The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) has named FAMU School of Architecture and Engineering Technology Assistant Professor Mohamed Khalafalla Ahmed as one of its 2024 Faculty Explorer award recipients in the inaugural EnergyTech University Prize (EnergyTech UP) Faculty Track.
Ahmed, a professor in the Division of Engineering Techology, was, one of 10 faculty members from across the nation, awarded for showing a promising interest, ideas, and/or materials promoting energy entrepreneurship at their collegiate institutions. OTT is excited to support these faculty as they work to effectively develop, refine, and implement high-quality and impactful activities.
EnergyTech UP is a collegiate competition for both students and faculty, aimed at growing clean energy entrepreneurship. Those competing as faculty develop and implement educational activities to engage more students in energy technology commercialization and entrepreneurship at their institution. While faculty have always been, and remain, welcome and encouraged to mentor a student team competing in EnergyTech UP, this new track is designed to incentivize and support faculty directly, with $100,000 in cash prizes available. This new track will result in market research skills for a student population that does not currently have access to these kinds of opportunities.
“At OTT, we recognize that not all students have equal access to programs and materials that show them career paths in energy or commercialization,” said DOE Chief Commercialization Officer and Director of the Office of Technology Transitions Dr. Vanessa Z. Chan. “We developed the faculty track this year as a new approach to making students aware of the opportunities that exist in the energy sector, and to reward the faculty who are inspiring the next generation of cleantech leaders."
As part of EnergyTech UP, faculty develop a proposal throughout three phases of competition: the Explore Phase, the Develop Phase, and the Implementation Phase. All EnergyTech UP participants will be provided with targeted access to a DOE mentor and DOE resources.