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CLARKSON UNIVERSITY COULTER SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

CENTER FOR ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEM RESEARCH (CEPSR)

THOMAS ORTMEYER, DIRECTOR April 28, 2021

Annual Report

2020

Electric Power System Engineering is a recognized strength of Clarkson University. The

electric power system is undergoing rapid dynamic change due to the development of clean energy

sources, the deployment of smart grid technologies, the deregulation of the industry, and the

developing growth of the electric vehicle industry. There is a strong need for research,

development, and workforce training across the breadth of research areas that focus on electric

power systems.

While historically centered in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Clarkson,

the interest in electric power systems has grown across campus, and active research is being

conducted throughout the university.

CEPSR VISION

The Center for Electric Power System Research (CEPSR) vision is to continuously improve the

Clarkson University electric power systems program.

CEPSR MISSION STATEMENT

The CEPSR Mission is to fulfill the center vision of continuous improvement by

● Promoting strong relationships between the Clarkson program and industry, particularly

through the CEPSR board

● Promoting an active and relevant research program across the diverse electric power

systems areas of interest

● Developing and maintaining a strong workforce development activities at the

undergraduate and graduate levels

CEPSR ORGANIZATION

Center Board and Members The center membership is made up of researchers and educators that

are active collaborators in activities of importance to the Center Mission. New members are

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nominated to the Center’s Steering Committee, and membership is approved jointly by the

Steering Committee and Board. Members are reviewed regularly regarding their continued interest

in activities within the Center Mission.

The Center Steering Committee is charged with advancing and promoting research, education, and

outreach activities that advance the Center Mission. The current Steering Committee membership

is:

● Chair: Thomas Ortmeyer, Research Professor

● Paul McGrath, Professor and ECE Department Chair

● Tuyen Vu, Assistant Professor

● Jianhua Zhang, Assistant Professor

● Leo Yazhao Jang, Assistant Professor

● Phil Barker, Coordinator, Power Engineering Cohort Program

Additional Center Members are:

● Lei Wu, Associate Professor, ECE Dept., Stevens Institute of Technology

● Jie Li, Assistant Professor, ECE Dept., Rowan University

● Stephen Bird, Associate Professor, Political Science, Clarkson

● Amir Mousavian, Associate Professor and Engineering and Management Director,

Clarkson

Leo Yazhou Jiang joined the Clarkson Power Engineering faculty in August, 2020. Leo received

his PhD degree from Washington State University, and was at GE Global Research and

Development prior to joining Clarkson.

Phil Barker joined the Clarkson Power Engineering faculty in October, 2020. Phil received his

BSEE and MSEE degrees from Clarkson in the 1980’s, and comes to us from Nova Energy

Specialists, where he was Principal Engineer.

Center Board The CEPSR Center Board is key to the success of the center. The role of the board

is to review and provide advice on Center activities, develop strong relationships between Center

members and the electric power industry, and work with Center Members to promote industry-

university research projects and educational activities.

Our current board members are:

● Yonghong Chen, Consulting Advisor, MISO Energy

● Frank Peverly, Market Segment Leader, CHA

● John Burke, Director PTO/Substations, National Grid, Buffalo

● Carl Terry, Consultant, Nuclear Power Industry

● Philip Toia, Senior VP-Power Supply, NYPA

● Wesley Yeomans, Vice President of Operations, NYISO

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● Rod Kalbfleisch, Director of Substation Technical Engineering, Eversource

● Dan Lorden, Director, Capital District Office, EN Energy Engineering

EDUCATION THRUST

The Clarkson Power Program course offerings are an integral part of our program. The list below

shows our 2020 undergraduate and graduate course offerings, along with enrollments.

Our undergraduate program is a strength of the institution. The majority of our Power Engineering

undergraduates finish their junior year having completed EE 331 Energy Conversion and EE 333

Power Systems Engineering. They have success in finding significant internships over the

following summer, and return to campus for their senior year showing the benefits of these

internships. They typically take up to three more power courses in their senior year. We offer a

transcripted concentration in power engineering and encourage our students to sign up for this.

With the onset of the covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, our faculty have worked to adopt their

teaching methods to adjust for the requirements mandated by this virus. Clarkson as a whole has

done well in creating a plan, and our students and faculty have responded to implement this plan

successfully. In particular, we are currently offering our courses in either a hybrid mode or a full

on-line mode. In the hybrid mode, students have a choice of attending classes either in person or

virtually. This transition has involved a significant effort by our faculty, and our students overall

have responded positively to these necessary changes. Nonetheless, we are all looking forward to

getting back to life returning to the pre-covid norm.

At the graduate level, the Clarkson ECE Department offers three options:

● Advanced Power Systems Engineering Certificate

● Master’s of Science degree (both thesis based and course based)

● Ph.D. degree

All three are offered both on the Clarkson campus, and by distance. Additionally, other Clarkson

departments graduate level degrees may be of interest to students in the electric power industry.

In January, we welcomed our 3rd group into our cohort program. The group is somewhat smaller

this year, likely due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Our first cohort group will graduate

at the end of Spring Quarter in May this year. Our second cohort will complete their required

courses in Spring 2021, and are in the process of selecting their elective courses.

Phil Barker joined Clarkson in October as our cohort coordinator. His duties will include:

● Recruiting Students

● Recruiting adjunct faculty

● Train and coordinate with adjunct faculty

● Advise cohort students

● Advertise, promote the program internally and externally

● Manage program funds

● Teach 3-4 cohort courses

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● Organize the seminar series and student project program, and advise student a portion of

the student projects

● Coordinate with Registrar, Student Financial, Human Resources, Budget Office

Table 1. Potsdam Campus Power Area Course Offerings and Enrollments

Term Course No.

Course Name Instructor Type Enrollment

on campus

Enrollment Distance

Spring 2020

EE 333 Power System Engineering

Tuyen Vu Undergraduate elective

20

Spring 2020

EE 531 Power System Planning

Jianhua Zhang

Graduate 12 12

Fall 2020

EE 331 Energy Conversion

Tuyen Vu Undergraduate required

53

Fall 2020

EE 430/530

High Voltage Tech’s and Meas’nts

Paul McGrath

Undergrad/ Grad

14 4

Fall 2020

EE 431 Power Transmission and Distribution

Jianhua Zhang

Undergraduate

15

Fall 2020

EE 639 Electric Power Distribution Systems

Leo Yazhou Jiang

Graduate 12

2020 Cohort Courses

Course Instructor Enrollment Quarter Cohort

EE 680 Power Systems 1

Tom Ortmeyer 19 Winter 2

EE 537 Power System Protection

Kurt Christenen 16 Winter 1

EE 681 Power Systems II

Dan Leonard 19 Spring 2

EE 638 Grid Connected Renewable

Sam Salem 16 Spring 1

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Energy Systems

BOE 610 Business of Energy

Walt Pfuntner, Raj Addepapalli

18 Summer 2

Seminar and Project

Tom Ortmeyer 15 Summer 1

OM 681 Project Management

Gina Craan 18 Fall 2

EE 639 Electric Power Distribution Systems

Tom Ortmeyer 15 Fall 1

Power Engineering Cohort 2020 Marketing Highlights and Other Activities

There were a number of activities aimed at developing the Cohort market and expanding the

program. We completed development of a marketing brochure for the Cohort Program. This is

being used along with direct marketing contacts with electric utilities to establish expanded Cohort

enrollment. This expanded enrollment may come through new utilities (or individuals)

participating in existing Cohorts, or in cases where there is sufficient enrollment possible from a

single utility, the creation of entirely new cohort groups as needed. As mentioned earlier, the third

National Grid cohort group was committed to begin in the Q1 2021 (the COVID pandemic

impacted the size of the Cohort as it has only about 10 students). However, marketing efforts are

showing very promising interest in student enrollment from other utilities.

To help teach additional courses, we started a search additional adjunct professors to teach and

expand topics (there is a considerable talent base in upstate NY to draw from).

Recent/Current Cohort Events in Early 2021

The third NG Cohort group successfully started during Winter Quarter 2021. Clarkson hired a new

adjunct professor (Ricardo Galarza) to teach the Cohort EE-531 Power System Planning course

(the class is already started for the Spring Quarter). We are developing and selecting several new

elective course offerings in DER interconnection, power distribution, energy storage, smart grid

and automation.

Longer Term Cohort Strategies (ongoing in 2021 and beyond)

We are examining a strategy of including “short course” offerings (continuing education type

approach) to facilitate additional expansion of the program. Short courses can have a synergistic

effect on the Cohort program by serving as a vehicle for generating additional industry contacts

for the MSEE program as well as provide a valuable service needed in industry.

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We are also examining the concept of potential collaborations with existing industry training

programs and research organizations that could be synergistic to Clarkson’s program.

Our longer term goals for this year are as follows:

By end of this 2021, commit at least one additional utility to a 10-20 student Cohort starting

by 2022.

By Q4 of 2021, offer for enrollment two popular short courses (1-3 day, continuing

education, distance learning format) to be sold either as an open enrollment class or a utility

sponsored group class. Successfully deliver those courses by first half of 2022 and leverage

the course contacts into potential MSEE Cohort type distance learning opportunities.

In 2021, establish an agreement with an energy research entity or industry consulting

partner (for example EPRI?) that can help facilitate marketing and feed students into the

program.

As part of the long terms strategies and marketing effort, the underlying philosophy will be guided

by the following principles. First, the expansion must be organic in nature; meaning the growth

must fill a natural industry need for education and not be a forced growth that can’t be sustained.

Second, the program quality must be maintained at the highest levels. Program expansion can’t

exceed the ability find and maintain qualified adjunct professors. Finally, the program must include

both the necessary traditional power engineering elements as well as the relevant emerging

technical areas.

Research Thrust

The Clarkson Power Program includes the following research laboratories:

● High Voltage and Materials Processing Laboratory

● Power Quality Laboratory

● Smart Power Systems and Controls Laboratory

These labs are all active in research across the breadth of power engineering, as demonstrated by

the publications and funding shown below. Many of the funded research projects involve

collaborations with other universities, power utilities, and other companies and laboratories.

The Smart Power Systems and Controls Laboratory was founded in 2019. This lab continues to

evolve, with a focus on real time simulation. It currently includes a real-time simulator, Opal-RT

5700 with 8 cores, which has 5 core-licenses (eMEGASIM) for transient simulations and 1 EHS64

solver for power electronics simulations. The system with eMEGASIM is currently being used to

simulate microgrids and wind farms. We are collaborating with NYPA’s AGILE Lab to create

models of the offshore wind farms that New York has under contract, and analyze the performance

of these farms when connected to NYPA’s real time model of the New York power grid.

Future plans for this lab are to expand our real time simulator capability, develop the capability to

do hardware in the loop testing of controllers, protective relays, etc. We have recently acquired a

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Chroma Power Grid simulator, and will purchase a photovoltaic array simulator. This will allow

us to PV farm inverters, to investigate their performance under realistic grid conditions, and to

verify their specified performance. We also are working to develop an HMI capability that will

allow real-time operator interactions and data display.

Smart Power Systems and Control Laboratory Conceptual Diagram

CAMP 131 Laboratory Renovations

The Smart Power Systems and Control Laboratory and the Power quality Laboratory are located

in CAMP 131. The plan for renovating this space to accommodate these laboratory updates is

shown below. We have received bids for the physical renovations, and are continuing to acquire

the equipment needed for the lab. The Coulter School of Engineering and the MSAA Hammam

Endowment Fund are both supporting these upgrades. We are currently seeking bids for the

physical and electrical work required for the lab upgrade.

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FACULTY PROFILES

Dr. Tuyen V. Vu received his B.S. in electrical engineering from the Hanoi University of Science

Technology, Vietnam in 2012, and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Florida State

University in 2016. From 2016 to 2017, he was a postdoctoral research associate at the Florida

State University - Center for Advanced Power Systems. From 2017 to 2018, he was a Research

Faculty at the same research center. Since July 2018, he has been an Assistant Professor at the

Clarkson University.

His research focuses on smart grid; power distribution and transmission systems operation, control,

and cybersecurity; and emerging renewable energy systems. Dr. Vu served as a guest editor of the

IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics in 2019 co-chaired conference sessions such as the

IEEE Electric Ship Technologies, and IEEE Industrial Electronics Conferences. He is a member

of the IEEE IES Technical Committee on Smart Grids, and IES Technical Committee on

Resilience and Security for Industrial Applications. He is regularly acting as a review colleague

for IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, Energy Conversion, Power Electronics, Industrial

Electronics, Elsevier Applied Energy, etc.

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Dr. Jianhua Zhang received the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering from North

Carolina State University and the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from New Mexico Institute

of Mining and Technology in 2016 and 2010, respectively. From 2016 to 2019, she worked a

Postdoc Research Associate at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Since July 2019,

she has been an assistant professor at ECE department of Clarkson University.

Her research interests are mainly focused on smart grid cyber physical systems and grid integration

of renewable energy resources: distributed cyber physical algorithms, smart grid communications,

cyber and physical co-simulation, and monitoring and control of large-scale renewable energy

systems. She served as a guest editor of Journal of Modern Power System and Clean Energy in

2020. She is regularly acting as a review colleague for IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, Control

Systems Technology, Sustainable Energy, etc.

Dr. Leo Yazhou Jiang received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Huazhong University of

Science and Technology, Wuhan China in 2011, and his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the

Washington State University in 2016. From 2016-2020, he was a power system engineer at GE

Research center located at Niskayuna, NY. From 2011-2012, he was a research associate at the

Smart Grid and Operation lab at Wuhan, China. Since Aug. 2020, Dr. Jiang has been an Assistant

Professor at the Clarkson University.

His research focuses on distribution automation, grid resiliency, grid integration of renewables,

and energy digitalization. Prior to joining Clarkson, Dr. Jiang was leading multi-millions projects

with funding from the Department of Energy and GE Business to investigate grid reliability,

dynamics and economics with solar, wind, storage and other emerging new technologies such as

converter-interfaced CHP, flexible large power transformers, building load flexibility, and

distributed energy management. He was serving as an industry advisor for Power System

Engineering Research Center (PSERC) and Virginia Tech’s Power and Energy Center prior to

joining Clarkson. He is regularly acting as a reviewer for leading publishers IEEE, Elsevier, and

IET including IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, IEEE

Transactions on Power Delivery, IET Generation Transmission & Distribution, International

Journal of Electrical Power and Energy System, etc.

Dr. Stephen Bird is Associate Professor of Political Science at Clarkson University, jointly

appointed with Humanities and Social Science and the Institute for a Sustainable Environment,

and also Director of the Adirondack Semester. He is Research Faculty Affiliate with the Positive

Energy Project at the University of Ottawa where he was also the Fulbright Scholar Visiting

Research Chair in Governance and Public Administration in fall 2016. His current and past

research focuses on split incentives and smart housing, energy conflict, microgrid governance,

factors in energy acceptance (fracking, solar, wind), green data centers, and energy poverty.

He completed his PhD at Boston University (2009) and a Masters’ in Government at Harvard

University (extension, 2003). He was a Harvard Kennedy School Rappaport Fellow (2004),

worked for their Electricity Policy Group (2001-2010), and was President of the Board of Directors

at Mass Energy, a consumer’s energy non-profit (2004-2009). Consulting and engagements

include the European Commission, the U.S. State Department, Massachusetts’ Environmental

Affairs, and current work for the Clarkson-Nanos Consulting Partnership. Grant funders and

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affiliates include the National Science Foundation, the New York State Energy Research and

Development Authority, IBM, AMD, National Grid, GE, and others. He serves on the Editorial

Board of Case Studies in the Environment (Elsevier) and the Board of the Adirondack Research

Consortium.

Dr. Amir Mousavian is Associate Professor and Director of the Engineering & Management

Program, David D. Reh School of Business, Clarkson University. He also holds a Courtesy

Appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

His research focuses on cyber-physical systems security, smart grids, interconnected power and

electric transportation systems, energy markets, and operations research. Dr. Mousavian serves as

the section editor for the energy markets section and zero-margin-cost section of the journal of

Current Sustainable/Renewable Energy Reports. He is regularly acting as a reviewer for IEEE

Transactions on Smart Grid, IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, and other reputable journals.

He is currently leading the project “DCSA: Graph-theoretic Cyberattack Propagation Modeling &

Robust Prevention & Mitigation Approaches in Interconnected Power & Electric Transportation

Systems,” Clarkson University Grants Pilot Program to Support Ignite Graduate Research

Fellowship, with co-PIs: L. Wu (Stevens Institute of Technology) and G. Madraki (Clarkson

University).

Philip P. Barker

Mr. Barker is the Coordinator of the Clarkson Power Engineering Cohort Program. He has 34

years of experience working in the electric power industry. He received his Bachelor and Master

of Science Degrees in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson University with a concentration in

electric power systems in 1985 and 86 respectively.

Mr. Barker was a consulting engineer at Power Technologies, Incorporated (PTI) for 14 years

where he was involved in a variety of leading power distribution, power quality, lightning

protection and distributed generation engineering studies. Later he worked for the Electric Power

Research Institute (EPRI PEAC Division) where he focused on research related to distributed

generation, renewable energy, power quality, and distribution systems.

In 2003, he founded Nova Energy Specialists (NES), a consulting company providing engineering

services to the utility sector in power distribution, distributed energy resources, and various

emerging energy technologies. In October of 2020 he joined Clarkson as the Coordinator of the

Power Engineering Cohorts Program where he is teaching online training classes as part of the

MSEE program as well as developing new courses and expanding the program to a larger utility

base.

Throughout his career, Mr. Barker has been involved in the IEEE and has been active in several

IEEE working groups and standards related to DER, lightning, power quality and power systems

(e.g. IEEE 1547, IEEE C62.22, IEEE 1410, etc.) He has published over 30 papers and/or technical

articles. Mr. Barker received the IEEE PES Excellence in Power Distribution Engineering Award

in 2010.

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2020 RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

Journal Publications

Authors Title Journal Vol No. pp.

C. Edrington, G. Ozkana, B. Papari, D. Gonsoulin, D. Perkins, T. Vu, H. Vahedi

Distributed energy management for ship power systems with distributed energy storage

Journal of Marine Engineering & Technology

19:sup1, 31-44, DOI: 10.1080/20464177.2019.1684122

T. Vu, B. Nguyen, Z. Cheng, M. Chow, B. Zhang

Cyber-Physical Microgrids: Toward Future Resilient Communities

IEEE Industrial Electronics Magazine

Vol. 13, 3, Sept., 2020

B. Zhang, P. Zhang, T. Vu, M. Chow

Guest Editorial: Special Section on Resilience, Reliability, and Security in Cyber–Physical Systems

IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics

Vol. 16, #7. April 2020

S. Mousavian, A. J. Conejo, R. Sioshansi

Equilibria in investment and spot electricity markets: A conjectural-variations approach

European Journal of Operational Research

Vol. 281, #1, February 2020

Hotaling, C., Bird S., Heintzelman M.

Willingness to Pay for Microgrids to Enhance Community Resilience

Energy Policy Forthcoming 2021

Conference Papers/Presentations

Authors Title Venue Date C. Ogilvie, J. Ospina,

C. Konstantinou, T.

Vu, M. Stanovich, K.

Schroder, M. Steurer

Modeling Communication

Networks in a Real-Time

Simulation Environment for

Evaluating Controls of

Shipboard Power Systems

2020 IEEE CyberPELS Oct. 2020

Miami, FL

A. Nagarajan and J.

Zhang

Evolving Distribution Utility

Rate Structures to

Accommodate Emerging

Technologies

IEEE Power & Energy

Society Innovative

Smart Grid

Technologies

Conference

Feb. 2020,

Washingto

n, DC

J. Zhang, J. Daily, R.

Mast, B. Palmintier,

D. Krishnamurthy, T.

Elgindy, A. Florita,

and B. Hodge

Development of HELICS-

based High-Performance

Cyber-Physical Co-simulation

Framework for Distributed

IEEE International

Conference on

Communications,

Control, and

Computing

Nov. 2020

Tempe AZ

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Energy Resources

Applications

Technologies for Smart

Grids

(SmartGridComm)

B. Nguyen, T. Vu, T.

Ortmeyer, T. Ngo

Distributed Dynamic State

Estimation for Microgrids

IEEE Power and

Energy Society General

Meeting

Aug. 2020

Montreal

QC

L. Vu, T. Ngo, B.

Nguyen, T. Vu

Decoupling Proportional-

Resonant Controllers for

Positive and Negative

Sequences under Unbalanced

Voltages and Frequency

Variations

IEEE Power and

Energy Society General

Meeting

Aug. 2020

Montreal

QC

T. Vu Plug-n-play alternating

projection algorithm for large-

scale security constraint

optimal power flow

Clemson University

Power Systems

Conference

March,

2020

Clemson,

SC

X. Guo, I. Ndiaye, M.

Yan, Y. Jiang,, H.

Liu, A. Elasser

Feasibility Analysis of

Converter-Interfaced

Combined Heat and Power

System

IEEE Power and

Energy Society General

Meeting

Aug. 2020

Montreal

QC

H. Liu, I. Ndiaye, X.

Guo, Y. Jiang, A.

Alasser, M. Yan

Harmonics and Stability

Evaluation of Converter-

Interfaced Combined Heat

and Power Units

IEEE Power and

Energy Society

Transmission and

Distribution

Conference

Oct. 2020

Chicago,

IL

Y. Jiang, I. Ndiaye, J.

Liu, X. Gao, A.

Alasser

Integration Study of

Converter-Interfaced

Combined Heat and Power

Plants

IEEE Power and

Energy Society

Transmission and

Distribution

Conference

Oct. 2020

Chicago,

IL

Aguirre, R., S. Bird,

B. Frank, and M.

Gattinger.

Polarization over Energy and

Climate: Understanding

Canadian Public Opinion,

Issue 2, Oil and Gas. In Brief

Series, #2. and Survey Results

University of Ottawa

Positive Energy

Research Paper

T. Ortmeyer, T. Vu.

Energy Storage Peak Shaving

Feasibility for Tupper Lake,

Lake Placid, and Massena

Municipal Electric

Departments

NY-BEST 2020 Energy

Storage Technology

and Innovation

Conference

Virtual,

December,

2020.

2020 Clarkson 2020 Active Research Grants

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Title PI’s Funding Agency

Duration Amount

ASA 18 09 Paul McGrath MICATU 11/2017- $10,000

ASA 18 14 Insulators Paul McGrath National Grid 6/2018- $10,000

Real-Time Interconnection Studies and Control of New York Offshore Wind

T. Vu, T. Ortmeyer, J. Zhang, Y. Jiang

NYSERDA 01/ 2020 - 01/2021-

$400,000

Load Shedding Control for MVAC Ship Power Systems

T. Vu ONR 01/2020-12/2020

$113,000

Climate Change Education Partnership.

Sue Powers (S. Bird, co-PI)

NYPA 09/2020 - 03/2022

$400,000

SUMMARY

As we all realize, 2020 was a challenging year due to the covid-19 pandemic. That said, the

Clarkson power program has adapted, and continued to evolve as the power industry faces ever

increasing challenges and opportunities. We continue our strong educational programs at the

undergraduate and graduate levels, but face a number of challenges. Our power engineering faculty

feel that our biggest challenge at the undergraduate level is to attract students into the electrical

engineering major. We are confident that we can get our share of EE majors into power

engineering. At the graduate level, we face challenges in recruiting students into full time graduate

studies. We continue to see significant opportunity for our cohort program, although enrollments

have been impacted by the covid-19 virus. We will continue to market this program to those

entering the power industry who are seeking to expand their capability.

On the research side, we see significant opportunities for our Smart Power Systems and Controls

and High Voltage and Materials Processing Laboratories. The increasing need for non-carbon

energy sources is creating significant technical challenges for the industry, and we are working to

expand the collaborative research needed to address these challenges.