Development of a New Power Electronics Curriculum Relevant to Tomorrow's Power Engineering Challenges
- Conference
- Location
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Atlanta, Georgia
- Publication Date
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June 23, 2013
- Start Date
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June 23, 2013
- End Date
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June 26, 2013
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Topic
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NSF Grantees Poster Session
- Page Count
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12
- Page Numbers
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23.422.1 - 23.422.12
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--19436
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/19436
- Download Count
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616
Paper Authors
Nicholas David Iowa State University
Nicholas David received his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Platteville in 2009. He has worked in the wind power industry and is currently a graduate student in electrical engineering at Iowa State University. He has interests in power electronics and machine drives for renewable energy applications.
Suman Debnath Purdue University
Suman Debnath was born in Thiruvananthapuram, India in 1988. He received his bachelor’s and master's degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology at Madras, India in 2010.
Since 2010, he has been working in the Power and Energy Devices and Systems group at Purdue University as a Ph.D. student. His main interests are in medium-to-high power electronic converters for grid-integration of renewable energy resources and other drive applications.
Munadir Aziz Ahmed
Dionysios C. Aliprantis Iowa State University
Dionysios C. Aliprantis received his Diploma in electrical and computer engineering from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece in 1999 and received his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 2003. He is currently an assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University. He was a recipient of the NSF CAREER award in 2009. He serves as an associate editor for the IEEE Power Engineering Letters and the IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion.
His research interests are related to electromechanical energy conversion and the analysis of power systems. More recently his work has focused on technologies that enable the integration of renewable energy sources in the electric power system, and the electrification of transportation.
Maryam Saeedifard Purdue University
Abstract
Development of a New Power Electronics Curriculum Relevant to Tomorrow's Power Engineering ChallengesThis paper presents the initial results of an effort to develop a new power electronics and electricmachines curriculum at two collaborating academic institutions, in a bid to enhance the relevanceof this subject to the undergraduate population. This is achieved via identifying the role ofpower electronics in addressing tomorrow’s grand engineering challenge of sustainable energyuse. This is a timely and important topic because of the increased demand for highly qualifiedpersonnel in the energy industry and the anticipated severe workforce shortage issue in theelectric power industry.Our pedagogical approach seeks to combine industrial-grade technology with collaborative andinteractive learning strategies. A problem-solving flavor is added in our teaching approach, asopposed to more traditionally structured lectures. We include research-based sequentialassignments and collaborative design projects to encourage student engagement inside andoutside of the classrooms. Our goal is to increase student self-discovery and to beinterdisciplinary with respect to both teaching and research. This educational approach providedadditional hands-on experiences to motivate students and help contextualize the course materials,and opportunities to explore a selected set of topics in greater depth.We describe our experiences in: (i) establishing a paradigm shifting approach to teach/learnfundamentals of power electronics in the context of several applications including renewableenergy conversion and transportation electrification; (ii) tailoring analytical/experimental tools toenhance active design/research-based learning using industrial-grade equipment; (iii)collaborating between two academic institutions with complementary expertise; and (iv)educating highly qualified personnel in an area of national significance.Course assessments were conducted on a regular basis by an external evaluator, under a thoroughevaluation plan that included formative and summative assessments. The assessment outcomesare presented, and plans for further course improvements are provided.
David, N., & Debnath, S., & Ahmed, M. A., & Aliprantis, D. C., & Saeedifard, M. (2013, June), Development of a New Power Electronics Curriculum Relevant to Tomorrow's Power Engineering Challenges Paper presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--19436
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