GREENSBORO, N.C. - North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is one of 10 universities from across the nation selected to participate in the Energy Challenge 2003 Competition. This event is being sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

N.C. A&T was chosen for the competition based on a proposal submitted by five N.C. A&T physics and engineering students and their advisor. The students are Jerry Adams, sophomore, electrical engineering; Ethan Duty, freshman, mechanical engineering; Tiffany Faison, sophomore, electrical engineering; Jasmeet Singh, junior, computer science; and Erin Woolridge, sophomore, electrical engineering.
The advisor is Dr. Chuck Stone, an assistant physics professor. For the competition, the team will present a paper hang glider.

The university design competition is in direct alignment with the DOE's interests in instilling in undergraduate education the concepts of developing energy efficient processes and minimizing waste, providing environmental benefits, and maintaining and enhancing the economic competitiveness of the U.S. forest products industry in a global environment. The competition is an annual event with a nine month cycle time. The colleges participating in the design competition will execute their projects through their regularly scheduled industry, technology, design, physical science, and/or related engineering courses. At the conclusion of the cycle, a review committee will critique the projects. The place first winner will receive $15,000, second place $10,000 and third place, $5,000.

The DOE Efficiency in Manufacturing Design Competition for the Forest Products Industry is intended to address three objectives: (1) to promote energy efficient concepts in undergraduate and graduate education (2) to stimulate interest in the pulp and paper industrial processes for the express purpose of uncovering new core technologies in the area of manufacturing design efficiency, and (3) to attract both industrial and media attention to this DOE-sponsored design competition and to promote and encourage student interest in the industry.