Abstracts:Presents the recipients of IAS members who won 2023 IEEE Technical Field Awards.

Abstracts:Born in the small town of Campo Novo in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, Guilherme Hübner believes that it was his curiosity that led him to pursue engineering. He recalled that, although it was a lot of fun to play with his toys as a kid, taking these toys apart to understand their finer intimacies and intricacies as well as how they worked was more enjoyable for him. Besides his curiosity to learn how things work, his love of numbers, which he inherited from his math teacher mother, was another influence that encouraged him to pursue a career in engineering. At the age of 4, Hübner moved with his parents to Três de Maio, a small city in his home state, where he lived until graduating from high school. While in high school, he fondly recalled that he very much enjoyed math, physics, and chemistry classes, atop which he fortified his broad education with English classes and a computer maintenance course as professional extracurricular activities. In 2012, Hübner completed his high school degree and moved to Santa Maria, another city in his home state, to study engineering at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM).

Abstracts:In the last three decades, the study of inverter-induced bearing currents has become a very important line of research, and hundreds of works related to this theme can be found in the literature. Thus, several contributions concerning these currents were made, such as in the areas of modeling and simulation techniques, selection of appropriate mitigation method, developments of new mitigation devices, and damage monitoring within the bearings, among others. In this context, much information related to bearing currents cause-and-effect chains is available. However, many contributions that have been developed in recent years for describing the mechanisms behind the bearing currents occurrence can only be found in a fragmented way. Thus, great efforts must be employed to provide a clear comprehension of each bearing current type and all the corresponding issues. To overcome this problem, this article provides a broad overview of the physical principles related to the inverter-induced bearing current, by means of a detailed and didactic approach. A huge volume of information was compiled, describing the expected currents maximum amplitudes, their probability of occurrence, and the motor size which they are more expected to occur, among other relevant issues.

Abstracts:Part 2 of &#x201C;When to replace aging transformers&#x201D; uses the initial case study to define basic problems surrounding transformers that were in service for more than 60 years. This article provides an update on transformers returned to service and that are now 71 years old. It expounds more deeply on the insulation system, testing, and criteria used to determine whether to allow a transformer to remain in service or to be replaced. It explores the technique of using the degree of polymerization (DP) to assess the remaining life of insulation as defined in the standards. With today&#x2019;s information gathering techniques and database manipulation, the method of online monitoring will be discussed. Additional information is available in the paper &#x201C;When to Replace Aging Transformers&#x201D; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref3">[3]</xref>.

Abstracts:Safe, reliable electric power is critically important in industrial facilities, including field production facilities and plants. The electric circuit protection and monitoring systems currently in use do not detect incipient faults or predict apparatus failures. Two decades of research demonstrate that early stages of apparatus, device, and cable failures can, in some cases, be detected electrically, enabling repairs and avoidance of faults and outages. The authors have developed a technology, which has become known as <italic>distribution fault anticipation</italic> (<italic>DFA</italic>), that uses continuous monitoring to provide real-time situational awareness of circuit activity. The DFA system monitors voltage and current signals to detect circuit abnormalities and failures and utilizes intelligent algorithms to classify circuit events, including incipient failure signatures. This article provides examples of failing devices that were successfully detected in early stages. DFA technology was originally developed in cooperation with utility companies but is applicable to any power distribution circuit and has begun trials in an industrial setting.

Abstracts:Horizontal Directional Drill (HDD) installation of high-voltage (HV) transmission has proven practical, and in some cases, less costly than traditional overhead options. Petrochemical facilities located on waterways provide excellent opportunities for underwater HDD-installed transmission lines. These designs can provide significant safety advantages as well as improve system reliability. They eliminate the height restrictions associated with overhead lines, reduce air traffic obstructions, and reduce the weather-related concerns typically associated with traditional overhead transmission lines, especially highly elevated transmission line crossings over waterways. They also offer significant opportunities when expanding existing facilities and designing for Prevention through Design by eliminating the overhead transmission and their associated contact risks throughout the life of the installation. Each HDD-installed transmission line is different and can create significant challenges; however, the benefits associated with this technology can significantly outweigh the effort. This article reviews some of the challenges associated with long, high-capacity transmission line installations, along with their associated solutions as incorporated in previous projects. This article does not cover the smaller and shorter HDD installations typically associated with electrical distribution commonly used to cross streets, highways, or feed commercial facilities.

Abstracts:On 31 December 2022, Steve Welby resigned from his position as executive director and chief operating officer (COO) of IEEE. Welby came to IEEE in January 2018, after serving for one term in the Obama administration as U.S. assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering. When he arrived at IEEE headquarters, Welby signed on for a five-year term. When he left at the end of last year, Welby announced that he wanted to spend more time with his family while exploring career options. Steve didn&#x2019;t spend much time exploring. After coming home to his family who never left the Washington DC area, he returned to government service. His LinkedIn profile shows in February of this year serves in a new position as Deputy Director, National Security, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Serving as IEEE Division II director and as a member of the IEEE Board of Directors from 2018 to 2020, I had an opportunity to directly engage with Steve during the four-day Board Series meetings held four times per year. I had a front row seat observing Steve. I believe Welby was a transformational leader for IEEE and a consummate professional. &#x201C;Through the eye of a needle&#x201D; is, of course, a metaphor for navigating through a very narrow opening. I learned this to be one of Steve&#x2019;s special skills.