Meet Thomas Patten, a second-year graduate student working on obtaining his Master of Science in Energy Systems. Thomas has been with Facilities since the summer of 2021 but is no stranger to UC Davis, as he worked for the university from 2012 to 2015 at the California Lighting Technology Center. He enjoys working in sustainability to help fight the climate crisis.

In his current position as a Graduate Student Researcher for Energy & Engineering, Thomas supports them on energy conservation projects. Thomas and his team are currently retrofitting the lighting in growth chambers. The project swaps out old lightbulbs with LED lighting and their efforts yield significant results. According to Patten, “Retrofitting every growth chamber on campus would save the equivalent of about 400 homes worth of energy.”

Following his graduate studies, Thomas hopes to continue working in the energy and sustainability domain. He is specifically interested in the district-scale solutions that integrate disparate systems for a common goal of energy savings.

For leisure, Thomas often rock climbs and plays the trumpet and guitar. Currently, he is enjoying playing Magic the Gathering, a card game.

Thank you, Thomas, for your continued innovation and efforts with Energy & Engineering! We are glad to have you at Facilities in your new role as an electrical engineer, working full-time for David Trombly in Utilities - congratulations!