Meetings & Events

WindSTAR, a National Science Foundation and industry funded research center, brings the innovative research capabilities of leading universities to develop high-impact solutions to key wind-energy industry challenges. WindSTAR provides a platform for public agencies and companies to cost-effectively collaborate on shared, pre-competitive research topics by leveraging R&D investment to access world class facilities, faculty, and graduate students. Their goal is to decrease cost and increase reliability at all stages of wind power plant development: component fabrication, array design, operations and maintenance.

WindSTAR’s membership is diverse across the wind energy supply chain, including wind farm owner and operators; turbine, blade and tower manufacturers; material suppliers; condition monitoring & control electronics manufacturers; actuator technology developers; and other organizations with a stake in the growth of the wind energy market. Their priorities drive the research agenda – and train the next generation of wind industry innovators.

Grid-connected Advanced Power Electronics Systems (GRAPES) seeks to accelerate the adoption and insertion of power electronics into the electric grid in order to improve system stability, flexibility, robustness, and economy. They hope to accomplish their mission by focusing on developing new technologies for advanced power electronic systems in the areas supporting grid connected distributed energy resources, power steering and routing devices, and intelligent load-side devices; developing the software and tools for controlling embedded- and grid-connected power electronics to benefit the grid as well as controlled loads; and educating engineers who understand the power electronic technologies important to the member companies.

GRAPES currently has 17 industrial and government members. The center is interested in exploring grid modernization, the muscle behind the smart grid, microgrids, and solid-state protection and power routing.

This webinar will provide insights into WindSTAR and GRAPES’s operations, funding, intellectual property, project selection, and management.

Participation is free.

Who Should Participate?

Representatives from

• Company and National Laboratories;
• University researchers with similar interests;
• Government officials who support programs in this area;
• And any company or organization exploring the economic possibilities and current technical restraints of wind energy and electronic grids.

Presenters

Christopher Niezrecki, WindSTAR Director, is the Professor and Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He holds the Roy J. Zuckerberg Endowed Leadership Chair and is the Director of the Center for Wind Energy at UMass Lowell and Co-Director of the Structural Dynamics and Acoustics Systems Laboratory. His research areas include structural dynamics, acoustics, structural health monitoring, smart controls, and wind energy.

Mario A. Rotea, WindSTAR Site Director, is Professor and Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Dallas. He holds the Erik Jonsson Chair and is a Fellow of the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), for his contributions to robust and optimal control of multivariable systems. His research interests include methodology for the analysis and design of control systems, control of wind energy systems, and noise and vibration control.

H. Alan Mantooth, Executive Director of GRAPES (IEEE S’83 – M’90 – SM-97 – F’09), received his B.S. (summa cum laude) and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Arkansas in 1985 and 1986, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1990. He joined Analogy in 1990, where he focused on semiconductor device modeling and the research and development of HDL-based modeling tools and techniques. In 1990, he joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where he currently holds the rank of Distinguished Professor. His research interests now involve analog and mixed-signal IC design and CAD.

More information to come soon.

Additional Information

Webinar: UIDP at info@uidp.net

WindSTAR: Christopher Niezrecki at Christopher_Niezrecki@uml.edu

About the NSF IUCRC Centers Webinar Series: Hosted by Iowa State and UIDP, The NSF IUCRC Program is supporting a new initiative to feature up to 10 IUCRC Centers in public webinars hosted by UIDP.org. Join us for bi-monthly, hour-long webinars to learn more about IUCRC Centers. During the webinars, leading researchers from the various sites will provide a brief overview of the current R&D efforts followed by an open discussion period where attendees can ask questions of the presenters.

For those unable to attend a webinar, all sessions will be recorded for future viewing. Participation is free.