General News

Established in December 2016, the Center for Advanced Multimodal Mobility Solutions and Education (CAMMSE) is now up and running with numerous projects underway. UNC Charlotte is the lead in the multi-institutional initiative, which is funded by a $7.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

To improve the way solar power is integrated and distributed to the grid using grid level batteries, Electrical and Computer Engineering Associate Professor Dr. Sukumar Kamalasadan and his students have been performing research at Duke Energy’s photovoltaic and battery storage system testbed in Catawba County since 2013. The research has developed and quantified a number of cost-saving measures, and soon the value-management system will be integrated in the field for managing the solar power farm.

To more directly engage energy engineering companies with its people and programs, the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte has established a new affiliates program.

The Lee College of Engineering Rocketry Team placed fifth out of 50 schools at the 2017 NASA Student Launch competition. The event took place at the Marshall Space Flight Space Center in Huntsville, Alabama, during the week of April 5-9, with the competition flight on April 8.

The UTC Foundation, the charitable arm of the Utilities Technology Council (UTC), presented its first grant to the Energy Production & Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte. The contribution was given at an awards dinner on Wednesday, May 10th, during the UTC Telecom & Technology conference in Charlotte. The UTC Foundation chose EPIC for its inaugural donation due to the outstanding Smart Grid technology and telecommunications work of the school, which aligns perfectly with the charity’s vision of supporting and promoting educational institutions and programs that connect students with utilities and critical infrastructure-related interests.

The Charlotte Business Journal and E4 Carolinas recognized one Lee College of Engineering alumna and one faculty member as energy leaders in the Charlotte region at the eighth annual Energy Inc. Summit and Leadership Awards.

Mechanical Engineering alumna Hannah Arrington (’07) was recognized as an Emerging Energy Leader. Systems Engineering Assistant Professor Dr. Tao Hong was recognized as an Outstanding Energy Educator.

Lee College of Engineering seniors presented their year-long senior projects at the college’s annual Senior Design Exposition on May 3, 2012.

The William States Lee College of Engineering held its spring semester Senior Design Expo on May 4, 2017. Fifty-six teams presented their completed two-semester projects, and 26 teams presented their first-semester design-concept posters.

The UNC Charlotte Alumni Association recently recognized eight individuals as part of Alumniner Weekend, including Lee College of Engineering alumnus Eric Reichard as a winner of the Distinguished Alumnus Award.

As part of a new U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) project, the Lee College of Engineering will be participating in a multi-institution team to create intelligent vehicle networks that reduce the fuel used by trucks and other heavy vehicles by up to 20 percent.

The $3-million grant is part of ARPA-E’s NEXTCAR program. Along with UNC Charlotte, the institutions involved are Penn State, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Volvo Group North America. UNC Charlotte’s portion of the grant will be $400,000.