Honolulu, Hawaii
June 24, 2007
June 24, 2007
June 27, 2007
2153-5965
Energy Conversion and Conservation
10
12.923.1 - 12.923.10
10.18260/1-2--2421
https://peer.asee.org/2421
559
Noel N. Schulz received her B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. degrees from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1988 and 1990, respectively. She received her Ph.D. in EE from the University of Minnesota in 1995. She has been an associate professor in the ECE department at Mississippi State University since July 2001 and holds the TVA Endowed Professorship in Power Systems Engineering. Prior to that she spent six years on the faculty of Michigan Tech. Her research interests are in computer applications in power system operations including artificial intelligence techniques. She is a NSF CAREER award recipient. She has been active in ASEE and is currently the Women in Engineering Division Chair. She is also active in the IEEE Power Engineering Society and is serving as Secretary for 2004-2007. Dr. Schulz is a member of Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi.
Herbert L. Ginn III received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, in 1998 and 2002, respectively. In the fall of 2002 he joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Mississippi State University as an Assistant Professor. His research interests include power phenomena and compensation in non-sinusoidal systems and power electronics applications in power systems.
Integrating Shipboard Power System Topics into Curriculum Abstract Traditionally electric power programs have had very strong relationships with electric utilities. Lately campuses are seeing a more diverse corporate representation seeking students with power engineering background. These companies include power equipment manufacturers, consultants, chemical companies, automotive companies and more.
A new set of companies looking for power engineers are naval ship builders and other ship building support industries. The new all-electric ship program provides a platform for increased control and utilization of electric power systems to improve ship features of reconfiguration and survivability. The industry now needs more electrical power engineers to solve its future challenges.
This paper will describe efforts at our university to integrate more shipboard power system topics into the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. The shipboard power system provides some unique challenges and features. By incorporating the ship power system activities into the classroom, faculty member are able to expose students to the varied challenges between these systems and traditional utility systems. As part of the curriculum update, our activities include upgrading our graduate education classes to allow current engineers within the shipbuilding community to retool in ECE classrooms to provide the background and support of future shipbuilding design and engineering needs. By collaborating with shipbuilders within the state, curriculum improvements are helping with state economic development as well as providing a workforce with a more diverse background.
Introduction The power engineering field has seen many changes over the last twenty years. Traditionally power programs at universities provided power engineers to regional utilities and manufacturers. At the start of deregulation, hiring slowed and some universities discontinued their power programs as senior power faculty retired and electrical engineering expanded into new areas of communications, computer engineering, signal processing and microelectronics.
However recent trends are showing an increase in the demand for power engineering graduates. Many power engineering publications and conferences are discussing the maturing of the utility engineering staff and how new engineers will be needed to replace these retiring engineers. Additionally the blackout of 2003 highlighted the shortcomings of our electric utility system.
During this same time, universities have seen a shift in the companies that hire power engineers. Large chemical companies, automotive manufacturing facilities and other large manufacturing plants that have substantial power demand and need staff to help maintain industrial power plants and facilities, are now recruiting power engineering students. In the last two years, some universities are also seeing a push from the shipbuilding community for more engineers with training and background in power and controls.
Schulz, N., & Ginn, H., & Grzybowski, S., & Srivastava, A., & Bastos, J. (2007, June), Integrating Shipboard Power System Topics Into Curriculum Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2421
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