Skip to content

Two Faculty Members Have Projects Among Finalists of R&D 100 Awards

A pair of teams involving faculty from the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science were recently announced as finalists in the R&D 100 awards.

Yilu Liu
Yilu Liu

“GridDamper,” a project between UT, Electric Power Research Institute, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), was selected to move on to the finals, as was “Flux: Next-Generation Workload Management Software Framework,” which involves UT and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

“We weren’t sure what to expect with the impact that COVID-19 has had on research labs across the world,” said Vice President, Editorial Director for R&D World Paul J. Heney in a statement. “But this year exceeded all of our expectations, with more submissions coming in than in the previous few years. What’s more, the quality of the entries was extremely high.”

The awards, some of the highest accolades in technology and engineering, are broken down into categories, much like the Academy Awards or Emmys. The finalists were chosen by experts from around the world, with submissions coming in from 17 countries or regions.

Picture of Michela Taufer
Michela Taufer

GridDamper, whose team includes UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Power Grids and CURENT Deputy Director Yilu Liu and Research Assistant Professor Lin Zhu, is included in the IT/Electrical category. Its focus is on improved control of oscillations within transmission and distribution of electricity.

Flux: Next-Generation Workload Management Software Framework is part of the Software/Services category. Its team includes Michela Taufer, the Dongarra Professor in the department, and it is dedicated to helping improve the way that workloads are scheduled and carried out on computers to maximize their potential.

The winners will be announced sometime between late September and mid-November, depending on whether the ceremony is held virtually or is in person.