Engineering Students Shine in National Energy Competitions

A University of Texas at Dallas student team won a national science competition for developing an innovative material from wood pulp aimed at keeping building temperatures comfortable and reducing energy use.

The students presented their solution to a challenge addressing comfort needs in extreme climates or after extreme weather events at the 2024-2025 JUMP into STEM Final Competition in December. The annual student competition, led by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), also included prizes for separate challenges that focused on energy affordability and reducing peak power demand.

Bernadette Magalindan BS’21, a mechanical engineering doctoral student in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, is developing the wood pulp-based material for her dissertation and received support for her research as a DOE Innovation in Buildings Graduate Research Fellow.

“This competition was a unique opportunity for me as a PhD student, as it allowed me to envision how my research could extend beyond the lab into real-world applications,” Magalindan said. “We were challenged to consider the broader impacts of our solution, which in my opinion, has made my research feel even more meaningful.”

The team has explored avenues to advance and potentially commercialize the technology. Other members of the team were UT Dallas MBA student Kiyan Bhalla BS’23, MS’24; mechanical engineering graduate student Zainab Faheem BS’23; and Purdue University doctoral student Zhihao Ma.

“When I was invited to join the team as a contributor, I knew it was the kind of thing you can’t say no to,” said Bhalla, who is a Nash Fellow in the Naveen Jindal School of Management. “I feel proud of what this team was able to accomplish with our first-place win, and it speaks to the caliber of talent in our mechanical engineering and research labs at UTD.”

Faheem said working on the project taught her about how to assess carbon emission factors of materials.

“The experience was very insightful and rewarding,” Faheem said.

Dr. Shuang Cui, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, served as the team’s advisor. She has offered guidance to students who participate in the competition since she joined UTD in 2021.

“The team’s work on climate-resilient overclad roofing represents a remarkable advance in sustainable, energy-efficient building materials,” Cui said. “It is truly rewarding to witness their hard work and ingenuity come to fruition.”

The program is managed by the DOE Building Technologies Office, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Wind Energy Club Advances to National Finals

For the third year in a row, The University of Texas at Dallas student Wind Energy Club, known as Comet Wind, advanced to the final round of a U.S. Department of Energy national competition that challenges students to design an offshore wind turbine prototype and hypothetical wind farm.

Comet Wind is one of 12 teams nationally, including two from Texas, selected to compete in the Collegiate Wind Competition at the American Clean Power Association’s CLEANPOWER Conference and Exhibition, which will be May 19-22 in Phoenix.

It will be the third time for electrical engineering senior and team co-captain Abner Beltran to compete in the finals. UTD first participated as a noncompeting team in 2022 and advanced to the event’s final round in 2023 and 2024. Comet Wind placed fifth overall last year.

“Participating in the competition gives students the opportunity to gain a lot of practical, hands-on experience in engineering as well as project management and leadership skills,” said Beltran, turbine design lead.

Since August, the students have been designing, fabricating and testing a small-scale, vertical axis floating wind turbine prototype; developing a business plan to demonstrate the feasibility of a hypothetical offshore wind farm; and creating a presentation of their educational outreach efforts as part of the competition.

“Comet Wind keeps improving every year,” said Sahi Chundu, an electrical engineering senior and Comet Wind co-captain. “This year, we want to exceed our past performance and strive to be the best we can.”

UTD’s Wind Energy Center, also called UTD Wind, conducts research and provides solutions to the wind power industry. Its facilities include the Boundary Layer and Subsonic Wind Tunnel (BLAST) for research and testing. Comet Wind leverages these resources by testing their turbine in BLAST to analyze performance, refine designs and gain valuable insights with guidance from faculty and graduate advisors.

Dr. Todd Griffith, professor of mechanical engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, and Dr. Matthew Gardner, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, serve as advisors for the team.

“Each year, Comet Wind continues to grow stronger,” Griffith said. “I am proud of our students’ hard work and look forward to returning to the competition again in May.”

Accolades is an occasional News Center feature that highlights recent accomplishments of The University of Texas at Dallas faculty, students and staff. To submit items for consideration, contact your school’s communications manager.