September 18, 2006
SIUC hosts symposium on electric power systems
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale is host this week to one of the leading international symposiums on electric power engineering.
The 38th annual North American Power Symposium opened on Sunday, Sept 17, and continues through Tuesday, Sept. 19. A total of 125 papers from 240 authors will present the latest university research and innovations for electric power systems, said professor Morteza Daneshdoost of SIUC's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and symposium chair. The department is part of the College of Engineering.
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Media Advisory
Reporters and photographers are welcome to attend the symposium. For more information, contact professor Morteza Daneshdoost at 618/536-2364.
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There are five parallel sessions today and Tuesday. Three sessions take place today and two sessions are on Tuesday. Each of the sessions will be on the SIUC Student Center second floor. Today's sessions run from 9:45 to 11:45 a.m., 1:15 to 3:45 p.m., and 3:15 to 5 p.m. Sessions on Tuesday are 8 to 9:45 a.m., and 10 a.m. to noon.
An event schedule is at http://www.engr.siu.edu/elec/naps2006/Schedule.htm
On-site registration is still required to attend individual presentations, but is free for the public, Daneshdoost said.
Presentations will explore how to prevent blackouts; how to deal with the future construction of electric grids to ensure systems are capable of handling increased energy consumption; and research on developing more efficient, high-powered electrical equipment —such as generators and transformers.
The symposium draws about 200 faculty, students and professional engineers from universities from throughout the United States, along with Canada, Mexico, Europe, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
SIUC hosted the event in 1991. Only four other schools —Iowa State University, University of Missouri-Rolla, Kansas State University, and Purdue University —hosted the symposium more than once since its inception in 1969.
Daneshdoost points to the national prestige of the University's power program for hosting the symposium, which began as an activity of the non-profit Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc, or IEEE.
"This is a great honor for the University," said professor Glafkos D. Galanos, chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Leading in research, scholarly and creative activities is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint the University is following as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2019.