Lee College of Engineering

The North Carolina Building Performance Association (NCBPA) and UNC Charlotte’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) recently announced the results of a study on energy efficient and high performance homes and buildings in North Carolina.

ROTC cadets and alumni/student veterans have the chance to network with representatives from companies in the energy industry during “Energy Careers for Veterans,” scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Motorsports Research Lab.

As part of the event, an NHRA top fuel dragster, sponsored by the U.S. Army and part of Don Schumacher Racing (DSR), will be on display. A DSR crew member will be present to answer questions about the dragster.

EPIC, the Motorsports Engineering program and the University Career Center are cosponsoring this opportunity.

A researcher in the Fire Safety Engineering Technology program of the William States Lee College of Engineering is leading a new multi-institutional study designed to reduce wildfires and mitigate damages due to ignition or fire spread by wind-blown fire embers.

Sponsored by the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP), the $420,000 “Fire Ember Production from Wildland and Structural Fuels” project will bring together researchers from seven institutions. UNC Charlotte’s portion of the project is $219,000 for laboratory testing research.

Manufacturing Engineering magazine has named Lee College of Engineering alumnus Chris Tyler as one of its “30 under 30” industry professionals who has demonstrated “exceptional talent and leadership in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, which are the essential underpinnings of manufacturing.”

Tyler, who earned a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University in May, accepted a position with Boeing in St. Louis to continue his research on difficult-to-machine materials, according to the article.

The EPIC Energy and Environmental Assistance Office (EEAO) is conducting three raffles as incentives for employees and students to make healthy choices to improve air quality in Charlotte.

During the summer, Charlotte is affected primarily by ground level ozone, a pollutant that stems from exhaust from cars or trucks, especially when temperatures are higher, according to the EEAO.

The Coordinate Metrology Society and UNC Charlotte have won an Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department.

The grant is dedicated to accelerating the growth of advanced manufacturing in the United States. These industry-driven coalitions will focus on developing and executing strategic plans to solve common technology challenges.

With the purpose of teaching the science and engineering of solar energy and partnering with industry to research methods for producing more-efficient and lower-cost solar cells, the Lee College of Engineering has opened the new Photovoltaic Technology Research Laboratory.

Located in the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center, the new photovoltaic lab is under the direction of Aba Ebong, professor of electrical and computer engineering.

UNC Charlotte is hosting the 43rd Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) North American Manufacturing Research Conference (NAMRC) and the 10th American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference (MSEC 2015) from Monday, June 8, through Friday, June 12, at the Hilton Charlotte University Place. This combined event is the premier international forum for applied research and industrial applications in manufacturing and design.

For years scientists have been aware of the potential problems of antibiotics being present in wastewater, and the research of engineering professor Olya Keen is showing that treatments to clean wastewater may actually be creating new antibiotics and further contributing to the development of antibiotic resistance in the environment.

The 2015 BioEnergy Symposium, scheduled for Thursday, May 14, will center on the topic of beneficial byproducts of bioenergy.

Patrick Serfass, executive director of American Biogas Council, will deliver the keynote address; he will provide insight on the “National Biogas Markets, Policies and Trends Influencing North Carolina.” The luncheon keynote will feature Mary Biddy, senior research engineer of the National Renewables Energy Laboratory, who will discuss “Maximizing Value from Biomass: Developing Pathways for the Production of Fuels and Products.”