Alex Marrone is all about energy – generating it, measuring it, and being part of it.
Marrone, a senior energy science and technology major, spent part of his semester developing a current transformer as part of his final project to measure energy output.
“The current transformer uses magnetism to pick up currents to measure the energy something is outputting,” Marrone explained. “I know a lot of households are trying to go green, and the current transformer is something that you could use to measure how much energy any item in your home is outputting.”
He’s enjoyed the hands-on aspect of this project and appreciates that he’s figured out on his own the different processes involved.
“I didn’t know how to do any of this a few months ago, but I got to teach myself how to code, how to wire things, and how everything that goes into this project works. I like that I get to learn in a way that you would in the real world.”
Marrone started his project from scratch.
“I learned how to make an analog-digital signal, learned how to code in Arduino, and had to know what I needed the results to look like.”
Marrone’s interest in energy science and technology stems from his desire to be a part of something new and exciting. “I’m interested in this field because it’s only getting more efficient, and I want to be a part of that.”
He likes the many opportunities the field provides, including solar, hydro, oil, and gas. He also appreciates the hands-on experience he’s had at Pitt-Bradford.
“This project is good preparation for the real world.”
Marrone, who graduates in December, already has a job lined up in the “real world” at Pennsylvania General Energy, an independent oil and natural gas exploration company in Warren, Pa.
While the sensors and automation project is focused on generating and measuring electricity, and PGE focuses on drilling, land parceling, and other projects, Marrone believes that understanding these processes, along with the learning experience, will be valuable for his first job.