Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the goal of the Marine Energy Collegiate Competition is to advance the nascent marine energy industry and to prepare a skilled, future marine energy workforce. The competition includes interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate and graduate students tasked with identifying the most promising near-term markets for marine energy and designing a marine energy device that could have commercial value within the next five years. The 2024 competition included 20 teams from the USA and Brazil.

Dr. Saffeer Khan, CLEANcarolinas' Co-Project Director serves as the UNC Charlotte team's Faculty Advisor. Coined "Duck Duck Goose", the team competed in all categories and was awarded the best "Rising Star" in the competition.