All roads lead to UNC Charlotte

Hosting engineers from around the world

July 13, 2026

UNC Charlotte’s William States Lee College of Engineering was proud to host ASEE 2026 Annual Conference in the University’s home city of Charlotte, North Carolina beginning June 21. It was a record breaking conference, with nearly 4,100 attendees and over 2,500 papers. Colleagues, students and businesses from around the world joined the conference, met Charlotte faculty, engaged with Niner students and learned what makes Charlotte different.

The conference kicked off with a virtual welcome from both Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber and Dean Rob Keynton, followed by a plenary panel featuring several UNC Charlotte engineering professors.

Keynton also helped cut the ribbon to open the exhibit hall for attendees, who were greeted at the front door with the nationally recognized FSAE-IC 49ers Racing team.

Booths #107 and #110 were a central attraction the entire week, providing a unique space for attendees to reconnect with old friends, meet new ones and enter to win a barbecue smoker.

Adding extra energy, alumnus Layne Riggs ‘24 BSME and NASCAR truck driver, signed autographs and represented ASEE with his own brand of engineering success.

Attendees split into smaller meetings, including several sessions presented by Niner Engineer faculty and staff.

Meanwhile, leadership was invited to a tour of the UNC Charlotte engineering labs on campus, as well as an exclusive reception at Honeywell, featuring Suresh Venkatarayalu, chief technology officer and president of Honeywell Technologies Connected Enterprise.