Meeting/Event Information
Illinois Chapter usually meets once each month, August through June, on Tuesdays. The Chapter’s annual golf outing and fund raiser always takes place in September. Generally 70 to 80 members gather at monthly meetings, which makes them an excellent networking opportunity for members interested in meeting and developing other contacts in the industry.
The State of Illinois requires professional engineers to complete 30 PDHs (Professional Development Hours) of training for license renewal. The Illinois Chapter ASHRAE offers educational programs with more than enough PDHs to help engineers satisfy this requirement.
Presentations from previous Chapter seminars and meetings may be downloaded after logging into the "Member Area." The Illinois Chapter of ASHRAE stores past presentations. You must be a member to access them from this website. If you are not yet a member, sign-up today or contact us for more information.
Datacenter Liquid Cooling (Panel)

April 21, 2026
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
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Fellowes Showroom
800 W Fulton Market
Chicago, IL 60607
Directions
Join us for an engaging panel discussion on the rapidly evolving landscape of data center liquid cooling. As rack densities continue to rise and traditional air-cooled systems reach their limits, liquid cooling is becoming a critical strategy for improving thermal performance, energy efficiency, and overall system reliability.
Speakers:

Brian Medina is the VP of North American Development for Serverfarm – a global owner/operator of wholesale and hyperscale colocation data centers. Brian began his career as a mechanical engineer designing mission critical facilities for various enterprise and colocation clients. Since 2020, he has been working as an owner/developer and has deployed multiple direct-to-chip liquid cooling systems. Brian earned his PE license in 2012 and was a previous ASHRAE Illinois Chapter President in 2016.

Aaron Duda, PE
For the last 20 years of his nearly 25-year career, ASHRAE member Aaron Duda, PE, has focused on the design of mechanical systems for data centers. He is a recognized expert in the mission critical industry who is known for his thorough understanding of the systems required for a facility on Day 1 and his ability to anticipate its future operational needs. He is also passionate and persistent about implementing the latest technological developments into all aspects of data center projects.
Aaron currently serves as the Director of Specialty Services for kW Mission Critical Engineering, WSP’s Data Centers Business Line, where he oversees its plumbing, fire and life safety, CFD modeling, power analytics, ICT, physical security, and building controls disciplines. He also plays a key role in developing curricula for the firm’s ongoing continuing education program, Knowledge Exchange.

Lucas Turnbull, PE is a Senior Construction Sales Executive at Brucker Company with over a decade of experience in applied HVAC systems and air distribution. A licensed Professional Engineer, he partners with engineers and contractors to deliver high-performance, practical solutions for complex mechanical systems across healthcare, data centers, education, and other mission-critical environments. His background spans applications engineering, design-build sales, turnkey project delivery, and management roles, providing a well-rounded perspective on both design intent and real-world execution.

Alex is a building controls & automation engineer with 8 years of experience designing building automation and controls systems. His knowledge of both new builds and renovation projects provides him with valuable perspectives on how to develop the control systems that support each data center’s critical infrastructure and achieve the client’s mission. He currently serves as a senior member of the kW MCE / WSP building controls & automation engineering group where he uses his expertise to develop design practices that adapt to the data center market’s rapid changes. Alex is driven to find creative solutions to unique engineering challenges and looks to bring his passion for sustainability and energy efficiency to every design.
CANCELLATION POLICY: As meeting venues normally require a minimum guarantee 48 hours or more before the event, we are unable to refund prepaid registrations that are cancelled after this time as well as after the event.
Tickets
$55.00 Member Registration
$65.00 Non-Member Registration
$15.00 Student Member
Documents
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This web site is maintained by the Illinois ASHRAE Chapter. It does not represent official positions of the Society nor reflect Society policy. ASHRAE chapters may not act for the Society and the information presented here has not had Society review. To learn more about ASHRAE activities on an international level, contact the ASHRAE home page at http://www.ashrae.org.