"It is a battle between size and efficiency," Born explains. "Although other teams' prototypes were smaller, ours was one of the most efficient at the challenge." Because of this, she is now conFuture Plans sidering other teams' space-saving The team continues to work approaches for their higher-power together applying lessons learned inverter. She's interested in explorfrom this project to other projing a honeycomb structure and ects going on at the lab. The 2-kW alternate device and inductor layinverters made for the Google outs and PC board sizes and movLittle Box Challenge are a good ing away from using electrolytic size for an average residential solar capacitors to using film and cerampanel installation. The lessons ic capacitors since they could be learned about achieving higher important for saving space. power density and higher efficienZhao is also working on anothcies directly apply to their current From left: Zhao and Born hold the plaque and little er low-power project for high project trying to make larger 6-kW box inverter on stage just after their third-place switching frequency applications, onboard electric vehicle (EV) char- award announcement at ARPA-E. and she thinks the circuit design ger inverters as small as possible. and EMI lessons learned from this projdifferent circuits. Batteries in airplanes The group's larger EV charger uses ect may apply there as well. and electric vehicles require higher denthe same wide-band gap devices to prosity electronics that weigh less to have duce higher power than the one she -Debbie Sniderman more efficient fuel and battery usage. worked on for the Google challenge with career a lot. The subcategories for industrial electronics and power electronics have made it easy for her to hone in on people and papers. *U.S. News & World Report, 2016 34 IEEE womEn In EngInEErIng magazInE december 2016