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2016 | Doing Business in Connecticut 27 SPONSORED REPORT U Conn's School of Engineering has a long history of industry partnerships that drive innovation and stimulate growth for companies as diverse as multi-national firms and small business enterprises. Connecticut companies benefit from access to UConn's world-class facilities, renowned faculty, and talented students. In return, industry partners are able to provide faculty and students with exposure to market needs and expectations. The partnerships also ensure that faculty research informs technological challenges identified by industry, resulting in practical solutions. UConn's School of Engineering, which this year celebrates 100 years of educating students, is experiencing a sustained period of growth. In the past three years, the school's undergraduate student body has increased 50 percent, while the graduate population has grown by 33 percent. External funding increased 70 percent in 2015 and a new five-story, 118,000-square- foot building dedicated to engineering and science research is under construction in the center of UConn's main campus in Storrs. "Having this state-of-the-art engineering and science building in the heart of our campus will allow UConn to do more than ever to spark innovation, catalyze research advances, and build on the momentum we've already gained as a source for new and groundbreaking research," UConn President Susan Herbst says. The Eversource Energy Center for Energy Resiliency is another new UConn partnership that will be housed within the new Innovation Partnership Building. UConn engineering and forestry experts are already working collaboratively with scientists from Eversource Energy, New England's largest energy provider, to ensure the delivery of reliable power and enhance risk management associated with extreme weather. A partnership with UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS) recently created a materials Engineering Center of Excellence within the company's new Materials and Process Engineering Lab, an $8 million facility. The center will allow UConn students and faculty to work hand-in-hand with industry partners in a state-of-the-art laboratory. UTAS engineers and scientists will work with UConn students on additive manufacturing, materials-by-design, high temperature composites, and other advanced materials. This is in addition to a $10 million partnership that already exists between UConn and UTAS's parent company, United Technologies, through the UTC Institute for Advanced Systems Engineering at UConn. UConn also is partnering with Connecticut Innovations to connect small and medium-sized technology and manufacturing companies in Eastern Connecticut to the University's resources. Known as the Quiet Corner Innovation Cluster, the program provides research and development support to businesses in New London, Tolland, and Windham counties. For more information about UConn's School of Engineering, please go to https://www.engr.uconn.edu/. A UConn student checks on the condition of a piece of machinery while working in a lab at UConn's Center for Clean Energy and Engineering. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo) UConn researcher Jinzi Deng working in the lab of Dr. Leslie Shor (Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering). Dr. Shor's research in microfluidic devices studies the behavior of two bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn) UConn School of Engineering Driving Innovation, Preparing Tomorrow's Highly-Skilled Workforce