News

The IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Student Chapter at Imperial College London hosted Dr Afshin Pashaei from National Grid Electricity Transmission Owner on November 10th, 2023, in collaboration with the IEEE Student Branch to provide an Autumn workshop for power and energy engineering students. Dr Pashaei presented insights into power system careers from the perspective of one of the biggest players in the UK power industry. Along with an overview of trends within the industry, Dr Pashaei gave in-depth descriptions of some of the challenges facing power grid engineers today and emphasized the need for more detailed dynamic models to accurately represent the behaviour of power electronics-interfaced generators and loads within the grid. The seminar attracted 20 attendees, with both MSc and PhD students gaining a deeper understanding of the issues and opportunities at the intersection of research and industry.

Title: Join Us at the 2023 IEEE Conference on Advances in Communications, Devices, and Systems (ACDS)!

Date: September 7th, 2023

Location: Room 611, EEE Department Building

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Welcome to ACDS 2023!

We are thrilled to invite you to the 2023 IEEE Conference on Advances in Communications, Devices, and Systems (ACDS), set to take place on September 7th, 2023. Organized by the IEEE ICL Student Branch in collaboration with the EEE Department PhD Representatives, this event promises a vibrant showcase of cutting-edge research by both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Event Highlights:

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Presentations: ACDS will feature engaging presentations from both undergraduate and postgraduate students. It’s a unique opportunity to witness the academic excellence of our young talents.

Student Paper Contest: Undergraduate students will go head-to-head in a thrilling Student Paper Contest, where their research prowess will be put to the test.

ACDS Prizes: We are excited to offer a range of prizes for outstanding presentations, including:

• Best PhD Presentation Prizes: First place receives £200, second place £100, and third place £50.
• Top 3 MEng/MSc Presentation Prizes: Each winner will receive £50.
• Early Submission Rewards: The first 10 submitted and accepted abstracts will receive £20 gift cards.

Exposure and Recognition: Selected topics and papers will be featured on the IEEE UK and Ireland webpage and the Imperial EEE webpage and social media platforms, providing valuable exposure to your research.

Evaluation Process: The selection of topics and best presentations will be based on a combination of expert evaluation and popular vote.

Event Schedule:

• 10:00-10:30: Welcome drinks with coffee and biscuits
• 10:30-12:30: Undergraduate presentations and Student Paper Contest
• 12:30-14:00: Break and lunch
• 14:00-16:00: Postgraduate presentations
• 16:00-16:30: Prize ceremony and drinks

Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the latest advancements in communications, devices, and systems and support the next generation of innovators.

We look forward to welcoming you to ACDS 2023 at Room 611, EEE Department Building.

For inquiries and registration details, please contact us!

The Imperial College IEEE Student Branch is teaming up with the EEE PhD Student Representatives to bring you the 2023 IEEE Conference on Advances in Communications, Devices and Systems (ACDS), to be held on 7^th September 2023.

 

This year’s conference will host the Imperial IEEE Student Paper Contest. This is an opportunity for undergraduate or MSc students to present their work and get a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to MELECON 2024 in Porto, Portugal! Further details below.

 

The conference is a great way to showcase your work to the Imperial community and to train your presentation skills. Events throughout the day will include poster presentations, keynote speeches, and networking events, so don’t miss out!

 

To register your interest, please submit an abstract (~200 words) before the 17th of July 2023 via this link. Submitted topics can cover any topic in engineering that the IEEE is concerned with and could be part of your research or related to other interests. Upon notification of acceptance, students will be asked to present their work in the form of a poster or a traditional oral presentation on the day of the conference.

 

Imperial IEEE Student Paper Contest [BEng, MEng, MSc only]

Three winning papers will be selected and submitted to the Region 8 IEEE Student Paper Contest to get a chance to win a cash prize of $800/$500/$200 for first, second, and third place, respectively, plus publication of the winning papers in the proceedings of IEEE R8 MELECON 2024 (25-27 June) and funded travel to the conference.

The student contest is open to undergraduate students (BEng, MEng, MSc) only.

 

ACDS Prizes [BEng, MEng, MSc, PhD]

We are delighted to be able to offer the following awards: 

• Best PhD presentation prizes worth £200 for first place, £100 for second place, and £50 for third place.
• Top 3 MEng/MSc presentation prizes worth £50
• First 10 submitted (and accepted) abstracts will receive £20 gift cards.
• Topic/paper exposed on the IEEE UK and Ireland web page and on the Imperial EEE webpage and social media.

The selection of topics and best presentations will be made based on expert evaluation and popular vote. 

 

Deadlines 

Abstract submission deadline: 17/07/2023

Notification of acceptance: 21/07/2023

Full IEEE student paper contest submission deadline: 24/08/2023

Presentation/Poster submission: 24/08/2023

Conference date: 07/09/2023

 

Feel free to get in touch with the ICL IEEE Student Branch with any further questions you may have. 

We are looking forward to receiving your submissions and hosting you on the 7th of September! The full conference programme, including social and networking activities will follow soon.

On May 26, 2023, Prof. Julio Romero Agüero delivered a talk on ‘Grid Modernisation and Power Distribution Systems’ at Imperial College London. The event, organized by IEEE PES UK and Ireland Chapter & Switzerland Chapter and hosted by the IEEE PES Student Branch Chapter at ICL, attracted over 40 in-person attendees and 55 online participants. Prof. Romero discussed grid modernisation objectives, trends, technologies, and leading industry practices to facilitate the adoption of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and electric transportation. He emphasized the importance of engineering in addressing basic human needs, promoting sustainable development, and bridging the knowledge divide for positive transformation.

The IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Student Chapter is delighted to announce that we will be hosting Prof. Julio Romero Aguero to give a seminar as part of the IEEE PES Distinguished Lecturer Program (DLP) on Friday 26th May at 16:00. We are pleased to invite you all to join us there.

This event will take place in Room 611, EEE Building (6th floor) with limited capacity. Registration is required to attend this event. Please register via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/628162459827

Note that there are in-person and virtual attendance options, so please be sure to check that you have selected your preferred mode of attendance.

Following the seminar, snacks and drinks will be provided.

Seminar Overview: Grid Modernization and Smart Distribution Systems – this presentation will provide an overview of grid modernization activities and smart distribution systems, and discuss objectives, trends, modern equipment, technologies, leading industry practices, solutions and methodologies used by the electric power industry to modernize distribution grids and facilitate the adoption of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and electric transportation. This presentation will bring together all these aspects in a cohesive and holistic description to help understand this rapidly evolving and increasingly complex area.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Julio Romero Agüero is Vice President, Strategy & Business Innovation at Quanta Technology. He has 27 years of experience, he provides leadership to Quanta Technology in the areas of technology and business strategy, innovation, grid modernization, distribution systems planning, reliability, resiliency, and integration of distributed energy resources and emerging technologies. He has developed solutions in these areas for electric utilities and regulatory boards in the USA, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia.

He is a Senior Member of the IEEE, a Distinguished Lecturer of IEEE PES, and currently serves as Vice President, Chapters and Membership in the IEEE PES Governing Board. He has served as Chair of the 2020 and 2021 Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference – North America (ISGT – NA), Chair of the IEEE Distribution Subcommittee, Chair of the IEEE Working Group on Distributed Resources Integration, Editor of IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, and Editor of IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

We look forward to seeing you there.

On the 13th of March, we hosted our annual ‘Women in STEM’ panel discussion. As in previous years, the aim was to facilitate a conversation on the current status and future perspectives for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine disciplines. The roundtable format proved an effective means of achieving that aim, with the insightful contributions from our four guest speakers, coming from diverse fields and with unique professional experiences.

Our speakers were:

– Dr Reshma Rao, Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow in the Department of Materials at Imperial

– Rimshah Javed, Business Development Manager at Arenko

– Yasmin Baba, CPO and Co-founder at Amilis

– Prof Mustafa F. Ozbilgin, Chair in Organisational Behaviour at Brunel Business School

The panel was moderated by Emilie d’Olne, our IEEE SB Vice-Chair and final-year PhD student in the EEE Department. The conversation touched upon various topics, prompting each speaker to share some thought-provoking ideas and revealing examples. The full discussion is available to watch below!

The IEEE Student Branch hosted an event discussing nuclear fusion on Tuesday 7^th March at the Imperial College South Kensington campus. Two Imperial College academics – Prof. Zulfikar Najmudin and Dr. Yasmin Andrew – joined us to present some of the concepts behind nuclear fusion power, along with progress made towards turning fusion into a practical power source and how the industry might develop in the future.

Prof. Najmudin focused on Inertial Confinement Fusion, which uses laser pulses to initiate reactions and has seen exciting recent results in the US at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), whilst Dr. Andrew presented information on Magnetic Confinement Fusion, where superheated plasma is controlled using electromagnets, such as at the Joint European Torus (JET) tokamak in Oxfordshire.

Following the presentations, the audience had the chance to ask the experts questions about their research within fusion. There was an interesting discussion involving both speakers and the audience on the wider implications and potential of fusion power.

The Student Branch would like to thank our speakers for taking part and we look forward to hosting more events in the future bringing together different areas of science and technology research communities.

On Monday 27 February, the IEEE PES Student Chapter hosted an exciting event in Room 611 to welcome two new colleagues to the CAP community: Prof. Mark O’Malley and Dr. Elina Spyrou.  The students, faculty, and staff learned more about the guests’ backgrounds, professional experiences, and research visions during this event! 

The event was structured as a fun and interactive game of We’re Not Really Strangers, where Prof. O’Malley and Dr. Spyrou answered the questions of the cards they drew! Through this game, they first shared some personal anecdotes, before continuing to the next levels of the game – professional experience and research ideas.

The event concluded with research ideas, during which the audience had the opportunity to ask questions and seek further clarification on the speakers’ research. The discussion was rich and informative.

See you all for the next exciting events of the IEEE PES Student Chapter! 

We are pleased to invite you all to join us there.

Fusion has long been vaunted as a near-limitless source of clean power, but its proponents seem to have permanently fixed it at 30 years in the future.

With recent experimental breakthroughs in the US where excess energy was released by a fusion reaction for the first time, a natural question to raise is whether this really is a significant step forward or perhaps a false dawn.

A pair of experts will enlighten us on this question, alongside giving an overview of recent developments and possible future directions of the different approaches to fusion in order to overcome the huge challenges involved in creating sustainable fusion power.

Our speakers include:

Prof. Zulfikar Najmudin, Professor of Plasma Physics at Imperial College, London, and Deputy Director of the John-Adams Institute. Prof. Najmudin’s research involves inertial confinement fusion, laser-plasma interactions, and magnetized plasmas.

Dr. Yasmin Andrew, Physics Student Liaison Officer at Imperial College, London, and Fellow of the Institute of Physics. Dr. Andrew is working on tokamak fusion including at JET and MAST-U.

This event will take place in Room 611, EEE Building (6^th floor). Each speaker will give a presentation of their insights and work within the field, including current challenges and their expectations for the future of fusion, before a discussion and an opportunity for a Q&A.

To confirm your attendance, please fill in our registration form:

https://forms.office.com/e/x5iHkZB34h

Places are limited so please register (~30 seconds) to avoid disappointment! We look forward to seeing you there.