This quarter, we are delighted to feature Yugandhar Retharekar, a fourth-year Computer Science major who has been working at Facilities Management (FM) as a Web Development intern since March of last year.

Yugandhar works on developing features for FM’s two web-based applications: TherMOOstat and CEED (Campus Energy Education Dashboard). TherMOOstat allows anyone on campus to submit feedback on the temperature of any building they’re in so that FM knows which buildings to look at more closely. He developed the backend of the TherMOOstat map, which collects all the data submitted on campus and displays the information on a map so that users can see the temperatures of every building in real time. He wrote queries to retrieve data from our database, modified the data to suit our needs, and displayed the same data on the map in an easily digestible format.

CEED displays the energy usage of every building on campus, as well as campus water use and energy saving projects FM is working on. This helps stakeholders to understand our buildings and identify areas where we can improve, pushing us closer toward reaching our carbon neutrality goals. Yugandhar is currently helping to develop a new and improved version of CEED’s user interface that will be out soon!

Yugandhar’s favorite part of the job is the fact that he is constantly learning. This role gives him the chance to learn about the latest technologies while making an impact on bringing a real product to life, and allows him the freedom to learn to develop things on his own. He also finds it very satisfying to see that his work is being used to help make our campus a better place!

After he graduates, Yugandhar looks forward to pursuing a career as a software engineer. He wants to help develop even more products to positively impact the community around him!

When he’s not working or studying, Yugandhar loves staying active! You can always find him spending time outdoors playing cricket, tennis, or running. He’s even working towards being able to run a half marathon soon! Thank you for all of your hard work Yugandhar!