UConn was part of a team of regional manufacturing leaders that met with members of the Smart Manufacturing Leadership Coalition (SMLC) during a recent Department of Energy (DOE) visit hosted by the United Technologies Research Center (UTRC).
DOE is in the process of visiting all of the regional smart manufacturing centers that are part of the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute, which is led by the SMLC. New England was the first of the five regional centers visited.
UConn is a member of this national coalition, which spurs advancements in smart sensors and digital process controls that can radically improve the efficiency of U.S. advanced manufacturing.
One of the northeast testbeds is located at the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technologies (CCAT). The testbeds will demonstrate how these technologies can be used in a practical setting and provide training in smart manufacturing concepts to New England companies.
“This partnership with the Department of Energy will create transformations for data-informed and energy-efficient manufacturing in the United States,” said Mun Choi, UConn provost.
Speakers during the visit included Choi; Krishna Pattipati, professor in electrical and computer engineering at UConn; George Bollas, director of the United Technologies Corporation Institute for Advanced Systems Engineering and associate professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering at UConn; David Parekh, corporate vice president, research, and director, UTRC; Rob Ivester, deputy director, Advanced Manufacturing Office, Department of Energy; and Denise Swink, chief executive officer, SMLC. UConn Engineering dean Kazem Kazerounian was also present.
Members of CCAT and the Department of Economic & Community Development were integral members in the day’s discussions.
“The event was a remarkable coordination between the Department of Energy, Smart Manufacturing Leadership Coalition, and the northeast region including Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts,” said Alison Gotkin, manager, strategic business development, UTRC. “It showed that the region and in particular, Connecticut is committed to advanced manufacturing and the clean energy space.”
