Duke University Student Team Wins $20,000 Prize at U.S. Department of Energy Competition

A team of Duke University students snagged the $20,000 Geothermal Technologies Office Bonus Prize during the 2025 EnergyTech University Prize Competition organized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Commercialization. The national competition challenges student teams to showcase creative ways to bring a DOE National Laboratory-developed or other high-potential energy technology to market. 

The Duke team pitched a business plan for driving adoption of geothermal energy hubs to power co-located data centers. Team members included Trinity College of Arts & Sciences students Arjun Chadha, B.S.'25, Maya Khodabakchian and Nicholas Nease and Pratt School of Engineering students Michael Scutary and Ben Verlander. The Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke provided financial support for the students' participation in the national competition.