Press Release From the University of New Haven

Ravi Gorthala, Ph.D., will serve as director of the new satellite Center at the University of New Haven

WEST HAVEN, Conn. — October 21, 2021 A $1.3million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will create new learning opportunities for University of New Haven students while helping local manufacturers reduce the region’s carbon footprint.

Part of an award to the University of Connecticut from the DOE will enable Ravi Gorthala, associate professor and chair of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, to collaborate with UConn to start a new satellite Industrial Assessment Center. IACs provide site-specific recommendations to small and medium-sized manufacturers to help them improve productivity, reduce waste, conserve energy, train the workforce of tomorrow, and increase information security.

“Connecticut’s local manufacturers are a pillar of our economy. It is critical that the federal government make investments to assist local manufacturers in adopting new forms of energy, reducing their carbon footprint, and enhancing their operations,” said U.S. Congresswoman Rosa
DeLauro, the House Appropriations Committee Chair. “As chair of the committee that drives these federal investments, I am grateful for the leadership of the University of New Haven as well as the investment of the Department of Energy in making this important program a reality.”

“I think this is very timely,” said Dr. Gorthala. “Climate change is real. Energy efficiency is number one in reducing the carbon footprint. Before we look into renewable energy resources, we need to reduce energy consumption. This is just the beginning, and it’s going to be a big deal. I hope we’ll have state and federal officials visiting the center.”

The grant is part of a $60 million nationwide investment intended to increase energy efficiency in manufacturing. It will enable 32 universities in 28 states, the largest cohort yet of university-based IACs, to conduct industrial assessments to help local small and medium-sized
manufacturers lower their costs and energy use and provide additional professional development.

“As one of the largest employers of energy engineers in New England, Eversource is delighted that the Department of Energy has awarded federal funding to UConn and the University of New Haven for their Industrial Assessment Center,” said Director of Energy Efficiency Ron Araujo. “We look forward to collaborating with the schools on training and engaging with the next generation of energy-efficiency graduates, who will help decarbonize the manufacturing sector and join us in continuing to lead the clean energy economy.”

“We at United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas, and Connecticut Natural Gas, subsidiaries of Avangrid Inc., are thrilled with the proposed Industrial Assessment Center at the University of Connecticut and the University of New Haven,” added Hammad Chaudhry, senior manager,
conservation and load management. “The IAC will help our manufacturing customers identify energy-efficiency and energy-reduction opportunities. Additionally, the IAC will provide real-world experience to future engineers at the universities. We are excited about this partnership and are looking forward to working with the universities.”

“Dr. Gorthala is a leader in improving the energy efficiency of buildings and has assembled a strong team of faculty to contribute toward the IAC that the University of New Haven will operate,” said Ronald Harichandran, Ph.D., PE, dean of the Tagliatela College of Engineering.
“We are thrilled to secure this joint project with the University of Connecticut to advance the energy-efficiency needs of the region.”

Gorthala will be joined by Nadiye Erdil, Ph.D., associate professor of industrial and systems engineering, who will serve as assistant director. Ibrahim Baggili, Ph.D., assistant dean of the Tagliatela College of Engineering, professor of computer science, director of the University of New Haven’s Connecticut Institute of Technology, and Mohamed Nassar, Ph.D., assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science will assist with cybersecurity assessments.

About the University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a private, coeducational university founded on the Yale campus in 1920.

Over the past 17 years, under the leadership of President Steven H. Kaplan, Ph.D., the university has experienced significant growth — both in enrollment and in the expansion of the university’s West Haven campus. Enrollment has increased by 60 percent to approximately 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

In the last decade, the university has completed more than $300 million in major capital projects while launching more than two dozen new academic programs. The University of New Haven also has campuses in Tuscany, Italy, and Orange, Conn.

For more information about the University of New Haven, visit www.newhaven.edu.

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