Press

The News Gazette - September 25, 2009

CHAMPAIGN – A team of students from the University of Illinois has won a $50,000 grant to help prospective tenants in the Champaign-Urbana area learn the energy efficiency of apartments they might rent.

With the Ford College Community Challenge grant, the students hope to build an online database that would show the energy efficiency of rental properties in the community.

"We see this resource driving a market for more energy-efficient housing," said team member Lisa Mazzocco, a UI senior from Champaign.

The team plans to train UI students to perform free energy audits of rental properties so landlords will know how to make them more efficient, she said. The students would also distribute efficient power strips and light bulbs.

The proposal was put together by the Office for Technical Consulting Resources, a student-run consulting firm at the UI.

See the entire article at http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2009/09/25/ui_team_wins_grant_to_do_energy_audits

Student Consultants Gain Real World Experience
Daily Illini Newspaper - November 10, 2003

"Students interested in consulting and looking for hands-on experience might want to learn more about the Office for Technical Consulting Resources (OTCR). The student-run consulting firm is now accepting applications for new members, and current and former members say their involvement in the organization has been valuable."

Entrepreneurial Opportunities (PDF)
Engineering Technograph Magazine - March 2003

"The administration of the College of Engineering here at Illinois gives more support to student societies more than any other college in the country. This support, coupled with the efforts of bright and innovative students that have preceded us, have created myriad opportunities for students who look for them. I have been involved in a leadership position with the Office for Technical Consulting Resources (OTCR) for nearly two years. As a student consultant, I have worked with numerous entrepreneurs and have observed that their behavior as the CEOs of start-up ventures often mirrors that of student leaders."

OTCR: Not Just Another Club - It's Serious Business
ECE Ingenuity Newsletter - October 2001

"Interested in consulting work? The Office for Technical Resources (OTCR) could be the place for you. OTCR is a student-run campus organization that provides technical and business consulting services for area businesses. In just two years, OTCR has built a solid reputation among the community as a group that produces quality results."