RADFORD – Everybody knows the joke about how many people does it take to change a light bulb.

Radford University alumnus Nick Quitter, ’08, MBA ’09, not only learned how to change the bulbs, but he can tell you where they are and recommend the best kind of bulb to use that will minimize CO2 emissions and costs.

Merging his lifelong interest in lighting and electricity, a desire to do a meaningful applied research project as part of his MBA program and an abiding interest in the environment and sustainability, the recently-minted MBA inventoried RU’s lighting needs and created an Excel-based tool or calculator to assist facility managers make informed, sustainable lighting and energy use decisions.

“The general project was to see if by changing light bulbs could I change the world,” said Quitter. “While it’s not world changing, I did find that if RU can continue upgrading and changing its bulbs, it can save enough CO2 emissions to fill one railroad car and move towards a more sustainable path.”

One outcome of his applied research program was a “Lighting Feasibility Study,” or general lighting survey, dedicated to RU that he presented to a panel of RU faculty and representatives of the Facilities Management department. To underpin his research, Quitter did a comprehensive inventory of RU’s existing lighting infrastructure and counted over 47,000 bulbs of 22 different types during his visits to 2,380 rooms on campus.

Among the off-the-beaten-path places Quitter visited during his three-week campus lighting odyssey were the cadaver room, the main server room in McConnell Library, steam tunnel entrances and the rooftop of Muse Hall.

“I got a lot of quizzical looks when I asked people if I could count their light bulbs,” said Quitter. “But once I explained how it affected RU’s sustainability and energy conservation efforts, everyone was interested. This took place when memories of sky-high energy costs were still fresh.”

With data from his audit, Quitter’s project then required him to research the market and sift the latest technology for the most efficient, most expensive and most popular bulbs and fixtures and cross-reference the audit results with these findings.  From there he developed the calculator that synthesized his RU research and created a model that can provide decision-makers valuable financial considerations:  cost of different types of bulbs, payback relative to different types of bulbs, rate of return on given bulb usage, net present value and savings accrued by comparative analysis.

“The outcome of my project is a comprehensive analysis tool that will connect information in a dynamic way by using variables and relationships among variables to establish connections and present financial and energy use information,” said Quitter.

Quitter’s applied research project is the culmination of a lifelong interest in electricity and light which began in the fourth grade when he created an electromagnet and continued through high school when he worked on a “sonoluminescence” project to make light from sound, with indifferent results. He also worked as a projectionist in the theater near his hometown of Luckett, VA and while an undergraduate at RU, he was assistant technical director for the Porterfield Theater where he provided different events with lighting and sound.

“I wanted the outcome of my applied research to incorporate all of the general business skills to which I was introduced in the MBA program,’ said Quitter. “I framed it as a consulting project which would provide an “off-the-shelf” product that potential clients can use by inputting data and have the information which will be helpful to their business.”

Quitter hopes to move into a career in the renewable energy and energy conservation fields, saying “I think I can help bring about the most positive change in these areas.”

About his time at Radford University, Quitter said, “The best thing is that it is what everybody says it is – a place where you are made to feel welcome and a place where they give you guidance in fulfilling whatever your passion is.”