Energy
UConn Leading Federally Backed Regional Initiative to Defend Electric Grid from Cyberattack
UConn Awarded $4.5M DOE Grant to Benefit Grid Reliability for Transmission and Distribution Systems
Forecasting Wind Energy
C2E2 Graduate Student Research Summit in Sustainability
The Center of Clean Energy Engineering (C2E2) hosted its first C2E2 Graduate Student Research Summit in Sustainability on February 16th and 17th at IPB. Organized by graduate students Alanna Gado and Leila Chebbo, the event featured 30 student presentations covering diverse research topics such as cultivated beef, air filter effectiveness, desalination, desulfurization, space exploration, electrolyzers, fuel cells, and membrane applications.
The summit offered a venue for doctoral candidates to share their ongoing research and engage in discussions about sustainability challenges. Participants had the opportunity to refine their presentation skills and receive feedback from both peers and faculty members. Networking sessions facilitated connections among students and others within the C2E2 community.
Presentations were evaluated by the audience, with awards given in three categories. Leila Chebbo took first place, followed by Christabel Adjah-Tetteh in second, and Alanna Gado, Hasnain Nisar, Yasmin Bimbatti, and Ben Cohen sharing third place. Additionally, honorable mentions were awarded to Elena Ford, Christopher Hawxhurst, and Hasan Nikkah.
The summit demonstrated the students’ commitment to advancing clean energy technologies and tackling sustainability challenges, and underscores C2E2’s commitment to fostering the development of future researchers and innovators in the field.
Student Advisors
| Christabel Adjah-Tetteh | Professor Xiao-Dong Zhou, Director of C2E2 Chemical Engineering |
| Yasmin Bimbatti | Professor Jeffrey McCutcheon Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering |
| Leila Chebbo | Associate Professor Ali Bazzi Electrical Computing and Engineering |
| Ben Cohen | Professor George Bollas & Assistant Professor Burcu Beykal Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering |
| Elena Ford | Assistant Research Professor Naba Karan C2E2 |
| Alanna Gado | Radenka Maric President | University of Connecticut Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor |
| Christopher Hawxhurst | Professor Lesli Shor Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering |
| Hasan Nikkah | Associate Professor Burcu Beykal Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering |
| Hasnain Nisar | Assistant Professor Ali Bazzi Electrical Computing and Engineering |
UConn Receives DoE Grant Supporting Offshore Wind Grid Integration
The Sustainable Clean Energy Summit
Registration is now open for The Sustainable Clean Energy Summit: Decarbonizing Society and the Grid on October 4, 2023.
Co-hosted by the University of Connecticut and Eversource, the summit will take place at UConn, Storrs and will bring together academic, utility, industry, municipal and legislative experts to discuss the shifting energy landscape and will feature final presentations from six student-led research teams as part of the Eversource-sponsored Clean Energy and Sustainability Innovation Program (CESIP). As part of this program, students are researching possible solutions (technical, social, and political) to address different aspects of the grand challenge of decarbonization at the local (UConn campuses), state and regional (New England) levels.
The student teams will be presenting their work at the summit. Based on their presentations and the future potential of their work, a winning team will be selected for funding. It is our hope that highlighting the important work of these students on real challenges will open the door for engaging conversations throughout the summit. We anticipate many students will attend.
The summit will open with the keynote speaker Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Advisor and Former Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and include two panels with leaders from industry, government (state and national), and community organizations: one on the decarbonization of the grid and the second on the technologies of geothermal and hydrogen. The closing Clean Energy Engagement Fair will begin with a brief student panel representing groups from across the University, sharing their motivation and approach to involvement. Afterwards, there will be booths and resources providing information about how to get involved in the clean energy space at UConn and in the industry. We are proud of the work that every UConn student undertakes during their education to increase their citizenship and their interest in the social, economic, cultural, and natural environments of the state and beyond.
We hope you can participate. Learn more and register here!
UConn Students Help ASSA ABLOY Advance a Sustainable Future
Connecticut and University of Connecticut (UConn) are national leaders in Clean Energy and Sustainability. UConn was recently selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to lead a nationwide decarbonization effort, centrally coordinating critical activities that can facilitate the adoption of Onsite Sustainable Energy Technologies among large energy users. This honor builds upon UConn’s reputation as a national leader in advancing clean energy.
UConn’s Innovation Partnership Building (IPB) at UConn Tech Park is a focal point for businesses interested in reducing their carbon footprint. By connecting companies to critical energy research, incredible high-tech facilities, and programs like Senior Design projects and professional education, the IPB is committed to driving progress in sustainability, and securing a sustainable, efficient, and profitable future powered by clean energy.
Recently, the IPB began conversations with ASSA ABLOY on applying state-of-the-art research towards achieving ASSA ABLOY’s sustainability commitments. Discussions led to options for student engagement, particularly through UConn’s Senior Design program.
Each year, UConn’s School of Engineering capstone Senior Design program engages seniors, faculty, and industry in a yearlong partnership to develop and apply innovative solutions to engineering challenges faced in real-life business settings.
In 2023, over 240 Senior Design projects were sponsored by more than 120 global and domestic participating organizations representing manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, medical, consulting, and utilities sectors. Students and their supporting faculty advisor work together with an industry sponsor to develop solutions to real-life problems in the field. The students research and analyze the problem, conceptualize design solutions and present solutions that can make a real difference to local industry and the state of Connecticut.
Recognizing the potential of enlisting student help to achieve their sustainability goals, ASSA ABLOY sponsored two UConn Senior Design projects.
ASSA ABLOY is the global leader in access solutions, operating in over 70 countries around the world with industry leading innovation and technology, making them a perfect fit as a sponsor for the Senior Design projects.
ASSA ABLOY supported three Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Engineering teams with two projects: reduced carbon footprint door construction, and improved materials for door-locking cylinder products for increased security. Through mentorship from ASSA ABLOY employees Dan Glover, Product Manager, Door Group; Dan Picard, Senior Director of Innovation, ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions Americas; and Clyde Roberson, Director of Product Management and Tech Services, Medeco Security Locks, the student teams spent two semesters dedicating hundreds of hours to their projects. Final projects were presented at an end-of-year public demonstration, where hundreds of teams shared their projects and findings.
“The projects we sponsored were based on some real challenges we have,” Picard explains. “We can only do so much with our limited resources, specifically on challenges surrounding science-based targets and materials themselves. We don’t have materials scientists or materials engineers in-house, so we must go to the experts. Fortunately, UConn has a wealth of experience and knowledge, so it made sense to sponsor the Senior Engineering Capstone projects.”
Sponsoring these projects also gave ASSA ABLOY the opportunity to meet new subject matter experts in these different areas and collaborate with UConn’s faculty. Picard affirms that “The engineering teams at UConn have access to some amazing technology, such as theoretical tools that help us to understand how materials function. These tools enabled the door construction project to do finite element analysis and see potential product failure points through all different types of door assemblies. They could test different amounts of force and impact resistance. This is something we do in our test lab, but they were able to simulate on a computer. The expertise of this software is something we don’t have in-house.”
Out of the 240 teams participating in Senior Design, one of ASSA ABLOY’s sponsored teams placed 3rd in the Materials Science and Engineering department competition. The project that focused on improving door locking cylinders for increased security and drill resistance, involved in-depth research of harder and tougher materials that improve the product but are easier to manufacture and machine.
“This team placing third is huge,” Glover explains. “They were competing against major companies and corporations like Sikorsky Helicopter, NASA, and Pratt and Whitney. They were also featured in UConn’s magazine, where only four projects were listed. It was an exciting achievement for them and for us as sponsors.”
What’s next for these winning ideas? They aren’t just forgotten at the end of the year. The work by the sponsored teams is being served as a baseline to kick-start new innovation initiatives at ASSA ABLOY.
“The teams at UConn provided us with ideas and insights that will help guide our future product development,” according to Picard. “We were beyond impressed with the results, particularly in lowering the CO2 footprint of the door, while maintaining its performance and integrity, and the investment was worth it. We had a real-life problem and were able to share our experiences with the students. In exchange, they provided us with hundreds of hours of research and offered potential solutions to our challenges.”
Both Glover and Picard comment on invaluable personal experiences during the program. “It’s an extra “above and beyond” what we normally do, but I learned so much,” Glover says. “I thank ASSA ABLOY for the opportunity to get involved and I would recommend we do it again in a heartbeat! It is such an enlightening experience and working with young engineers that see problems differently is energizing. We are helping develop our next generation of innovators and potential ASSA ABLOY teammates – it’s so rewarding.”
If your organization is interested in sponsoring a future UConn Senior Design project or partnering with IPB at UConn Tech Park to advance efficiency and competitiveness through sustainability, we would love to hear from you. Please contact:
| Senior Design
Charles B. Maric |
IPB Partnership for Sustainability
Michael DiDonato |
Six UConn Teams Innovating Decarbonization this Summer through Unique Eversource Partnership Program
Congratulations to the six finalists selected for The Clean Energy & Sustainability Innovation Program, a summer initiative backed by a UConn-Eversource partnership. These multidisciplinary student teams receive funding and support from faculty mentors and Eversource personnel to develop their proposed innovative strategies for achieving a sustainable future on local, state, and regional levels. We are excited to see their progress showcased at the Sustainable Clean Energy Fall 2023 Summit at UConn!
Read the full article in UConn Today: https://today.uconn.edu/2023/06/six-uconn-teams-innovating-decarbonization-this-summer-through-unique-eversource-partnership-program/