Webinars
NM EPSCoR SMART Grid Center Webinar Series
This series is for all project team members and will provide a forum to present research results, increase interdisciplinary and cross-cutting collaborations, and learn more about outside projects related to microgrids, commercialization, and other topics of interest to our project.
Webinar Series Facts
- Webinars will occur monthly from Noon–1PM MT on the fourth Wednesday of the month.
- Webinars can be accessed via Zoom.
- Webinars will be recorded and posted on this website afterward.
Please contact us to suggest topics or speakers.
Upcoming Webinars
George "Rusty" Nail received his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque in 2019. He is currently pursuing his M.S. degree in the area of Power Systems with a Certificate in Public Utility Regulation and Economics at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces. His research interests are electric energy systems, including renewable energy integration, and electric vehicles.
Opal RT for beginners
Date/Time: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MDT
Presenter: George "Rusty" Nail, Graduate Research Assistant at NMSU
Things we’ll cover in this webinar:
Past Webinars
Dr. Hamed Nademi earned a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Power Electronics in 2014. In the years since, he has gained experience in the private sector as a Senior Research Scientist at ASEA Brown Boveri (ABB), and more recently in the academic sector as a Research Scientist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he led industry-sponsored projects focusing on renewable energy resources, autonomous digital power grids, and transportation electrification. Dr. Nademi’s research and teaching interests include power electronics applications in microgrids, electric vehicle charging stations, motor drives, and advanced control methods.
Control and Interoperability Challenges in New Energy and eMobility Systems
Date/Time: Thursday, April 29, 2021 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MDT
Presenter: Dr. Hamed Nademi, Assistant Professor, NMSU Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
The role of distributed real-time control in the future energy and transportation systems is imperative considering large integration of power electronics devices through rapid growth in distributed energy resources (DERs). The requirement for microgrids and electrified transport is being driven for an immediate need for… Read More
Claus Danielson joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of New Mexico as an Assistant Professor in August 2020. He received his Doctorate in 2014 from the Model Predictive Control Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. He received his Masters and Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Washington, respectively. For the past six years, he has been a Principal Research Scientist at Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories in Cambridge, MA. His research interests are in motion planning and constrained control. His specialty is developing methods for exploiting structure in large-scale or complex planning, control, and optimization problems. He has applied his research to a variety of fields include autonomous vehicles, robotics, spacecraft guidance and control, heating ventilation and air conditioning, energy storage networks, adaptive optics, atomic force microscopy, and cancer treatment.
Exploiting Symmetry in Large-Scale Optimization and Control
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 24, 2021 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MDT
Presenter: Dr. Claus Danielson, Assistant Professor, UNM Department of Mechanical Engineering
This talk will present theoretical and algorithmic results on exploiting symmetry to reduce the computational complexity large-scale control and optimization problems. First, we will show how symmetry can be used to reduce the memory complexity of explicit solutions of optimization problems. Second, we will show how symmetry… Read More
Github Training Webinar
Date/Time: Wednesday, January 27, 2021 / 12:00PM - 1:30PM MST
Presenters: Karl Benedict, University of New Mexico, Jonathan Wheeler, University of New Mexico
An increasing number of researchers and research teams are using distributed version control systems like Git to enable efficient collaboration around and sharing of analytic code, software tools, and documentation. Whether you are developing analysis code, developing a manuscript in LaTeX, building a web interface for your… Read More
GitHub Resources:
- Setup - http://swcarpentry.github.io/shell-novice/setup.html
- Introducing the Shell - http://swcarpentry.github.io/shell-novice/01-intro/index.html
- Navigating Files and Directories - http://swcarpentry.github.io/shell-novice/02-filedir/index.html
- Working with Files and Directories - http://swcarpentry.github.io/shell-novice/03-create/index.html
- Git-It Download link - https://github.com/jlord/git-it-electron/releases/tag/4.4.0
OPAL-RT Bootcamp
Date/Time: Friday, December 18, 2020 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MST
Presenters: Olga Lavrova, New Mexico State University, Hamed Nademi, New Mexico State University, Fengyu Wang, New Mexico State University
An increasing number of researchers and research teams are using a distributed version of OPAL-RT Simulator. This training will provide an introduction to MATLAB, Simulink toolbox, and Real-time simulation using it. One week prior to the training students will receive a list of required pre-coursework which instructors will… Read More
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Resources in New Mexico
Date/Time: Wednesday, October 28, 2020 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MDT
Presenters: Robert G. DelCampo, Ph.D., Executive Director, Innovation Academy and Rutledge Professor of Management, Anderson School of Management, Kathryn Renner Hansen, Director, Arrowhead Center
In this webinar, NM EPSCoR will announce the launch of its Certificate Training in Entrepreneurship in partnership with the University of New Mexico (UNM) Rainforest Innovations and Innovation Academy. Additionally, representatives from UNM Rainforest Innovations and New Mexico State University (NMSU) Arrowhead Center will… Read More
Mike Morrison is a former User Experience (UX) designer who quit his tech career to become a PhD student in Work Psychology. He says he’s trying to do two things in his career: 1) Bring User Experience design principles to science, to help disseminate knowledge faster and more efficiently 2) Understand the psychological differences between so-called ‘realists’ and ‘dreamers’. He recently released a video introducing a new way to design scientific research posters — which every field in science uses and which are notorious for their bad design. His video went viral, and now scientists across every field in science are trying out his new design — and having more fun sharing their research with other scientists. For virtual conferences, he also released another video on creating animated ‘mini-slideshows’ for sharing research online and on social media.
Making Effective Academic Posters: the #BetterPoster Approach
Date/Time: Wednesday, October 21, 2020 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MDT
Presenter: Mike Morrison, Creator of the #betterposter movement
Mike’s webinar will quickly teach you the core design principles that make things engaging (posters, websites, reports, whatever). Then, he’ll show you how he’s applied these principles to scientific posters, both online and virtual, and give you some simple layouts and patterns to try in your own designs. In the end, you’ll… Read More
Seth Blumsack is Professor of Energy and Environmental Economics and International Affairs in Energy and Minerals Engineering. He is also on the External Faculty of the Santa Fe Institute. Dr. Blumsack’s research centers on the electricity and natural gas industries; environmental management related to energy and infrastructure; resilience of energy infrastructure; regulation and deregulation in network industries; network science; risk analysis; and managing complex infrastructure systems. He has been studying the electric power industry through academic and consulting affiliations for more than fifteen years. He has authored or co-authored more than fifty scientific papers; book chapters; and articles in industry and popular press, with research funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and private industry. He has consulted with the American Public Power Association, Bayer Materials, the Congressional Research Service, the Consortium for Risk Assessment and Stakeholder Participation, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Idaho National Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and numerous electric utilities and State Public Utility Commissions.
Carrots, Sticks and Other "Smart" Tricks in Making Energy Consumption Smarter
Date/Time: Wednesday, September 23, 2020 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MDT
Presenter: Seth Blumsack, Professor, Penn State University
Capturing human behavior in engineering models is challenging, in part because humans themselves are challenging. This talk will discuss a series of pilot experiments run with utilities in Vermont, the goals of which were to understand how investments in a smarter grid—primarily advanced metering and distribution systems—… Read More
Science Communication: Developing Your Elevator Pitch
Date/Time: Wednesday, August 26, 2020 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MDT
Presenter: Allison Brody, Director of Education, ¡Explora!
Effective communication is organized, relevant, and engaging. The elevator pitch is your first interaction with a colleague, funder, journalist, etc. The key to a good elevator pitch is to develop a good story and convey it effectively. These exercises are designed to help participants tell a compelling story with strategies… Read More
New Mexico’s Climate Strategy and Electricity Sector Implications
Date/Time: Wednesday, July 22, 2020 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MDT
Presenters: Laura Tabor and Jacqueline Waite, NM Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD)
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued Executive Order 2019-003 on climate change in January 2019. This order established the New Mexico Interagency Climate Change Task Force and included several policy directives for state agencies to implement. This presentation will give an overview of the 2019 New Mexico Climate Strategy… Read More
Siemens DEOP – Distributed Energy Optimization
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 24, 2020 / 9:00AM - 10:00AM MDT
Presenters: Bill Kipnis, Philipp Dolch, Marcello Pomponi, and Paul Bennison, Siemens
An overview of the development of smart read microgrids from around the world.
Christine Pfund, Ph.D. is a senior scientist with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research and the Department of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW). Dr. Pfund earned her Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology, followed by post-doctoral research in Plant Pathology, both at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Pfund’s work focuses on developing, implementing, documenting, and studying interventions to optimize research mentoring relationships across science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). Dr. Pfund co-authored the original Entering Mentoring curriculum and co-authored many papers documenting the effectiveness of this approach. Dr. Pfund is the principal investigator of the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) Coordination Center. She is also director of the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experience in Research at UW-Madison (CIMER). She is a member of the National Academies committee that recently published the consensus report and online guide, The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM.
Optimizing Mentorship for your Research Teams
Date/Time: Wednesday, May 27, 2020 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MDT
Presenter: Christine Pfund, Senior Scientist, Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison
This webinar will feature a presentation by Christine Pfund, PhD, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who studies the science of mentoring in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine). In this webinar, Dr. Pfund will present the current landscape of mentoring in science, summarize the recent… Read More
Kevin Tomsovic is currently CTI Professor in the Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at University of Tennessee, and director of CURENT, a National Science Foundation and Department of Energy Engineering Research Center. He received the BS from Michigan Tech. University, Houghton, in 1982, and the MS and Ph.D. degrees from University of Washington, Seattle, in 1984 and 1987, respectively, all in Electrical Engineering. From 1992-2008, he was a Professor at Washington State University in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Visiting university positions have included National Cheng Kung University, National Sun Yat-Sen University and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. He held the Advanced Technology for Electrical Energy Chair at Kumamoto University in Japan from 1999- 2000 and was a Program Director at the National Science Foundation in the Electrical and Communications Systems division of the Engineering directorate from 2004-2006. He is a Fellow of the IEEE.
CURENT NSF/DOE Engineering Research Center Overview
Date/Time: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MDT
Presenter: Kevin Tomsovic, Director of CURENT, CTI Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at the University of Tennessee
CURENT, Center for Ultra-Wide-Area Resilient Electric Energy Transmission Networks, is a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center that is jointly supported by NSF (National Science Foundation) and the DoE (Department of Energy). CURENT focuses on wide area control technologies to allow high levels of… Read More
NM SMART Grid Center Student Research Spotlight
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MDT
Presenters: Jeewon Choi, PhD Candidate, Mechanical Engineering, University of New Mexico (Research Goal 1), Jacob Marks, Masters Student, Computer Science, New Mexico Tech (Research Goal 2), Adnan Bashir, PhD Candidate, Computer Science, University of New Mexico (Research Goal 3), Shubhasmita Pati, PhD Candidate, Electrical & Computer Engineering, New Mexico State University (Research Goal 4)
In this webinar, graduate students from the NM SMART Grid Center’s four research goals will present on aspects of their current research.
Research Group 1: Jeewon Choi will present on the application of an event-triggered and finitetime control methods to the distributed secondary control of… Read More
High Performance Computing and Data Management Resources
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 26, 2020 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MST
Presenters: Diana Dugas, CyberInfrastructure Architect, NMSU
Karl Benedict, Director of Research Data Services/ Director of IT, UNM
High Performance Computing (HPC) Presentation: This presentation will cover how to access high performance computing resources for your work in the NM SMART Grid Center, including NMSU’s Discovery Cluster, UNM’s CARC resources, and regional/national HPC resources such as Summit (CU Boulder) and XSEDE. All NM… Read More
Informational Webinar for Seed Awards and C-IWGs
Date/Time: Monday, February 10, 2020 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MST
Presenters: Anne Jakle, Associate Director, NM EPSCoR
NM EPSCoR is currently soliciting proposals for Infrastructure Seed Awards and Collaboration Innovation Working Groups (C-IWGs). Find out more about these opportunities and have an opportunity to participate in a Q&A about the request for proposals.
NM National Laboratories & NM SMART Grid Center–Related Research
Date/Time: Friday, November 22, 2019 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MST
Presenters: Arthur Barnes, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Jay Johnson, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL)
LANL presentation: Protection of inverter-interfaced microgrids is a challenging problem because many of the assumptions made in traditional protection breakdown. The difficulties in protecting such microgrids include: 1) lack of fault current from inverter-interfaced generation, 2) varying fault current… Read More
Gary Oppedahl has over thirty years of entrepreneurial leadership and technical management experience focusing on startups, transitions, turnarounds and acquisitions to include technical semiconductor and laser companies, health care and city government. An EE by degree, he is a serial entrepreneur who has started several companies in Albuquerque and Silicon Valley. He has been married for 35 years and has three children and nine grandchildren.
Gary is currently the Vice President of Emerging Technologies with Emera, a $25 Billion Energy company, where he gets to help set the future direction of energy generation, distribution, storage and use for North America. He set up an office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has received funding from Emera Corporate to form a skunkworks called Emera Technologies, LLC.
Gary is blessed with the opportunity to think about current and future trends and then drive organizations, people and resources to create the future.
Networked & Nested Grid-Tied Microgrids
Date/Time: Friday, October 25, 2019 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MDT
Presenter: Gary Oppedahl, Emera Technologies
Emera Technologies is currently pursuing multiple demonstration projects of DC microgrids, two of which are in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The first, at Kirtland Airforce Base, networks six duplex buildings, a community center, and a Sandia National Laboratories facility with renewable generation, battery storage, power… Read More
The NM SMART Grid Center Research Overview
Date/Time: Friday, September 27, 2019 / 12:00PM - 1:00PM MDT
Presenters: Olga Lavrova, David Mitchell, Manel Martinez-Ramon, Ali Bidram, Anne Jakle
We will kick off Year 2 of our project and our first webinar with an overview of the four research focus areas of the NM SMART Grid Center: Research Goal 1: Architecture; Research Goal 2: Networking; Research Goal 3: Decision-Support; and Research Goal 4: Deployment. After a short overview of the NM SMART Grid Center mission… Read More