At TCNJ, electrical engineering senior Cheyenne Torraca is helping light the way toward a cleaner and more resilient energy future. Torraca began exploring power systems in 2024 through the college’s Mentored Undergraduate Summer Experience program. She joined the department’s research track that fall, studying how to make TCNJ’s electrical grid more reliable and sustainable.
Her project, funded by the NASA-affiliated New Jersey Space Grant Consortium, models the college’s power network and tests ways to strengthen it. “I’ve simulated about 75% of the campus,” Torraca said. “Adding solar panels on the distribution side improves reliability, and it increases renewable energy the school can use.”
That same interest in energy guided her leadership in the national Solar District Cup, a competition that challenges students to design solar systems for real campuses. Torraca worked with TCNJ’s team by helping coordinate designs that paired renewable energy with community spaces such as gardens and greenhouses. “We figured we might not stand out for how great the calculations were,” she said. “But we could stand out for having a more interesting design.”
When the Solar District Cup judges announced an honorable mention for TCNJ’s team, Torraca remembered the sound in the room.
When the Solar District Cup judges announced an honorable mention for TCNJ’s team, Torraca remembered the sound in the room.
“I can remember watching the presentation where they announced all the teams, just sitting there in excitement, and the absolute roar that came from the room afterwards,” Torraca said. Torraca traced the start of her engineering journey back to her high school engineering program and a Digital Electronics class that pushed her toward electrical engineering. “I always knew I wanted to be in math and science,” she said. “That class really inspired me to look into electrical engineering as a career.”
Torraca has presented her work at TCNJ’s Celebration of Student Achievement (COSA), at Rutgers University through the Space Grant program, and at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power and Energy Society meeting in Austin, Texas. She competed there in the undergraduate category and the Space Grant program has supported her research for two years.
“I was extremely impressed with the quality of the research Cheyenne presented at the student research poster session,” said her mentor, Anthony S. Deese, Ph.D. “I think she has a bright future and engineering career in front of her.”
Torraca plans to submit her research for publication with the IEEE Power and Energy Society next summer. “We’re also hoping to share the findings with the school so that they can choose if they want to introduce upgrades into the system,” Torraca said.
This past summer, Torraca joined the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program at Clarkson University, where she worked with Dr. Leo Yazhou Jiang and Dr. Yu Liu on a project called “Task Migration of Data Centers with Renewable Energy Considerations.” The team focused on reducing the cost and time needed to process data while using renewable energy sources, such as solar panels. The competitive NSF REU program gives undergraduate students the chance to conduct hands-on research alongside faculty mentors at universities across the country.
Beyond research, Torraca has been on the Dean’s list for the last five semesters and serves as vice president of the student chapter of the IEEE at TCNJ.
Additionally, she is a member of the Society of Women Engineers and served on the Executive Board of Women Engineers in Computer and Electrical Engineering. Torraca is also a member of TCNJ’s chapter of Eta Kappa Nu, the national electrical and computer engineering honor society.
She keeps a full schedule by choice. “I always feel bad whenever I turn down an opportunity,” she said. “I always try to pick up as many opportunities as I can and I wind up doing a lot.” Torraca’s next steps are to apply to graduate programs, with a goal of pursuing a doctorate in electrical engineering.
Torraca points to her first research presentation as the moment that set her path. “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life,” she said. “This is my goal. This is my life’s purpose.”
– Katelyn Schwab
