Lee College of Engineering

Engage ME, which stands for Engage Multicultural Engineers, is a relatively new initiative within the Lee College of Engineering; the effort brings together students, faculty, professionals and alumni of all races, cultures and genders.

Tumininu (Tumi) Lawanson recently was named a Young Clean Energy Innovator of the Year by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) at its Intersolar North American ceremony in San Francisco, California.

“Personally, I count it as a privilege and an honor to be recognized as one of two Young Clean Energy Innovators of 2018 by IREC,” said Lawanson. “I am especially grateful for the support of my research advisor, Dr. Valentina Cecchi, and the strong collaborative research environment provided at EPIC and the University.”

A team of Lee College of Engineering students will join competitors from around the world at the 31st annual National Concrete Canoe Competition, being held June 23-25 at San Diego State University.

The UNC Charlotte Astrobotics Robotic Team, the 49er Miners, recently finished third in the Caterpillar Autonomy Award at the 2018 NASA Robotic Mining Competition at Kennedy Space Center.  The team joined an elite group of few schools in the history of the competition to accomplish a fully autonomous mining run (approximately 50 colleges and universities have competed each year for the past nine years).

The Lee College of Engineering’s 49er Rocketry Team recently placed second in the nation in the 2018 NASA Student Launch competition, the highest finish in the team’s history.

Doctoral student Wahida Nasrin and Associate Professor Jiang (Linda) Xie, both from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, won a Best Paper Award from the IEEE Global Communications Conference (Globecom), held in Singapore. Their winning paper was titled “An Efficient Target Cell Selection Scheme for Next-generation Open-access Femtocell Networks.”

Doctoral students Bhaskar Mitra and Pankaj Bhowmik won first and second place, respectively, at the recent Duke Energy Week poster presentation. Only the top 20 teams/individuals were given the opportunity to present during the conference, held at the Fuqua School of Business.

UNC Charlotte researchers are investigating how to improve coal ash for both recycling and restoration. John Daniels, chair and professor of civil and environmental engineering, and fellow faculty members are actively researching ways to address environmental impacts created by coal ash

Sharon Green with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department needs shared leave donations.

To contribute leave, faculty and staff should refer to the requirements and participant forms in Personnel Information Memorandum (PIM) 29 or in the literature racks outside of the Benefits Office, King Building, Room 207. For more information, contact Joy Finney, benefits counselor, at 704‑687‑0648.

In a paper forthcoming in the November issue of the journal Theriogenology, a team of researchers from UNC Charlotte and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), announced the first successful drying and rehydration of domestic cat spermatozoa using a rapid microwave dehydration method.