The annual Power Picnic, held by the Power and Energy Systems area for over 25 years, was held at the Crystal Lake Park Pavilion on September 12th. The event, a ritual initiating the start of the new academic year in the Power and Energy Systems area was a happy and warm occasion in the mid-September sun. The event was hosted by the power and energy systems area faculty.
The event is an informal gathering of the Power and Energy Systems Area students and faculty, during which introductions are made, and events of the current academic year are announced. The Power Systems Area on the fourth floor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering building on North Wright Street, is a lively space, bifurcated into East and West office corrals for graduate students. With three laboratories and teaching spaces on the fourth floor of the ECEB building there are a lot of students coming and going at all hours of the day. Amidst this happy chaos, the picnic provides faculty and the new crop of grad students with a chance to get acquainted and distinguish themselves from those whose studies touch on Power and Energy but don’t focus on them.
The new graduate students will be making the fourth floor their new “work homes” over the coming months, forging lasting friendships and partnerships while doing important research for their faculty and future careers. Power Picnic provides a nice welcome reception and a good outline of the year to come. One of the new students, Sam Rajnarayanan (MS 2027) said of the event, “I enjoyed getting to know the power group over great food and conversation.”
Also discussed at the picnic are some of the student activities and clubs organized by the power students. Said PhD student in the Domínguez-García research group, Grant McKechnie, (PhD 2026)“At the power picnic, I got to talk with new and returning students to let them know how they could get involved in the IEEE PES/IAS/PELS chapter to develop professionally as well as our Power Engineers social club.” McKechnie also serves as the incoming head of the University’s IEES chapter of the Power and Energy Society.
This year’s new graduate students include Thomas Cai (MS 2027), Patrick Crandall (FILL IN), Aibgail Goucheteau (MS 2027), Robin Hallitschke (MS 2027), Yihan Huang (MS 2027), Sam Rajnarayanan, and Evan Schmitz (MS 2027). Faculty in attendance were Arijit Banerjee, Alejandro D. Dominguez-Garcia, Kiruba Haran, Philip Krein, Olga Mironenko, and Andrew Stillwell.
The event is family friendly and was attended also by ECE family members. Graduating PhD student Aria Delmar has attended five years of Power Party picnics, this year attending with her dog. Said Delmar, “The Power Picnic is such a nice way to start the new academic year, and I always enjoy getting to know my cohort outside of the research lab’. When asked about the picnic, Delmar’s pup, Fox, happily cried “woof!”