Three students from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University were each selected to receive the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power and Energy Society (PES) scholarship as part of the PES Scholarship Plus Initiative.
Electrical engineering seniors Heather Chang and Johanna Hein, and recent graduate Reece Moon, were chosen to receive the selective scholarship in recognition of their academic accomplishments and professional aspirations to contribute to the innovation within the electric power and energy industry. In addition to financial assistance through a $2,000 scholarship, the PES Scholarship Plus Initiative opens doors for students to gain real-world experience while completing their studies.
On top of being named an IEEE PES scholar, Hein was also selected to receive the John W. Estey Outstanding Scholarship, as she was the top student selected from IEEE Region 5 (southwest U.S.). John W. Estey Outstanding Scholarship recipients are selected by industry and academic representatives based on academic preparation; extracurricular activities and leadership; interest in engineering in general, and power and energy engineering in particular; technical quality of application; and overall assessment of the student's potential for a successful power and energy engineering career. This was the second time a student from Texas A&M received this honor.
“When I was chosen as a John W. Estey scholarship recipient, it was a complete surprise,” Hein said. “I'm very thankful to have received both scholarships as the awards helped to pay my tuition for my last semester at Texas A&M and give me more stability as I start my career. Receiving both scholarships and a letter from John W. Estey also helped to encourage me during my last semester at Texas A&M and solidify my decision to pursue the career path in power systems system engineering.”
Hein has interned with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) for two summers as an undergraduate and will start working with them as a full-time engineer development program engineer in July 2022.
As an undergraduate, Chang has worked with Dr. Thomas Overbye, electrical engineering professor and director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station’s Smart Grid Center, on projects related to the smart grid.
“This scholarship opens the door to internships, research and full-time careers,” Chang said. “By getting involved in Dr. Overbye’s lab and research, I have had so many more professional opportunities, including this scholarship.”
This summer, Chang will be completing an internship with ExxonMobil as an electrical engineer studying power systems. After graduation, she plans to continue her education and obtain her Ph.D. so that she can conduct research in academia. Her career focus will center on the integrating of renewable generation into the power system and creating a new smart grid to change the landscape of this field of study.
Moon is a recent graduate who completed his degree in fall 2021. He is currently working as an associate electrical engineer in Houston, Texas, with LyondellBasell. There, he works with the power distribution system and the associated high-voltage equipment throughout the site.
I want to have an impact on the future power system design, whether I am supporting the transmission across our Texas grid or the distribution throughout the industry.
“I specialized in energy and power systems because not only did I enjoy the material, but I also grew up in the Houston area and realized how large this industry is and how vast the opportunity is in the area,” Moon said. “As the world’s population grows and becomes increasingly reliant on power, I want to have an impact on the future power system design, whether I am supporting the transmission across our Texas grid or the distribution throughout the industry.”
Prior to graduation, Moon completed a co-op and internship, received the ERCOT Engineering Development Program Scholarship, and completed research with electrical and computer engineering assistant professor Dr. Adam Birchfield to develop time-series data for synthetic electric grid simulations.
Since 2011, 1,881 scholarships have been awarded to over 1,000 students at more than 200 institutions. Texas A&M has had 17 recipients since the program’s start, seven being female, and had at least one recipient in 10 of the 11 years.
“The Texas A&M Engineering program, particularly the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering had many outstanding students receiving this award over time, which is not only an exceptional achievement of our students but also a recognition of our dedicated faculty that strive every day to guide our students to excel and achieve educational excellence,” said Dr. Mladen Kezunovic, Regents Professor and contact for IEEE scholarship awards distribution. “Over the years since this IEEE scholarship program was established, I witnessed the continuous success of our students under the auspices of the IEEE, the most recognized professional organization for electrical and electronic engineers in the world with over 400,000 members worldwide. This makes me proud and confident that our students Heather, Johanna and Reece, and many IEEE scholarship recipients before them, will strive to grow into the national and world professional leaders.”