ENGINEERING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

CONTINUING EDUCATION HELPS GET POWER TO THE PEOPLE

With the increasing demand for power generation across the country comes the need for training in electric and power systems engineering. EPD is providing educational solutions needed by industry professionals grappling with power supply issues and factors resulting from utility deregulation including: transmission open access, energy from independent power producers, and legislation regarding air quality and electromagnetic radiation.

EPD Assistant Faculty Associates Robert Pawelski (top left) and John Raksany (bottom right), Emeritus Professor Willis Long (top right), and industry experts such as John Diaz de Leon (bottom left) of American Superconductor offer students the latest information, planning and design approaches, and techniques to keep current and productive as the field continues its rapid evolution. American Superconductor's new D-SMES (distributed superconducting magnetic energy storage) device was featured in one of EPD's courses on solving transmission grid problems.

EPD offered 50 courses last year on subjects aimed at improving electric reliability, ranging from electrical power generation, transmission and distribution, to grounding, protection and technical aspects of deregulation. Attracting more than 2,000 students last year, EPD's electric power systems curriculum for industry professionals is the most extensive in the nation.

ENGINEERS EARN FIRST INTERNET-DELIVERED DEGREES

The College of Engineering recently honored the first graduates of the only campus degree program delivered completely via the Internet. All 22 students, who are engineers with employers across the U.S., attended commencement May 20 as graduates of the Master of Engineering in Professional Practice program.

The two-year degree is designed for early to mid-career engineers who are planning to continue working in a technical capacity and want to improve their professional skills. MEPP provides an effective alternative to an MBA for engineers. The program's independent-learning format gives practicing engineers the freedom to access course information at their convenience and take classes while continuing to work full time.

"Location, job responsibilities, travel demands and family needs often stand in the way of pursuing graduate education," says Faculty Associate and MEPP Director Wayne Pferdehirt. "To overcome these barriers, the program is designed to allow students to earn a top-quality master's degree from their location using time available in their schedule."

MEPP is unique because its courses have been specially designed for Web-based distance delivery, as opposed to on-campus lectures subsequently adapted for the Internet.

For more information visit mepp.engr.wisc.edu.

DESIGN COURSES FOR EFFECIVE STORM WATER MANAGEMENT AND FLOOD CONTROL

As existing communities grow and new ones develop, storm water management becomes a crucial issue. Rain that would have naturally soaked into the ground increasingly falls on pavements and rooftops, contributing to the volume of storm water runoff that must somehow be accommodated. Natural streams and channels are often eliminated by construction. In addition, both urban and agricultural runoff often contain high concentrations of harmful pollutants.

Assistant Faculty Associate Howard Rosen offers today's planners and designers of storm sewer and drainage systems a wide range of courses that provide cost-effective, environmentally sound methods for handling storm water.

Attracting a nationwide audience, these highly successful, hands-on design courses enable engineering designers to achieve both water quality and quantity goals. Rosen's series of design courses addresses storm water systems, detention basins, culverts and open channels, as well as the computation of water surface profiles for floodplains, bridge and culvert hydraulics.