December 2016

The IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Initiative recognizes highly qualified electrical engineering undergraduate students with multi-year scholarships and assists in connecting them with relevant and meaningful career experiences.

2016 PES Scholarship Recipients

The IEEE Power & Energy Society Scholarship Plus Initiative, a Signature Program of the IEEE Foundation, is proud to announce the awarding of scholarships for the 2016-17 academic school year to 230 undergraduate students at 110 universities across the USA, Canada & Puerto Rico.   For the first time ever, more than 25% of the recipients are female.  The complete list of recipients is available online.

PES Scholar Alumni Profile by Samantha McPeak

PES Scholar – University of Alabama

Becoming a PES scholar has shaped my career and is the reason I became a substation engineer at Black & Veatch. I knew in high school that I wanted to be an electrical engineer but was shocked (and slightly overwhelmed) by how many fields there were to choose from. I tried out a few different routes like materials research and telecommunications but didn’t truly find my calling until I came across the IEEE Power and Energy Society.

After becoming a PES scholar and 2013-14 John W. Estey scholar, I started delving into the field – I took several power courses, interned as an I&C engineer for projects at nuclear power plants, and made use of the resources provided by the PES Scholarship Program.

The best aspect of the program is that it’s not a one-time deal. With my continued interest in the field, I was eligible to receive the scholarship for three years. And besides the financial support, the other resources provided by the program are invaluable, like the career portal, mentorship program, and networking opportunities. For example, through the John W. Estey scholarship, I was able to attend the 2016 IEEE PES General Meeting where I learned about new developments in smart grids and met top professionals in the field.

I’m so glad to be a part of the PES Scholarship Program. It has been vital to my career and I cannot imagine where I would be without it.

Support PES Scholars like Samantha by contributing to the IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Initiative.

Schools with PES Scholar for the first time in 2016

1. The Citadel
2. FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
3. Georgia Southern University
4. Harvard University
5. Johns Hopkins University
6. Lehigh University
7. Rochester Institute of Technology
8. Syracuse University
9. Texas State University
10. University of California Santa Barbara – 2
11. University of Dayton – 2
12. University of Georgia
13. University of Louisville
14. University of Memphis
15. University of New Hampshire
16. University of New Mexico
17. University of Ontario Institute of Technology
18. West Texas University
19. Youngstown University

Schools with at least one PES Scholars (2011-16)

1. Drexel University
2. Iowa State University
3. Kansas State University
4. Kettering University
5. Mississippi State University
6. North Carolina State Univ.
7. Ohio State University
8. Seattle University
9. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
10. South Dakota State Univ.
11. State University of New York at Buffalo
12. Texas A&M University
13. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
14. University of Pittsburgh
15. University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
16. University of Washington
17. University of Wisconsin, Madison
18. Washington State University
19. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

According to the Center for Energy Workforce Development (www.cewd.org) – the 2015 Gaps in the Energy Workforce Pipeline Survey conducted by CEWD with its membership shows that employees in the generation workforce are the oldest of the job categories surveyed with the highest percentage of employees over the age of 53. Engineers and Technicians have the highest attrition retirement forecasts and account for over half of the potential replacements in the next five years.

PES Careers

PES-Careers (www.pes-careers.org) is a complimentary online resource that connects students seeking career experiences with industry for up to one year after graduation.  Its mission is to connect Power and Energy Engineering Students with their future employers.

There are over 2,200 students and 340 employers registered.   It’s a great tool for a student to use to connect with employers and for employers to identify potential employees.

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