Calvin Campopiano has become the first American winner of EirGrid’s prestigious prize for high academic achievement in the area of sustainable energy.
Calvin, who has begun work as an electrical engineer in the US, achieved the highest grade of his masters group in University College Cork (UCC) for his dissertation on solar cells (electronic devices that convert the sun’s energy into electricity).
The primary focus of the dissertation was to investigate how changing a key step in the fabrication process of dye-sensitized solar cells affects their performance.
The Masters Programme in Sustainable Energy is taught at UCC’s School of Engineering. The first EirGrid prize for the top graduate was awarded in 2006, when the programme was in its first year.
Calvin completed his undergraduate studies in Electrical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana before continuing his studies at UCC.
Commenting on the award, EirGrid Chief Executive Fintan Slye said:
“We in EirGrid are delighted to grant this award to Calvin. His research on solar cells illustrates the exciting level of innovation that exists among the next generation of engineers.
“In today’s renewable energy focused-environment, improving our knowledge of how sustainable energy processes work is becoming increasingly important, and awards like this play a very important role in recognising the research that is being done in this area.”