When the National Science Foundation and US Department of Energy chose UT to serve as lead institution for its new engineering research center in 2011, the impact was felt far beyond the $18 million in support.
One of the key goals of the initiative, known as the Center for Ultra-wide-area Resilient Electric Energy Transmission Networks, or CURENT, was to attract top minds from around the world—and the varying perspectives they bring—to UT.
Once here, those students help researchers resolve issues surrounding the nation’s power system, including developing a high-efficiency low-cost grid that can be monitored and controlled in real time.
Under the leadership of the Tickle College of Engineering’s CTI Molecular Imaging Chair and Professor Kevin Tomsovic and Governor’s Chair for Power Electronics Yilu Liu, CURENT has brought in such visionaries in spades.
The latest example of that success is Can Huang, an electrical engineering doctoral candidate who was recently honored with the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad.