News

Benning Power Partners with Texas University at Dallas to Provide Real-World Experience for Computer Science Students

December 06, 2011 by Jeff Shepard

Benning Power Electronics announced its participation in the UTDesign program in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas. This highly-respected program partners a team of senior-level computer science students with a specific project requested by a corporation. The work done through this corporate partnership is the cornerstone of the students’ undergraduate education.

The group of four UTD students is developing a data monitoring system for Benning that will allow the company to expand the remote monitoring and performance measurement capabilities provided to clients through its Network Operations Center (NOC) located at the company’s recently opened North American headquarters in Richardson.

According to Mario Barbaresso, CEO of Benning Power Electronics, Benning turned to UTD for help in developing a system capable of supporting and organizing data compiled by monitoring a client’s battery chargers when they realized that their existing staff could not take on the additional workload.

"Benning is proud to partner with the University of Texas at Dallas on this project. It is a benefit to both organizations," added Barbaresso. "We have the opportunity to leverage the knowledge and skills of this talented young group who have great promise in their field and help mold the next generation of computer science superstars."

"The goal of the UTDesign program is to make our graduates industry-ready while satisfying the needs of local companies," said Jey Veerasamy, the UTDesign Coordinator and faculty advisor for the Benning project. "We are appreciative that Benning has taken the time to help our students reach their potential and believe they will be pleased with the results of the project as well."

Upon completion of the new NOC center system in December, the students will prepare a presentation for Benning to provide an overview of the project as well as the final results.

"This is not just some project to give a group of young engineers something to do," said Barbaresso. "The work these students are doing will be valuable to Benning for years to come. Our customers appreciate that we monitor our products’ performance long after installation, and these students are helping us simplify that process. Their efforts will make a big impact on our ability to provide our customers with the most efficient products on the market."

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