TYLER, Texas — Two teams of UT Tyler mechanical engineering students have earned funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to help with clean energy efforts in local underserved communities.
Greener CASA, which represents the UT Tyler main campus, is creating an academic community partnership to bring free energy audits to help underserved communities find ways to decrease their energy bills. Its members are Pedro Montano and Rafael Reyes, both of Longview, and Diego Diaz of Puerto Rico.
GreenSynergy, which represents the Houston Engineering Center, is integrating clean energy into education, utilizing solar panels, fuels cells and other technologies to foster learning and sustainability. Its members are Oswaldo Garcia, Peter de Vries, Grant Howard, Muhammad Khan, Arnold Garcia, Anne Josiah, Syed Jafferi, Parth Modi, Rafael Vivanco, all of Houston.
The teams won the collegiate track progress phase of the U.S. Department of Energy American-Made Community Energy Innovation Prize. Each team received an additional $20,000 and mentorship services for their projects seeking to see the benefits of clean energy felt in local underserved communities.
The competition concludes with the third and final impact phase, where teams will compete for a share of the $100,000 grand prize. The winners will be announced in May. UT Tyler is among the top three finalists with one other U.S.-based collegiate team, according to the university.