.

Professor Means has served in several ASHRAE leadership positions: Detroit Chapter President; Region V Vice Chair for Student Activities; and at the international level, as TC 6.7 - Solar Energy Utilization Chair: Scholarship Trustees Chair; and currently, TC 2.5 – Global Climate Change Handbook Sub-committee Chair. She has served as a voting member of TC 2.8 – Building Environmental Impacts and Sustainability. TC 2.5 – Global Climate Change, and TC 6.7 – Solar Energy Utilization. Additionally, she has served on the boards of the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association, Michigan Solar Energy Association, and Michigan Interfaith Power and Light.

Means has authored numerous articles and papers, and presented at local and international conferences on sustainability topics, high performance buildings, and STEM promotion for young women and minorities.  She is the co-editor and co-author of three editions of the book ASHRAE GreenGuide—Design, Construction, and Operation of Sustainable Buildings, a co-author for the Climate Change Chapter in the 2021 and 2025 ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook, and a co-author of the 2019 ASHRAE Guideline 34 - Energy Guideline for Historic Buildings. She is also the author of a continuing series of articles, “Hidden in HVAC”, in the ASHRAE Journal.

Her most prominent recent honors include: her induction in November 2024 as the first engineer in the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame for her sustainability work; the 2024 ASHRAE Exceptional Service Award; Engineering Society of Detroit’s 2021 Gold Award as outstanding engineer; the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association’s 2021 Melanie McCoy Leadership Award for “her pioneering efforts in Michigan solar energy”; and the 2020 ASHRAE E.K. Campbell International Award for teaching excellence.  In 2015, she became an Engineering Society of Detroit Fellow and in 2022, she was the 20th woman to become an ASHRAE Fellow since the College of Fellows was initiated.

Professor Means earned her MSE in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan-Dearborn She also holds a B.S. in General Engineering and a B.A. in Secondary Education with a Physics Minor from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan USA.

In retirement, Means continues to share her expertise by publishing and lecturing on sustainability topics and the promotion of young women and minorities in the STEM/STEAM fields. As a lifetime explorer, she relishes global travel, making new and diverse friends, hiking through nature, deciphering how ancient peoples constructed their homes primarily using only passive means and searching for those same ancient people’s rock art of petroglyphs and pictographs.

Topic
Climate Change – Myths and Reality

This presentation includes an overview of the latest and projected environmental transformations due to climate change, answers the question “Who or What Really Causes Climate Change”, and concludes with a summary of how climate change is affecting (and will affect) the world in general as well as the location where it is being presented. Scientific explanations are presented clearly such that anyone can understand them.

Recommended Audience: Engineers, Architects, Students and the General Public

Carbon Sequestration: An Introduction to its Terminology and Importance for Applying Carbon Dioxide Removal in Tandem With Decarbonization Strategies
This is an introduction to a widely misunderstood topic. The speaker will give an overview of carbon sequestration terms and especially the potential of applying IPCC-defined Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) to keep the earth’s temperature rise relative to pre-industrial times under (or if overshot, back to) 1.5oC (2.7oF). CCR action should prevent the worst-case effects of climate from being realized by removing CO2 from the atmosphere. The concern is that if the global average temperature rises to about 2oC (3.6oF), irreversible tipping points could be activated leading to a planet unsustainable for human occupation. According to the IPCC, these thresholds will be breached if the strategy of decarbonizing (going to net zero) is solely used due to the extended length of time CO2 remains in the atmosphere. Therefore, CDR must be part of the solution. The presenter addresses the logic behind this assertion. It is emphasized that using Carbon Capture and Utilization/Storage (CCU/S) which, unlike CDR, prevents CO2 from entering the atmosphere is neither a substitute for, nor an excuse to continue, burning fossil fuels. The presentation cites examples of the various strategies with their relative cost, feasibility, and ethics of use.

Recommended Audience: Engineers, Architects, and Students
Lessons Learned From a Female Life Member of a Professional Society
The speaker enumerates the many benefits of becoming an active member of one or more professional societies through valuable lessons she has learned from a life-long career in engineering. Although her perspective is through a female engineer’s lens, the lessons are just as valuable to emerging male professionals. ASHRAE active membership benefits are especially emphasized.

Recommended Audience: Young Professionals and Students
Considerations When Decarbonizing A Historic Building
Prior to applying Energy Efficiency Measures (EEMs) as a part of an Emission Reduction Measure (ERM) plan to decarbonize an existing building, it is essential to anticipate potentially negative effects. This is particularly critical when attempting to reduce emissions of a listed building where there are other overriding considerations, e.g., preserving the historic character and materials. The presenter will refer to the ASHRAE Guideline 34 - 2019, Energy Guideline for Historic Buildings, for which she was a co-author as part of an international committee. She uses several examples in explaining how and why using EEMs for any historic building—listed or not listed—must be carefully thought out and executed.

Recommended Audience: Engineers, Architects, Retrofit Professionals, Historic Preservation Professionals, Owners of Historic Buildings, and Students
Strategies for Decarbonizing Buildings While Creating Resilience and Occupant Safety to Adapt to a Changing Climate
This presentation gives an overview of passive design and retrofit strategies for decarbonizing and adapting buildings to a changing climate while maintaining occupant safety and comfort. Strategies include reducing energy use (and thus emissions) by basing designs on projected climate changes and anticipated extreme weather events; borrowing passive design elements from pre-industrial vernacular architecture (thus limiting fossil-fuel energy sources and emissions); and generally designing, retrofitting, and constructing resilient buildings that provide safe refuge for occupants and promote operational continuity in the face of elevating temperatures and extreme weather.

Recommended Audience: Architects, Engineers, Retrofit Professionals, and Students
Story of a Women Engineer’s Journey with Life Lessons and the Role Her Mentors Played in Her Success
This is a very personal story of one women’s journey to become a successful engineer. It details each major step leading to her engineering career from childhood to retirement and beyond. Along the way, each of her major mentors are honored and more than a dozen life lessons are expounded upon. This presentation should be especially helpful to young women.

Recommended Audience: Young Professionals and Students