Stevens Institute of Technology: SSE’s Grid Discovery Team Takes Senior Design Project to National Stage
Grid Discovery, a Stevens startup led by five undergraduate computer science students under the guidance of SSE professor Dr. Philip Odonkor and energy industry expert Matthew Cristaldi, was named a Bonus Prize Finalist at the Feb. 17 New York City Metro Area competition of EnergyTech UP.
Sponsored by the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the American-Made EnergyTech University Prize (EnergyTech UP) is a collegiate competition challenging multidisciplinary student teams to develop and present a business plan that leverages National Laboratory-developed or other high-potential energy technologies, including university-developed technologies or other technologies of interest to student competitors. EnergyTech UP awards cash prizes to teams that successfully identify an energy technology, assess its market potential and propose a strategy for commercialization.
The Stevens team, known as the “Grid Kids,” includes team captain Omar Abdelmotaleb, Jason Ruan, Leonel Trubbo, Walker Bove and Benjamin Singleton. The team received the Bonus Prize in the Grid Enhancing Technologies category for their work with Grid Discovery. Grid Discovery’s mission is to build a more resilient tomorrow by making microgrid project analysis accessible, easy and efficient. Grid Discovery aggregates key data points into a thoughtfully designed interface to guide users through the fundamentals of initial project development by providing guided analysis, recommendations, and alerts. The website,developed by the team, features a tool with a guided tutorial so anyone can do project analysis on their own time.
“The Grid Kids are blurring the lines between the Stevens classroom and the real world, and are gaining national recognition in the process,” said Odonkor. “I am proud of their achievements and I am excited to see what new heights Grid Discovery will reach.”
From all Bonus Prize Finalists across all Explore Events, a single Bonus Prize Winner per category will be selected after the conclusion of the Explore Events and up to nine teams will be awarded $25,000 each. The National Lab Technology IP Licensing Bonus Prize Winner will win $25,000 and pitch alongside the Regional Winners at the National Pitch Event.