Welcome to the Industrial Power Conversion Systems Department (IPCSD)!
The Industrial Power Conversion Systems Department (IPCSD) is a subset of the industry Applications Society (IAS) of the IEEE. It manages, within the scope of the IAS, all matters related to the furthering of electrical power conversion, particularly electrical machines, drives, power converters and components, and systems. To that end, and in collaboration with other IAS entities and groups beyond the IAS and the IEEE, it organizes a number of conferences, contributes to the publication of refereed technical papers, organizes tutorials and sponsors standards. In short, it works at developing new technology, and disseminating new as well as established knowledge in this field.
The IPCSD like all of IAS and IEEE for that matter is a volunteer-based organization. Whatever happens within IPCSD occurs because volunteers devised it, organized it, and made it run. Feel free to get involved!
Updates !!
- IEEE IAS-IPCSD Engineering Student Chapter Design Contest (India)
- IEEE IAS-IPCSD Engineering Student Chapter Design Contest (Africa)
- IPCSD Committee Meeting Minutes and Slides
- Upcoming Conferences
- The IAS is actively seeking proposals for on-line tutorials (here). We hope to soon have a collection of on-line tutorials available to our members.
- IAS Webinar series: Makes sure to check the IAS website for free webinars, typically on Wednesdays mid month. Past webinars are all accessible at any time from the IAS Resource Center.
- Kliman award: The deadline for nominating a deserving colleague for the Kliman award is typically June 1st. See here for details and to download nomination or reference forms.
- The IPCSD sponsors several standards, and is taking the initiative in developing new ones, see the Standards page for more details. If interested or for more information, please contact Dr. Emmanuel Agamloh at eagamloh@ieee.org.
- Videos of keynote speeches and tutorials: There are videos available (viewable for free by anyone, downloadable free to members) on the website IEEE.tv about various conferences co-sponsored by the IPCSD department of IAS. These videos include keynote speeches in their entirety as well as some tutorials: Most notably from APEC (link), including APEC 2017, ITEC 2014 (link), as well as tutorials from ECCE (link).
In Memoriam – Professor Thomas A. Lipo (1938 – 2020)
Thomas A. Lipo, distinguished IAS member and IEEE Life Fellow, passed away at age 82 on May 8, 2020, after a battle with cancer. He was internationally renowned as a leading authority in electric machine drive technology including innovative machine topologies, power electronics, and drive control algorithms.
Prof. Lipo attended Marquette University, earning B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering. He completed his PhD degree in 1968 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Prof. Lipo joined the GE General Laboratory in Schenectady, NY, in 1969 where he honed his skills in ac machine/drive analysis and analog computer simulation. He left industry for academia in 1979 when he joined the faculty at Purdue University. Two years later, he returned to UW-Madison where he joined with Prof. Don Novotny to co-found the Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium (WEMPEC) in 1981. Under their leadership, WEMPEC grew into the highly successful university-industry partnership that it is today. During his highly-productive 39-year career at UW-Madison, Prof. Lipo supervised more than 120 graduate students, authored more than 700 technical papers and 5 books, and earned more than 50 patents. His technical articles and books have collected more than 50,000 citations.
Prof. Lipo was distinguished by his special affinity for international travel. He played a major role in pioneering collaborations with faculty members at academic institutions in Japan and China during the 1970s and 1980s. He supervised graduate students from these countries and many others that are now leading experts in industry and academia.
Prof. Lipo earned many international awards including election to the US National Academy of Engineering, the Royal Academy of Engineering in Great Britain, and the US National Academy of Inventors. He received the IEEE Medal in Power Engineering in 2014, one of IEEE’s highest honors. His other awards include the IAS Outstanding Achievement Award, the IEEE Nikola Tesla Technical Field Award, and the William E. Newell Award from IEEE PELS. His IEEE leadership activities included service as IAS President in 1994.
Prof. Lipo led a rich professional life that crossed the boundary between industry and academia in a uniquely productive way. He touched the lives of thousands of students, engineers, and faculty colleagues, leaving a remarkable legacy that will live on.