The National Science Foundation Center for GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems in the Department of Electrical Engineering hosted its Spring 2017 Industrial Advisory Board Meeting on May 23-24 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The GRAPES meeting drew together faculty and students from six universities, including three international universities, and industry leaders from 10 of the 16 membership companies.

The meeting kicked off with center updates, an industry presentation, an NSF presentation and technology and project roadmap updates. A poster session followed, during which students and faculty presented project posters to industry members and faulty. All agreed this dedicated time spent together allows them time to connect and learn from each other. 

GRAPES facilitates close research interactions between university faculty and students and the industrial members of the center. This relationship gives researchers a direct tie to today's power industry, allowing them to research topics that are closely aligned with industry interests. It also gives the involved companies a clear voice into what the students are learning, and so directly improves the quality of the employees they will hire in the next few years. Nearly 100 undergraduate and graduate students have worked within the center. Many of these students have gone on to work for member companies, while others have continued their educations or gone to work for other companies in the power and power electronics industries.

The meeting, open to all GRAPES industry members, invited guests, and faculty and students from partnering universities, was a success.

The fall 2017 meeting will be held on Nov. 9-10 in Fayetteville. 

GRAPES is a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center. At this center, engineering faculty from the University of Arkansas and the University of South Carolina collaborate with members of industry to develop new technologies for advanced power electronic systems, develop new software and tools for controlling embedded- and grid-connected power electronics, and to educate engineers who understand the power electronic technologies that are important to our members. GRAPES' 16 member organizations come from commercial and government sectors of the economy.

For more information on GRAPES, contact T.A. Walton, GRAPES managing director, tawalton@uark.edu, 479-575-4487. For more information on the upcoming fall conference, contact Karin Alvarado, karina@uark.edu, 479-575-4958.