The Grainger College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) met to celebrate the 29th Annual Grainger Power Engineering Award Program, at the Grainger Engineering Library. The awards were established through the generous support of The Grainger Foundation to recognize both the importance of the power engineering field and the academic performance of the graduates. The event was headlined by Executive Associate Dean, Philippe Geubelle, and Department Head Jennifer T. Bernhard. Power and Energy Systems Area faculty member and Award Program’s chair, Alejandro Domínguez-García was the evening’s host.

Department Head Jennifer T. Bernhard spoke warmly about her own time as a student and faculty member, welcoming those graduating into the family. Also commemorated was David W. Grainger, the Senior Chairman of W.W. Grainger, Inc., and previous chairman and president of The Grainger Foundation, who passed away in January of 2025. David Grainger’s father, William Wallace Grainger, started the company that today is known as W.W. Grainger, Inc. (Grainger). In time, David took the helm and served as Chairman and CEO for many years. David was a lifelong philanthropist and, as head of The Grainger Foundation, was a strong supporter of higher education. Over the years, the Foundation has provided substantial support to the university. In particular it has provided tremendous financial support to the Power and Energy Systems Area, including funding to build state-of-the-art research and instructional laboratories, endow the Grainger Fellowships Program to support graduate student research assistantships, and endow the Grainger Lecture Series. In addition, The Grainger Foundation provided the endowment to create and support the Grainger Center for Electric Machinery and Electromechanics.

Grainger Engineering Library Head, Megan Sapp-Nelson, spoke as well, mourning the passing—just days prior—of librarian William Mischo, and expressing gratitude for his work and mentorship. Dominguez-Garcia noted that Mischo had been immensely supportive of the program and had assisted in previous years.

This year’s banquet was attended by nearly 90 participants, including emeritus faculty Philip Krein and George Gross. Also in attendance was Bruce Hajek, the previous ECE head, as well as many of the department’s graduate students, and of course the 16 award winners and their families. This year’s winners include: Lewis W. Conn, Jaeren Raine Dadivas, Andrew J. Freeman, Abel Garcia Jr, Diego Y. Herrera, Victoria E. Jeziorczak, Omkar N. Kulkarni, Cameron J. Little, Alex Parafinczuk, David Mengel, Andrew G. Ruiz, Elinor G. Simmons, Geoffrey D. Swisher, Michael Stoens, William H. Vavrik, and Jashan Virdi.

The program, now entering its 30th year is a highlight of the year for the Power and Energy Systems area, providing a space for faculty and students to socialize and reflect on the future, as well as giving parents, friends and family the chance to learn about what their student has accomplished in their time at The Grainger College of Engineering. Said Ellen Hayes, the mother of master’s student, William H. Vavrik, “I am so happy I came to this special event. I learned more about the Grainger family’s long-standing commitment to engineering at U of I. I’d like to thank them for recognizing the accomplishments of these students in a range of power electronics research. It was also fun to hear about several of their projects during the student presentations.”

This year’s presentations were given by William H. Vavrik, Victoria E. Jeziorczak, Andrew J. Freeman, and Omkar Kulkarni. Topics included data center power modeling, photovoltaic solar inverter design between DC and AC, circuit design for aircraft deicing, and insights on the Illini Solar Car. Presentations were shortened for time and targeted for a general audience, but were built off of longer talks and publications, representing hours of real research projects by each student.

Said recipient, Omkar Kulkarni, “I would not be who I am today without the mentorship and support of the ECE Power faculty and graduate students. Their dedication to student success and academic excellence has inspired me, and I feel extremely lucky to be part of a program that not only pushes the boundaries in power-focused research but also cultivates a deeply collaborative and nurturing community.”

Grainger Power Award winners have a history of moving on and accomplishing remarkable things, with students moving on to work at many Fortune 500 companies. Check here if you’d like to learn more about applying for a Grainger Award next year. The event and monetary award, are supported by The Grainger Foundation.