Nicole Parker will cross the stage at UCF’s Fall 2024 commencement ceremony poised to make the world a better place by developing more efficient renewable energy sources, integrating renewable energy into the grid and making existing power systems more efficient and reliable.
Parker graduates this semester with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and will be working for global energy technology leader Siemens. As a power protection and automation engineer she will have the opportunity to design and implement innovative power protection and automation solutions for evolving power systems, paving the way for the integration of clean energy and smart technologies.
“I am very excited to … work at a company that I feel is making a positive impact,” she says.
Parker says she was inspired to enter the field by her passion for protecting the environment and motivated by the promising growth in the renewable energy industry.
“I want to contribute to the creation of more sustainable, reliable and efficient power systems,” she says. “I love being outside and contributing to environmental advocacy, so I decided that I would combine my passions and focus on electric power systems.”
Gaining Skills Through Hands-on Experiences
Parker says UCF has been instrumental in preparing her for her career, sharing that her internships and jobs offered at the Society of Women Engineers conferences were made possible with support from UCF. In addition, an introduction from her academic advisor connected her to a recruiter at Siemens to help her land her future job.
“My professors and advisors have set me up for success through their continual support,” Parker says. “I have learned important skills in my classes and have had teachers that were eager to help me achieve my goals.”
“My professors and advisors have set me up for success through their continual support.”
At UCF, she was able to gain hands-on experience with technology used in the industry as a member of the Siemens Digital Grid Lab, led by Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Associate Professor Wei Sun.
The lab, an in-kind gift from Siemens in 2017, is used as part of the curriculum in upper-level electrical engineering classes and serves as an active research lab. The facility gives students and researchers the opportunity to use real-time digital simulations of power grids and prototype microgrid systems. The lab also enables users to incorporate renewable energy sources and design and operate self-healing grids that are less vulnerable to cyberattacks and natural disasters, including damage from hurricanes.
Winning Top Honors
Parker recently demonstrated her skills as a future electrical engineer through her senior design project, Cyber Smart Home Integrated Environment for Learning and Defense (CYBER SHIELD). Complete with a mini replica that emulated a real smart home powered by solar, she and her teammates developed a novel educational tool…
Read More: UCF Electrical Engineering Grad Charged to Renew Energy Sector
