The Fall 2025 Coogs for Energy Hackathon tested the innovation skills of the participants with unique problem statements. Team Net Positive excelled at the challenge of coming up with a comprehensive and feasible solution to provide “Sustainable Soccer Fields for Communities,” a problem statement provided by the Sustainability Committee of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Houston Host Committee (FWC26).

The Energy Transition Institute (ETI) hosted the second edition of the Coogs for Energy Hackathon on November 21–22, once again bringing together bright student innovators from across disciplines to develop solutions for some of today’s most pressing energy challenges.

The University of Houston’s Center for Carbon Management in Energy (CCME) participated in the 2025 American EPC Projects Forum, joining more than 300 delegates and 40 speakers focused on LNG, hydrogen, ammonia, CCUS, and low-carbon fuels. Executive Director Charles McConnell highlighted the critical role of engineering excellence and carbon management in advancing the energy transition. Sessions on EPC risk allocation, modularization, supply-chain resilience, and carbon-capture integration underscored the need for practical, scalable solutions. CCME representatives, including PhD student Zhiyuan Li, engaged with industry leaders to discuss FOAK project challenges and strengthened partnerships essential for accelerating commercially deployable low-carbon technologies.