Yesterday, the UW Clean Energy Institute (CEI) held its first annual community capstone showcase where teams of UW engineering seniors presented their clean energy solutions capstone projects. These projects were codeveloped with local tribes and urban and rural communities in Washington giving the students valuable hands-on experience with real world clients and providing the communities with a roadmap to a pressing clean energy need or challenge. Also in attendance were community representatives and UW scholars working on the equitable adoption of clean energy technologies.
The mission of CEI is to accelerate a scalable and equitable clean energy future that will improve the health and economy of our state, nation, and world. To help accomplish this, CEI supports the advancement of next-generation solar energy and battery materials and devices, as well as their integration with systems and the grid. Additionally, through its community engagement work, CEI provides communities with technical assistance for clean energy projects, partnerships with scholars and students to co-design and perform research, and clean energy education and training modules. The goal is to support community decision-making and participation in federal and state programs for decarbonization and resiliency, while providing students and scholars with applied research opportunities.
The showcase was held in partnership with McKinstry, who is a national leader in designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining high-performing buildings with decarbonization in mind. McKinstry has been very supportive of the UW and our students through various projects and efforts such as the community capstone showcase.
The showcase and projects presented would not have been possible without investments made by the state of Washington. In attendance at the event was Sen. Joe Nguyễn, who was instrumental in securing support in Olympia for CEI and clean energy initiatives. He took the opportunity to speak to those gathered about the importance of past and continued investments in clean energy for the vitality of our local communities, the state, and the world. He also viewed the capstone projects, met with the students and community partners that developed them, and asked questions about what they aimed to solve, potential impact, and their short- and long-term goals.
Thank you, Sen. Nguyễn, for attending yesterday’s showcase and for your support of the UW and our students.