Departmental News

The Energy Production and Infrastructure Center has been in operation for more than a decade and is a centerpiece of the region’s exponential growth within the energy industry. Offering a collaborative industry/academic partnership, EPIC produces a technical workforce and advancements in technology while supporting the Carolinas’ multi-state economic and energy security.

A team of students from the William States Lee College of Engineering are participating in a trolley restoration project. A non-profit organization called Belmont Trolley is working to restore three 100+ year-old trolleys to working condition. Two of them operated in Europe, and one of them operated here in Charlotte in the early 20th century.

In recognition and honor of dean emeritus Bob Johnson, the atrium in EPIC has been named the Robert E. Johnson Atrium. A special naming ceremony took place Thursday, March 17, 2022 as part of the University’s 75th Anniversary year-long celebration. Learn more about dean emeritus Johnson and the recognition event.

UNC Charlotte has announced plans to grow the William States Lee College of Engineering by building a focus on computational engineering. Through the “Engineering North Carolina’s Future” program, the Lee College plans to increase the number of highly skilled graduates in this field, as well as support new faculty research and expand facilities. Programmatic enhancements will also be developed, most notably integrating AI across curricula College-wide. A new concentration in machine learning is also being planned as part of the enhancements.

At the end of every fall and spring term, seniors at the William States Lee College of Engineering attend an expo to present their senior design projects. Senior design projects are spread across two semesters; students spend the first semester learning about a problem and planning for how to solve it with their design and the second semester building, testing, and delivering their solution.

The William States Lee College of Engineering welcomed to campus Dr. Paul Cherukuri to present a seminar on smart helmet sensor integrated personalized defense system.

Mechanical engineering graduate student Michael Brancato is designing boats to be autonomous surface vessels that can navigate between GPS waypoints and coordinate in teams to optimally collect environmental data all on their own.

For Dr. Alain Miatudila, an alumnus and former faculty member of the W.S. Lee College of Engineering, the support, mentoring and encouragement provided by professors, colleagues and friends has made all the difference in his life. Coming to America from the Democratic Republic of the Congo speaking no English, Dr. Miatudila studied, worked and persevered to become an associate dean of engineering himself. As an educator, Dr. Miatudila now does all he can to provide this same assistance and inspiration to his students.

Successfully completing wave tank testing during the spring and summer, the WATER BROS team that includes UNC Charlotte faculty, alumni and students, has moved to the final stage of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Waves to Water competition. The team will now begin using an additional $100,000 in funding to fabricate and test its prototype for converting seawater to potable drinking water using only wave energy. The prototype will be demonstrated during final open-ocean trials at the North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute in April 2022.

The William States Lee College of Engineering welcomes five new faculty members to the fall 2021 semester.