News
UNC Charlotte has joined North Carolina’s First in Defense coalition, strengthening the university’s role in defense innovation, digital engineering, advanced manufacturing and dual-use technology development.
The University’s participation is set by the National Defense and Intelligence Innovation Institute (NDI3), a university-wide initiative led by the William States Lee College of Engineering’s Mesbah Uddin, professor of mechanical engineering and faculty fellow for defense research initiatives.
“Go 49ers! [We] put 49ers in victory lane. I’m so proud of that! Thank you to everybody at UNC Charlotte,” shared Layne Riggs ‘24 in an interview with FOX, following his win at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24.
UNC Charlotte’s partnership with NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Riggs reached a new level when the Niner Engineer captured an emotional victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200.
The William States Lee College of Engineering honored its top talent at the recent College Faculty Awards Ceremony, recognizing their dedication and passion inside and outside the classroom.
Engineering researchers at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte are advancing new technologies that could improve the transportation systems and data center safety across North Carolina. Supported by NCInnovation, two projects led by Shenen Chen and Tiefu Zhao are moving from the lab to probable real-world use.
William States Lee College of Engineering was in the spotlight during UNC Charlotte’s 2026 Invention of the Year Awards, an evening that showcased the university’s growing role as a national engine of innovation, commercialization and technological impact. Engineering innovators took home the grand prize, called the “Excellence Award,” as well as the Physical and Material Sciences category award.
As the construction industry faces a critical evolution toward automation, it also enters a significant workforce shortage. To help solve these challenges, Rob Keynton, dean of the William States Lee College of Engineering, has appointed Lingguang Song as the founding director of the newly launched Albert School of Construction. A leader in integrating technology, Song is tasked with bridging the workforce gap and preparing the next generation of engineers to modernize the built environment.
UNC Charlotte’s Aviation and Innovation Research Institute and Charlotte Douglas International Airport have launched a joint research program — the only one of its kind in the nation — embedding high-sensitivity sensors directly into the concrete of a runway as it’s being poured. Led by Tara Cavalline, director of the Charlotte AIR Institute and professor in the William States Lee College of Engineering, the groundbreaking collaboration will capture real-time data on how pavement responds to weather, temperature shifts, and the constant impact of aircraft landings and takeoffs.
During COVID-19, Associate Teaching Professor Terence Fagan demonstrated the power of “democratized innovation” by producing clear face masks for medical workers. This sparked his interest in the Fab Foundation’s Super Fab Labs. While standard Fab Labs focus on small-scale prototyping, SFLs provide expanded capabilities for industrial R&D and “concept-to-production” workflows. At the time, only five existed globally.
Following years of strategic planning with Rob Keynton, dean of the William States Lee College of Engineering, Fagan’s vision for a Charlotte SFL materialized. Keynton secured funding via Engineering North Carolina’s Future, a 2022 General Assembly initiative. Fagan enhanced the SFL model by integrating a specialty focus on advanced manufacturing, effectively bridging the gap between initial prototyping and full-scale production.
Jairus Cook isn’t just graduating from UNC Charlotte with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He has designed and built his own college experiences and network that have supported his journey. An engineering student, scholarship winner, four-time intern and organization leader, Cook now has a meaningful community that he wants to share with future Niner Engineers.
What started with a museum visit and a string of nine straight losses has grown into the largest combat robotics tournament in North Carolina — and it’s all run by students. Brian Schoellner, a junior mechanical engineering major at UNC Charlotte, co-founded the Charlotte Combat Robot Club and turned his childhood passion for battle bots […]