An EPIC solution.

UNC Charlotte's Energy Production and Infrastructure Center--also known as EPIC--prides itself on preparing students and the future workforce for any situation that could impact the energy sector and electric grid. Formed through private and public funding in response to the need to supply well-educated and highly trained engineers qualified to meet the demands of the energy industry and to provide sustainable support for applied research, EPIC produces a technical workforce and advancements in technology for the global energy industry while supporting the Carolinas' multi-state economic and energy security. Executive Director Michael Mazzola discussed how EPIC and its affiliated partners are working together to train the next generation of energy professionals to deliver solutions for the industry in a brief interview.

No one can predict when emergencies, such as the CO VID-19 pandemic, can hit and how they will impact the energy sector. What steps have you taken to prepare students and workers for events like this? Are you seeing any current threats to the operations of the electric grid?

The energy industry that EPIC serves is among the most critical in our community. The national organization that helps ensure electric power service is reliable and affordable is called the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Between NERC and the utilities themselves, there has been a tremendous effort to ensure that the people that run the electric grid stay healthy. This is a highly trained, NERC-certified group of virtually irreplaceable engineers and control room operators. Some utilities are turning their backup control rooms into mini villages where, in some cases, the control room operators' families have taken up residence. This is an impressive display of commitment to serve our community from the employees and managers in our electric utilities, for which every citizen should be grateful.

Can you tell us about your partnership with SOS and its student training opportunities?

One initiative that we undertook with SOS, a company in our EPIC Affiliates Program, is a scholarship to help some of our engineering students graduate with a...