Baldwin Wallace Makes National Waves with Marine Energy Win

Engineering students at Baldwin Wallace University (BW) are making waves at the national level for their research in marine energy. This year, BW placed first among 23 schools in the 2025 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition. The 9-month-long, multidisciplinary competition required students to design a device powered by marine energy using waves, tides or ocean or river currents, that addressed a need.

The winning BW project was a wave converter buoy designed for Lake Erie. (It was in the early stage of development and laboratory testing.) The area of opportunity for the team was to supply sustainable energy to the Port of Cleveland’s electrification and modernization projects and to contribute sustainable power along the lakefront.          

“We have this great breakwall here with waves crashing up against it. Could we use this great infrastructure that goes along the coast of Cleveland to generate energy?” asked Jeff Dusek, PhD, BW associate professor of engineering and advisor to the eight undergraduate students who comprised BW’s Team Buzzwall. 

“There has been a lot of work done nationally with marine energy, but most of it has been done on the East and West coasts. But the Great Lakes make up 20% of the world’s fresh water. There’s a lot of work to be done, thinking about the Great Lakes as a major source of power,” say Dr. Dusek, a native Clevelander, who grew up sailing on Lake Erie with his family.  

This was the first year BW students were invited to participate in the 6th annual competition, managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Water Power Technologies Office. 

“Really, the goal for me going into the competition was just to do really well against the other new teams,” admits Dr. Dusek. “When BW won the Rookie of the Year award, I was in tears. It was so gratifying. Then it was announced BW won First Place Overall. I was in shock.”

The national recognition has significant meaning. For BW, it confirms that its engineering program and students can swim with the big fish. That fame will help with recruiting and funding for special projects. This semester, Dr. Dusek also began offering a new marine energy engineering elective class, titled Marine Energy and the Blue Economy.

BW senior engineering students who were part of Buzzwall included: Grace Bowman, Alek Johnson, Will Laskey, Matthew McGee, Tommie McQueary, Caely Ressler, Joseph Straub and Mike Tusick. Additional faculty advisors included: Herman Sahni, PhD, associate professor of economics and finance; David Revta, lecturer in physics; and Martin Flores, technical specialist.  

BW research is authentic and not “another college project,” according to Dr. Dusek, who came to the university from the Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Massachusetts. BW’s efforts have led to collaborations and cooperation among the university, Cleveland Water Alliance, Cuyahoga County Fresh Water Institute and other Blue Economy community and government organizations.    

Also, this year, BW was selected for a $499,796 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The school was one of 17 universities selected nationwide to receive the research and development funding, earmarked for supporting innovations in marine renewable energy industries.