The Role of Simulation Software for Power Electronics Control Design in Education

In this panel discussion, members of academia, industry, and the software community will discuss the role that commercial software plays in the education of tomorrow’s power electronics control engineers.
The growth of electrification in transportation, increasing use of renewable energy systems and microgrids, and broader adoption of motor control from industrial equipment to consumer products is driving demand for power electronics control engineers. The use of system-level simulation software in developing controls for power electronics systems is accepted most companies as a way of reducing development and testing time and costs. A casual review of job posting sites shows that it is common to find experience in simulation software as a required skill for engineers in the power electronics field.
Power electronics programs in universities realize that they have a responsibility to their students to equip them with a sound understanding of their field and experience with the kinds of tools that recruiting firms consider important. Simulation software companies exist to satisfy commercial companies seeking better design workflows to improve productivity. At the same time, software providers recognize the importance of being part of the education of power electronics engineers in ways that help the educators, students, and the companies that hire them.
Attend this panel session as we explore answers to these questions:
• What role does this software play in electrical engineering and power electronics education programs?
• What is the balance between simulation software being an aid to applying theory and teaching fundamentals and offering features that mask the underlying principles for the sake of increasing design throughput?
• How do universities ensure a practical knowledge of software tools that complements the concepts and knowledge needed to develop power electronics systems?
• Should graduates be taught best practices and limitations of simulating control systems that involve high speed switching power electronics?
• What does industry expect graduates to understand about simulation software used to develop power electronics control systems?
• With real-time simulation becoming common in commercial companies, should it be part of the lab curriculum?
• What is the role of automatic code generation of C code in learning? When should it be used instead of writing C code by hand?
• How do educators and software providers partner to ensure that graduates have the skills to use simulation to achieve accurate and useful simulations?

Session Chair:

Tony Lennon brings 33 years of engineering and business development experience in equipment and system-level design. With over 18 years at MathWorks, he has worked with leading companies worldwide as an advocate of using system-level simulation to improve how embedded software for power electronics control is developed. His involvement with this large engineering community has provided him with a broad vision of the technologies driving electrification in the Auto, Aerospace, and Energy markets.
Prior to MathWorks, Tony worked in engineering and marketing at Metso Automation and General Dynamics, where he developed an extensive background in pressure vessel design, manufacturing, and flow control technology. He received his BSc in Engineering Physics (University of Maine), MSc in Mechanical Engineering (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), and MSc in Engineering Management (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute).

Speakers:

Alan Mantooth, University of Arkansas

Veda Galigekere, Oakridge National Laboratory

Bryan Lieblick, Plexim

Katherine Kim, National Taiwan University

Jean Sylvio Ngoua Teu Magambo, Safran

Albert Dunford, Powersim

Thomas Jahns, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Tony Lennon, MathWorks