Lee College of Engineering

UNC Charlotte’s rocket team, comprised of engineering students, won the prestigious “Vehicle Design Award” at the NASA University Student Launch competition recently held at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Tooele County, Utah.
The 49er team was one of 31 university teams from across the country to enter the competition. Twenty-two of the teams made it to Utah, and of those 17 made it to the launch pad.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has awarded seven new research grants totaling almost $1.4 million to faculty researchers in the Lee College of Engineering’s departments of Engineering Technology and Construction Management (ETCM) and Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE).
Tara Cavalline (ETCM) and Brett Tempest (CEE) were awarded $227,000 to determine concrete material properties and other performance data to be used in design of new concrete pavements.   

The Lee College of Engineering’s Materials Characterization Lab is now in the Cameron Applied Research Center. The facility provides faculty and student researchers with analysis of advanced materials, as well as sampling services, training, shared instrument usage and expertise at an affordable cost.

Na Lu, an assistant professor in the Engineering Technology and Construction Management Department of the Lee College of Engineering, has won a $400,000 National Science Foundation CAREER award to further her research to develop cost-effective thermoelectric materials for high-temperature power generation through waste-heat harvesting.

The University’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) and three other major universities are collaborating with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) on a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) workforce development grant under the Grid Engineering for Accelerated Renewable Energy Deployment (GEARED) program.
This five-year project, approaching $6.5 million, will be managed by EPRI and includes Georgia Tech, Clarkson University, the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, and 10 utility companies from mostly the eastern United States.

Johan Enslin, director of the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC), will discuss energy independence at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 19, in UNC Charlotte Center City, Room 204, as part of the 2014 Great Decisions lecture series. Prior to his talk, Enslin will be recognized at a reception as part of the UNC Charlotte observance of Engineers Week.
Recently named a 2014 Energy Leadership Award recipient by the Charlotte Business Journal, Enslin was recognized for his efforts to make the Carolinas a global force in the energy sector..

During a recent four-week project, local middle and high school students had a chance to experience the life of an engineer.

Duke Energy’s sustainability team recently visited UNC Charlotte to learn more about the campus’ sustainability initiatives.

Regina Guyer, executive director of the University’s Environmental Assistance Office, and Karyn Williamson-Coria, administrative support specialist, were recognized recently for their outreach efforts to raise awareness about air quality issues.

UrbanEden, UNC Charlotte’s entry for the 2013 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, won the People’s Choice Award at the contest finals in California.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, UrbanEden “has a variety of sustainability features, such as thermal mass, passive solar and radiant energy, as well as unique technologies that demonstrated true innovation, including radiant geopolymer concrete walls, movable photovoltaic shading and a nighttime radiation emitter.