Center for Clean Energy Engineering (C2E2)

A UConn team and fellow research partners are designing a carbon-neutral energy storage and power generation system that could serve as an alternative for aircraft propulsion.

The proposed system will consist of optimally sized fuel-to-electric power conversion devices (fuel cells and turbogenerators) using carbon-neutral SAF. Batteries will provide additional electrical power to the aircraft during the power-hungry climb phase of a flight and be recharged during descent.

Senior Design engineering students are currently building a small-scale airplane to demonstrate the concept.

Author: Master of Science Program now Accepting Applications for Advanced Manufacturing for Energy Systems (AMES)

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) awarded the University of Connecticut at Storrs a traineeship program grant in 2018. This grant addresses workforce training needs in the early-stage technology area of advanced materials and process technologies in energy-related manufacturing. UConn has implemented a masters-level training programs designed to train a new generation of advanced manufacturing engineers to fill workforce needs across industry, national labs, and universities.

With new knowledge and skills in advanced materials and process technologies for manufacturing, the students in these traineeship programs have the potential to advance new technology research and development leading to meaningful impacts across the energy and manufacturing sectors.

To learn more about UConn’s Advanced Manufacturing for Energy Systems Masters Program: AMES

For preferred consideration for admittance into the AMES program, apply by Feb 1, 2020 for Fall 2020 semester.

Author: Energy Center Hosts Fuel Cell and Electrolyzers Two Day Workshop

September 23 & 24, 2019 — Led by Professor Jankovic, the Center for Clean Energy Engineering (C2E2)organized a workshop from September 23rd and 24th (Workshop on advanced manufacturing and characterization of fuel cells and electrolyzers). This is a major event C2E2 has organized to bring our academic and industrial collaborators together to showcase our research and capabilities and establish new collaborations. The event featured 13 invited talks from prominent leaders in the field from industry, academia and government, and was well attended by 40+ attendees. The invitees also got an opportunity to visit the facilities at C2E2 and at Innovation Partnership Building on the second day.

Author: UConn Hosts Pre-College Engineering Summer Program

July 18, 2019 — UConn’s Pre-College Summer Global Engineering students also visited our center. These students were interested in learning about the many engineering disciplines and the research that is performed at our center. They heard from our graduate students on how they selected their career path and about the research they are doing in pursuit of their Ph.D. These young engineers will spend their last year of their studies abroad during which time they will complete an engineering internship in their field of specialty in the language and culture of their host country.

Jasna Jankovic and students Amir Soleymani, Sara Pedram and Andres Ortiz Godoy represented UConn at the Mansfield Middle School College & Career Readiness Day by presenting to over 270 7th and 8th grade students. This event provided a great opportunity for students to meet with various professionals and college representatives from around the state allowing the students to learn about career opportunities and be better prepared to make decision about their futures.

C2E2 faculty, students, and staff actively participate in these programs to encourage student aspiration for post-secondary education with consideration in a career field in engineering. These on-campus experiences have been known to increase both knowledge and college enrollment while making both students and parents aware college is attainable (academically and financially).

Author: Senior Design Demonstration Day: Providing Innovative Solutions to Technical Challenges

By: Eli Freund, Editorial Communications Manager, UConn School of Engineering

Two hundred and twenty-eight groups, consisting of nearly 800 seniors, stood proudly by projects ranging from as small as a cyborg insect, to as large as an all-electric car inside of Gampel Pavilion. The capstone projects, which were the culmination of a year’s-worth of work, are known as Senior Design, and are presented annually at Senior Design Demonstration Day.

Each of the projects presented at the Demonstration Day, sponsored by more than 100 organizations, provide students with extensive hands-on experience, and an opportunity to work on real-world problems presented by sponsoring organizations. Sponsors invest time and resources, and work in-depth with their individual groups and consulting faculty members to create innovative solutions that are often integrated back into their organization.

Author: Eight UConn Researchers Elected to Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering

Eight researchers from UConn and UConn Health have been recognized by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE) as some of Connecticut’s leading experts in science, engineering and technology. The nonprofit, public-service institution patterned after the National Academy of Sciences elected a total of 24 new members from various institutions of higher education and from industry, including UConn, Yale University and United Technologies Corporation.

Election to the Academy is based on scientific and engineering distinction achieved through significant contributions in theory or applications, as demonstrated by original published books and papers, patents, the pioneering of new and developing fields and innovative products, outstanding leadership of nationally recognized technical teams, and external professional awards in recognition of scientific and engineering excellence.

Read more @ UConn Today

Author: MSE Welcomes New Faculty Member Jasna Jankovic

We are pleased to welcome our newest faculty member, Jasna Jankovic, who will serve as an assistant professor beginning January 2018.

Jankovic brings a wealth of knowledge to this position, having over 20 years of industry and research experience in various areas of engineering. Specifically, her areas of expertise include fuel cell materials fabrication and characterization, advanced microscopy techniques, ceramic materials processing, polymer coatings, fuel refining, and catalyst deactivation.

She completed her doctoral research at the University of British Columbia, where she worked on proton conductive ceramic materials for an intermediate temperature proton exchange fuel cell. Her work provided an understanding of the conductivity mechanisms in these novel materials and opened the door for further development in the future.

Author: Zhang and His Students Look To Advance Power Systems Into The Future

Over 350 million people in the United States depend on the reliability and consistency of the 450,000 miles of high-voltage lines that form the U.S. power grid to do important daily tasks. With stronger weather events and an increasing number of cyber-attacks, reliable safeguards and technologies are needed to protect this very important utility. The Power and Energy Systems Laboratory, run by Dr. Peng Zhang, F.L. Castleman Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and his graduate students, aims at tackling these important issues.

The lab, which focuses on smart grid technology, microgrids, and sustainable energy, has worked on several crucial projects over the past several years, including a dedicated approach to networking the grid system, determining risk assessment models for unintentional islanding of power generators, using ocean waves to generate a sustainable power source, and many other related areas of research.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING