UConn is deepening its commitment to a sustainable future through a student-focused innovation challenge designed to reduce carbon emissions and promote clean energy solutions. In partnership with Eversource Energy, UConn has launched its third annual summer competition aimed at engaging students in the design of the future energy landscape.

The competition has attracted an impressive group of participants, with five finalist teams comprising 11 students – five undergraduates and six graduates. These talented individuals represent eight diverse departments and schools: the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and School of Computing in the College of Engineering; the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR); the School of Business; and the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Mathematics in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

This multidisciplinary representation brings together diverse perspectives and technical expertise to address the complex challenges of decarbonization and the energy transition across UConn campuses and Connecticut municipalities.

Each team will receive summer funding and be paired with mentors from UConn faculty and Eversource Energy. The mentorship will support students in refining their proposals and addressing the practical dimensions of their clean energy solutions. This hands-on guidance is designed to help participants explore real-world applications of their research and ideas.

The culmination of the teams’ work will be presented at the 2025 Sustainable Clean Energy Summit on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. The event will take place alongside the 2025 North American Power Symposium, offering students a valuable platform to present their innovations to an audience of industry professionals, researchers, utility leaders and state officials.

Following the Summit, the winning team will receive additional funding to continue their work throughout the academic year. This extended support aims to help transform early-stage ideas into actionable and impactful clean energy solutions.

The continued collaboration between UConn and Eversource Energy underscores a shared commitment to environmental responsibility, climate resilience, and technological advancement. Through this initiative, students are empowered to take an active role in building a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.

The projects and student teams selected for the 2025 Clean Energy & Sustainability Innovation Program are:

Project 1: Fuel Cell as a Catalyst for Local Economic and Environmental Development

Students: Songyang Zhou (Master’s Student, Data Science), Jane Torrence ’27 (BUS)

Project 2: UConn’s Wastewater to Bioenergy: Integrated Chlorella Cultivation and Pyrolysis

Students: Azeem Sarwar (Ph.D. Student, Chemical Engineering), Maham Liaqat (Ph.D. Candidate, Chemistry), Muhammad Hassan (Ph.D. Student, Chemical Engineering).

Project 3: Dual Characterization of Innovative Hydropower Systems for Sustainable Energy Storage and Generation

Students: Jonathan Hylton ’26 (ENG), Safiya Crockett ’26 (CAHNR).

Project 4: Harnessing Tidal Energy for Shoreside Electrification: A Tool for Sustainable Power in Coastal Connecticut Marine Terminals

Students: Aryanna Fontanez (Ph.D. Student, Civil Engineering), Yamila Garcia (Master’s Student, Computer Science and Engineering).

Project 5: Proactive PV Maintenance Using Multi-Modal UAV Imagery

Students: Nicholas Bailey ’26 (ENG, CLAS), Tyler King ’26 (ENG).