New PES Chapter in Mississippi

A new PES Chapter was launched last year in the Mississippi Section based in Jackson. A petition signing meeting was organized by Tom Field at Entergy’s Headquarters in February with their first Chapter meeting in March 2012 with a presentation on “Communications for the Smart Grid”.

The new Chapter held seven additional technical meetings and tours last year: High Voltage Circuit Breakers, Fault Location Techniques, Understanding Flicker and the Use of IEEE 1453, IEEE 519 and IEEE 141, Routine and Design Tests on Power Transformers, Distributed Series Reactance Development and Applications, Application of Static VAR Compensator in Entergy System to Address Voltage Stability, EPA Tier 4i Emission Standards – Taylor Generator Manufacturing Tour.

Two meetings have been conducted so far in 2013, DOE Efficiency Standards for Distribution Transformers and Cyber Security Considerations for Electric Power Systems with Chris Sistrunk as their new Chair.

New PES Chapters for Region 3

PES is looking for additional Sections in Region 3 to launch local PES Chapters. Please contact Frank Lambert, Region 3 Representative, flambert@ieee.org, if you would be interested in starting a PES Chapter in your area or restarting an inactive one.

Atlanta PES Chapter Recognizes 2012 PES Scholarship+ Recipients

The Georgia Tech 2012 PES Scholarship+ Recipients were recognized at the February 2013 Chapter meeting with a presentation by GT Graduate Student, Tanguy Hubert on “Home Energy Management Systems: Implications for the Future Electricity Grid”. Chair Walt Hamilton presented the Scholarship+ recognitions to Patrick McAuliff, Andrey Kurenkov, Chris Stolz, Jeffrey Pettyjohn and Sokrat Bufi.

The March technical program will focus on Geomagnetic Disturbances and Their Implications for the Future Electrical Grid with a presentation by Dr. Randy Horton of Southern Company Services.

April will feature a presentation by Neil Phinney on “Compliance versus Security on the Power Grid”.

Alabama PES Chapter Activities

The Alabama PES Chapter continues to provide regular quality meetings to its members. Last fall before the holidays, a fascinating presentation was given on the dangers presented to utility crews in working on ungrounded equipment as result of substation copper theft. The talk included a discussion of the impact utility companies are making in getting harsher legal penalties in place for copper theft now that authorities are beginning to understand potential consequences to workers.

On February 20 of this year, the chapter put on a free lunch meeting with a presentation on the design and construction of Georgia Power Company’s Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, the newest nuclear power in the country in decades. Members continue to benefit from both the technical information presented at the meetings, as well as the networking opportunities between one another, and look forward to several more meetings over the course of the year.

Florida West Coast PES Activities

The Florida West Coast PES Chapter is hosting the next local utility user’s group meeting on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at the Tampa Electric Big Bend Power Station where TECO will present their work on Generator projects that restore the capabilities of the existing generators. Tampa Electric Engineers will present information on past projects performed at various stations to recover the performance of existing generators and auxiliary systems.

This meeting will also cover a current project at Big Bend Station where a 35 year old, 495MVA, hydrogen and water cooled generator is being modernized. The stator is being rewound, the excitation control system is being replaced, and the generator protection system is being updated to modern available technology. Additionally, information will be presented on other generator projects that have been completed in the past few years. The meeting will conclude with a plant tour covering aspects of the current project underway at the station for those that are interested.

Hampton Roads Women in Engineering Outreach to High School Students

Nine Granby High School 9th grade girls attended the first Hampton Roads Section of the IEEE WIE GHS Outreach event, October 9th, 2012. Hampton Roads Section Chair and Region 3 PES Chapters Representative Jennifer Ammentorp, Hampton University IEEE Student Branch President Erin Lawler, and Hampton University Society of Women Engineers Student Section President (and IEEE Student member) Karissa Vaughn were an informal panel at the IEEE Women In Engineering sponsored discussion, to enlighten attendees about STEM Careers and how to select the right courses in high school to prepare for college in support of a STEM Career. Ms. Ammentorp, an Engineer at Newport News Shipbuilding, presented technical career opportunities in the Hampton Roads community. Ms. Lawler and Ms. Vaughn, both HU graduating seniors, discussed academic challenges to anticipate and prepare for to succeed through school and into a rewarding technical career. Granby High Faculty Career & Technical Education Department Chair Deborah Marshall, at the urging of Granby Faculty member Sabrina Gunton, organized the event which may be the first activity in a budding partnership to bring awareness and support to under-represented high school students in Engineering and other STEM based careers. The young ladies had many questions about different career possibilities, and discussed concerns about low numbers of female students in technical classes in the High School age group.

Responses from students who attended include:

My experience with the Women’s engineering program was very educational and eye-opening. I enjoyed having the women from IEEE and the graduates from Hampton University come to Granby High school to share with me the broad job opportunities women have now a days. I thought it was amazing when they shared their experience about being the only girls in many of their engineering classes. I could not believe that they did not find being the only girl in their classes. It really opened my eyes and showed me that women have had to work to be able to be in the work fields that they are in today. I felt more encouraged to try new things out in high school when Erin and Karrasa told me that you should never settle for less than your worth because you don’t seem like you fit in. I thought that the meeting yesterday not only got me hooked on becoming an engineer but also made me proud to be a woman. Sarah H., Grade: 9, Granby High School, Norfolk VA

The Women In Engineering (IEEE) meeting that I attended was very interesting and informal. The ladies that hosted it did a great job at explaining what the program was about and what they did for a living in engineering, also how far being a woman in the engineering field could take me. The information that I received made a tremendous impact/influence on my life and what I see myself doing in the future. I am looking forward to more meetings and different programs that I can get into to build my career plan for the future. Thank You, Tanisha R., Grade: 10, Granby High School, Norfolk VA

In support of the positive student response at this event Granby Faculty members are discussing with Hampton Roads Section volunteers to organize a Granby H.S. WIE Group.

As a result of this event Granby High now offers an all girl Engineering class!