UTC Foundation Grant to EPIC
WASHINGTON, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The UTC Foundation, the charitable arm of the Utilities Technology Council (UTC), presented its first grant to the Energy Production & Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte. The contribution was given at an awards dinner on Wednesday, May 10thduring the UTC Telecom & Technology conference in Charlotte. The UTC Foundation chose EPIC for its inaugural donation due to the outstanding Smart Grid technology and telecommunications work of the school, which aligns perfectly with the charity’s vision of supporting and promoting educational institutions and programs that connect students with utilities and critical infrastructure-related interests.
The UTC Foundation’s new chairman, Neil Broyles of the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, said of the contribution, “This UTC Foundation donation to the UNC Charlotte Energy Production & Infrastructure Center (EPIC) is our first step toward promoting and supporting the utility technology workforce of the future. We are proud to work with an organization devoted to not only education but also research that will enhance technology and telecommunications specific to the utility sector.” EPIC Interim Director
Dr. David Young, EPIC Associate Professor Dr. Sukumar Kamalasadan, and several students from EPIC attended the UTC Foundation launch, the awards dinner and other events at the conference. Young said of the donation, “EPIC is honored and pleased to receive this award, which recognizes our mission of helping develop an energy workforce through education and innovation. We will use this grant to support students who are passionate about energy and have ideas about infrastructure of the future.”
UTC members and leadership began forming the UTC Foundation in late 2016 to address workforce challenges facing utilities and critical infrastructure technology providers. The UTC Foundation’s programs will support and promote educational institutions and programs that connect students with utilities and critical infrastructure-related interests. These industry-education partnerships will unite students, faculty and industry partners to help deliver the utility workforce of tomorrow, securing the UTC Foundation’s vision of a future with an abundance of skilled and passionate talent transforming critical infrastructure industries through technology.
About the UTC Foundation: Led by a Board of Directors from the utility and critical manufacturing sectors that oversees the Foundation’s strategy and helps build industry relations, the UTC Foundation (UTCF) was formed to help solve the workforce challenge facing utilities and critical infrastructure technology providers. The UTC Foundation’s Mission is to sponsor educational incentives and programs to attract, retain and support top technology and telecommunications talent to foster the future workforce in critical infrastructure industries. The UTC Foundation vision for the future is an abundance of skilled and passionate talent transforming critical infrastructure industries through technology. Donations can be made via the UTC Foundation website – UTCFoundation.org.
About the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center: The Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte serves as a state-of-the-art research center that provides education and applied research opportunities to students with energy related interests. Our industry-education partnerships unite students, faculty and industrial partners to collaborate on interdisciplinary research and learning. www.epic.uncc.edu .