Professors Leon Liebenberg and Rizwan Uddin of the Department of Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering in the Grainger College of Engineering have secured a combined $50,000 in funding through a grant from Constellation Energy, together with additional support from the Paul M. Coble MEng-Energy Systems Program Fund. The funding will be used to establish the ReGen Lab, a state-of-the-art learning environment where students, educators, and community leaders can explore both the science and the practice of sustainable energy. The Coble Fund was recently created to strengthen learning, outreach, and innovation within the Master of Engineering (Energy Systems) program.
Housed within the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL), the ReGen Lab—short for Renewable Generation and Regeneration of Ideas—will serve as a hub for experiential learning, outreach, and workforce development in the clean-energy sector. The lab will feature advanced instructional modules and immersive virtual-reality (VR) simulations that allow participants to explore smart grids, hydrogen systems, and renewable-energy technologies in an interactive, hands-on setting.
Learners will also participate in guided visits to regional energy facilities, including the UIUC Energy Farm, Clinton Power Station, Abbott Power Plant, and the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District’s hydrogen-bus and electrolyzer projects, and several other partner sites.
“Constellation’s support allows us to bridge education, research, and community engagement, equipping students with the skills and mindset to lead the clean-energy transition,” said Uddin, NPRE's department head.
Liebenberg, the project’s principal investigator, added, “Through hands-on discovery and collaboration, ReGen Lab will ignite curiosity, creativity, and purpose, empowering learners to reimagine and help build a sustainable-energy future.”
Launching in July 2026, ReGen Lab will engage hundreds of UIUC students, high-school STEM learners, teachers, and community partners each year, advancing the University’s mission of experiential, interdisciplinary education and reinforcing its leadership in energy innovation and sustainability.
Photo caption: Professors Rizwan Uddin (standing, left) and Leon Liebenberg (standing, right) in the UIUC Innovation Studio, where the ReGen Lab will offer hands-on clean-energy learning experiences. The lab will feature state-of-the-art didactic modules from Armfield, demonstrated here by student assistant Winter Perkins (third from left), and ten virtual-reality stations for immersive clean-energy simulations, demonstrated by student assistant Samrendra Roy, shown wearing VR goggles. ReGen Lab initiatives will also include industry site visits and summer camps designed to engage and inspire future energy innovators, educators, and community leaders.