A&T NAMES FIRST DUKE ENERGY ENDOWED PROFESSOR                

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Dr. Abdollah Homaifar has been appointed as the first Duke Energy Endowed Professor
of Electrical Engineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

“Endowed professors enhance the quality of the university’s programs throughboth the recognition and contributions of
the chair holders,” said A&T Chancellor James C. Renick. “Dr. Homaifar is nationally recognized in his field and has
made significant scholarly achievement to the teaching missions and research at our university.”

“The appointment of Dr. Homaifar to this prestigious position is a significant milestone in the relationship between
 N.C. A&T and Duke Energy, and we’re excited to be in partnership with a university that is a leader in producing African
American engineers in the country,” said Clarence Ray, Duke Power executive vice president and member of the
search committee.

“The engineering profession is a vital component of Duke Energy’s success. Dr. Homaifar’s commitment to his students
and zeal to advance the discipline, along with his significant scholarly achievements, make him an excellent choice
for this professorship.”

Homaifar is a tenured professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at A&T. He specializes
in III-V Materials Growth and Characterization; Semiconductor Device Applications in Analog and Digital Circuits.

“Humans have the ability to perceive outside stimuli, such as sound and movement, and react to them based on previous experiences,” said Homaifar. “That extremely complex learning system gives them the ability to avoid hazardous situations and execute tasks with high efficiency and effectiveness. Many technology applications can benefit from that type of reasoning, but it’s not always practical or even desirable to have a human at the controls.”

Homaifar’s work led to the development of the Center for Autonomous Control and Information Technology Center (ACIT), which stemmed from a partnership with the University of New Mexico and New Mexico Highlands University. ACIT conducts research in the fields of intelligent control, fuzzy logic, neural networks, and hardware implementation in these fields. Homaifar serves as the center’s director, which involves the work of faculty members from the College of Engineering, especially the computer engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering programs and the School of Technology’s department of electronics and computer technology.

Duke Energy is a diversified multinational energy company with an integrated network of energy assets and expertise. The company manages a dynamic portfolio of natural gas and electric supply, delivery and trading businesses – meeting the energy needs of customers throughout North America and in key markets around the world. Duke Energy, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.

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