Development of a New Power Electronics Curriculum Relevant to Tomorrow's Power Engineering Challenges

Nicholas David; Suman Debnath; Munadir Aziz Ahmed; Dionysios C. Aliprantis; Maryam Saeedifard

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Conference: 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Publication Date: June 23, 2013
Start Date: June 23, 2013
End Date: June 26, 2013
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: NSF Grantees' Poster Session
Tagged Topic: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 12
Page Numbers: 23.422.1 - 23.422.12
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--19436
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/19436
Download Count: 679

Paper Authors

biography

Nicholas David Iowa State University

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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.

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Suman Debnath Purdue University

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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.

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Munadir Aziz Ahmed

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Dionysios C. Aliprantis Iowa State University

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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.

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Maryam Saeedifard Purdue University

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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.

Citation
Format

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

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -                Development of a New Power Electronics Curriculum              Relevant to Tomorrow&#39;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.
AU  - Nicholas David
AU  - Suman Debnath
AU  - Munadir Aziz Ahmed
AU  - Dionysios C. Aliprantis
AU  - Maryam Saeedifard
CY  - Atlanta, Georgia
DA  - 2013/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Development of a New Power Electronics Curriculum Relevant to Tomorrow's Power Engineering Challenges
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/19436
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--19436
ER  -