Full of Energy: Students Win World Competition, U.S. Fellowship

A University of Texas at Dallas team of electrical and computer engineering undergraduate students recently won the $10,000 grand prize at the IEEE International Future Energy Challenge.

The annual challenge, which took place over 12 months, tasked students with designing an audio amplifier with excellent audio quality, efficiency and density. The UT Dallas group was one of only two U.S. teams to qualify for the final round of the competition held at UT Austin in July.

The team included Ahmad Nabizadah, electrical engineering junior; Daniel Maaya, computer engineering senior; and Allison Pham, electrical engineering senior.

The team members - none of whom had built an amplifier before - achieved a total harmonic distortion plus noise (THD+N), a measure of unintended harmonics and noise in an audio device's output signal, of 0.001%, which is over 10 times lower than the second-place finisher's THD+N.

"We had to start up from scratch," said Nabizadah, the team's leader.

Building a winning project took a lot of trial and error, several revisions and "a lot of burned components," Maaya said.

"As it went on, we became better and better," he said.

The students worked with mentors in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, including Milad Bahrami Fard, Aaron Brown and Kevin Largent, electrical engineering doctoral students. Faculty advisors included Dr. Babak Fahimi, professor of electrical engineering, Distinguished Chair in Engineering and director of the Renewable Energy and Vehicular Technology (REVT) Lab; Dr. Poras Balsara, vice dean of the Jonsson School, associate director of the REVT lab and professor of electrical and computer engineering; and Dr. William Swartz Jr., professor of electrical and computer engineering.

The students juggled the extracurricular activity with their classes, which meant many late nights in the REVT lab.

"We worked numerous nights until 2 or 3 a.m.," Maaya said. "We dedicated a lot of time to this project, and it all paid off."

Nabizadah estimates that he spent 30 to 40 hours a week on the project.

"The one thing that really boosted me was my passion for the project," he said. "I didn't feel like I was working. I was constantly learning and discovering new things. It was very exciting - an unforgettable journey."

Comet Earns Department of Energy Fellowship

Bernadette Magalindan BS'21, a mechanical engineering doctoral student in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas, has been named a 2024 U.S. Department of Energy Innovation in Buildings (IBUILD) Graduate Research Fellow.

The fellowship provides support for Magalindan's research, which focuses on reducing carbon emissions from buildings by improving their energy efficiency and sequestering carbon dioxide, which involves storing carbon dioxide to prevent it from being released into the atmosphere.

The fellowship, managed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, is designed to strengthen the pool of graduate student scholars who are equipped for research-intensive careers in fields supporting the decarbonization of buildings.

Magalindan is developing a material that uses salvaged wood to keep building temperatures comfortable without using energy, which then can reduce the load on heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems. She optimized the composite's optical properties to reflect sunlight and to eject heat. In addition, Magalindan included a material that can store and release heat.

"The final product will be new roofing material that fends off heat in hot weather and provides warmth in the cold through its engineered optical- and thermal-energy storing properties," she said.

Magalindan is a researcher in the lab of Dr. Shuang (Cynthia) Cui, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, who is working to develop a quick-drying polymeric desiccant that could dehumidify buildings using at least 30% less energy than conventional air-conditioning systems. Magalindan was an energy storage intern at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in 2024.

"I chose research as both a career and a climate action," Magalindan said. "Achieving our collective goal of a clean energy transition requires leaps and bounds of effort and dedication. I am grateful for programs like IBUILD that so strongly advocate the next generation of scientists taking on this crucial issue. The knowledge and skills I've gained so far during my PhD program in addition to the support by the IBUILD Fellowship are immensely empowering."

Accolades is an occasional News Center feature that highlights recent accomplishments of The University of Texas at Dallas faculty, students and staff. To submit items for consideration, contact your school's communications manager.