An interdisciplinary team of Purdue engineering students, led by associate professor Zhi (George) Zhou, is one of the top 15 teams among 225 teams in the country selected as finalists in the EnergyTech University Prize 2024 competition. These teams have been awarded $3,000 for their business plans and will advance to compete in the National Pitch Event this April at the Energy Thought Summit in Austin, Texas.

Team "Carbonbusters" includes Neha Shakelly (EEE/ESE), Nathan Bone (CE), Amanda Lopez (EEE/ESE), Sharon Hughes (EEE/ESE alumna), and is led by Zhi (George) Zhou, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental and Ecological Engineering. Their business plan is titled, "Removing the Barrier to Entry to Net-Zero Biofuels."

Sponsored by the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the American-Made EnergyTech University Prize (EnergyTech UP) challenges student teams to compete for cash prizes for successfully identifying a promising energy technology, assessing its market potential, and creating a business plan for commercialization.