Congressman Casten visits UIC to talk about energy sector outlook

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten visited the University of Illinois Chicago College of Engineering on Jan. 26, 2026, for an educational and informative conversation about energy hosted in the university's new Computer Design Research and Learning Center.

Casten, who represents Illinois' 6th Congressional District, met with College of Engineering Dean Omolola Eniola-Adefeso and engineering faculty members before sitting down with Cliff Haefke, director of the UIC Energy Resources Center, to discuss energy activities and issues.

Topics included how the U.S. energy outlook has changed over the last 30 years; the sectors driving today's energy demand; and the barriers, challenges and strategies for meeting future energy needs. Casten also fielded questions from engineering faculty, staff, students and industry partners after the discussion.

"Congressman Casten's visit as one of only nine engineers in Congress and a representative of an Illinois district offers a rare opportunity for UIC Engineering to engage directly with a policymaker who helps shape national science and technology priorities and to showcase the innovative research taking place across our labs," Eniola-Adefeso said. "UIC Engineering plays a critical role in advancing workforce development and technological solutions for the City of Chicago, Illinois and beyond, and this interaction with Representative Casten helps ensure our real-world research informs federal policy and reinforces our college's impact in driving engineering innovation."

Casten also visited the High-Bay Structures Laboratory at UIC to learn about research projects in civil, materials and environmental engineering from department head Abolfazl "Kouros" Mohammadian and a doctoral student. Department head Vikas Berry and his doctoral students showed Casten the Berry Research Laboratory, where they discussed breakthroughs in chemical engineering. And at the NASA MIRO Center for In-Space Manufacturing: Recycling and Regolith Processing, a mechanical and industrial engineering doctoral student told Casten about a research project sponsored by NASA.

"Today's discussion with UIC students, faculty and industry professionals about how energy policy has evolved and future challenges was insightful," Casten said. "I also enjoyed seeing the beautiful lab spaces at UIC, which are helping students shape the future of America's energy landscape."