EE Department
Newsletter Summer 2009
New Electric Machines & Power Lab
New UAV Lab
The EE Department has remodeled a small room on the first
floor of the S&E Building into the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
(UAV) Lab. The sensors, communications, and system control
required for autonomous vehicle operation offer students a
great opportunity for learning UAV systems and operations, and
robotics. The UAV Lab will provide students a place for handson design, fabrication and testing of autonomous systems. The
catalyst for building this lab was Dr. Moon’s interest in the theory
and practice of remote sensing from autonomous aircraft.
EE students will also have access to the workshop area
for class projects. In addition to standard electronic workshop
equipment, the UAV Lab will house a 50W laser cutter for
manufacturing parts from birch ply, balsa sheets, and acrylic
sheets. Profs Dick Johnson and Tom Moon will teach a special
projects course next semester where students will design, build,
bench test, and flight test a
UAV based on specific mission
requirements. The Lab will be
able to accommodate aircraft with
wingspans up to
12 feet long.
Montana Tech’s Electrical Engineering
Department Newsletter
Trip to Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
Tech’s IEEE Club is renowned for its fundraisers such
as selling T-shirts at graduation and catering lunch at
the FE Exam. Their newest venture is “Gourmet Hump
Wednesdays” (gourmet coffee and doughnuts). The club
uses the money for trips to places like the Idaho National
Lab where students get the opportunity to see just what goes
on in a federal research lab.
IEEE Club members toured Idaho National Lab. Photo taken in
Experimental Breeder Reactor I. From left to right: Eric Smyth,
David Rose, Professor Morrison, Evan Jurras, Chelsea Carter,
TJ Myers, Dustin Gibson, Brock Beilstein, David Rose, and
Ryan Myers (in front).
Presenting the
May ‘09 Graduates!
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William Glennon
Anurag Guha
Stefano Pramono
David Rose
Cole Salo
Robert Seifert
Marcus Simonson
Josh Wold
Electrical Engineering
Shocking News!
The Department received $180,000 to
completely remodel the Electric Machines
and Power Lab (EMPL). The new lab
contains five stations to study basic
three-phase power, generator, and motor
concepts, one
advanced station
to study powersystem concepts
(such as
protection and
stability), and 4
variable-speed drive stations to study
the control of induction motors. The
remodel was completed December
2008.
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Who is this guy?
Be the
first to
answer
correctly
and win
a prize!
Send an
e-mail to Janelle
with your answer:
[email protected]
Good Luck!
EE Degree from Montana Tech puts a charge into the
careers of graduates, helping them make a living,
while making a difference!
Tech’s EE program emphasizes fundamentals
while students receive real-life, hands-on industrial
experience!
Students work closely with award-winning
professors on real-world research projects such
as designing the next generation of electric power
vehicles!
Montana Tech Electrical Engineering graduates
are in high demand enjoying 100% placement and
starting salaries above the national average!
Grants &
Accolades!
Electrical
Engineering
Department
» Dan Trudnowski,
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Department Head
Janelle Vincent,
Administrative Associate
Matt Donnelly,
Assistant Professor
Tom Moon,
Assistant Professor
John Morrison,
Professor
Brian Smyth,
Visiting Professor
Gloria Carter,
Research Administrator
Industrial
Advisory Board
The goal of the Electrical
Engineering Department’s
Industrial Advisory Board is
to advise the department on
curricula and programs, and
assist with raising funds, job
placement, recruiting, and
equipment needs.
Board Members
» Ted Williams, Director,
Transmission Operations,
NorthWestern Energy
» Casey Johnston, Engineer,
NorthWestern Energy
» Allyson Gatzemeier, IMFT
Fab 2 RDA Section Manager,
IM Flash Technologies
» Scott Gatzemeier, IMFT Fab
2 Probe Section Manager, IM
Flash Technologies
» Jim McIntosh, Director, Grid
Operations, California ISO
» Bob Morris, R&D Director,
Schweitzer Engineering
» Scott Olson, Engineer, Power
Engineering
Calling all Alumni!
Did you graduate with a BS in
Engineering Science, Systems Control
Option? Or General Engineering,
Control Systems Option? Maybe it
was in General Engineering, Electrical
Engineering Option? We want to know
what you’re doing! Please send us an
update on your career, your family life,
and any new happenings!
2007 BSEE
» Joe Bailey, Power Rangers, Billings
» Matt St Germaine, AECOM,
Richland, WA
» Chris Johnson, HDR Eng, Billings
» Noah Vrundy, Sagetech
Corporation, Hood River, OR
» Aaron Wirth, Industrial Automation
Consulting, Three Forks
2007 MSEE
» Jessica Croft, PhD EE Student,
University of Utah
2008 BSEE
» Jason Blackford, REC, Butte
» Ian Donnellan, MSE Student, U of
Pennsylvania
» Das Butherus, EE MS Student,
University of Idaho
» Cory Janson, Tesoro Alaska
Company, Kenai, AK
» Molli Nixon, MSEE Student, MT
Tech
» James O’Brien, BPA, Portland, OR
» Eric Bahr, MSEE Student, MT Tech
» James Hadley, NW Energy, Butte
» Gayla Hess, Naval Shipyards,
Bremerton, WA
2008 MSEE
» Debbie Harvey, Power Engineers,
Billings
» Prasenjit Debnath, India
» Brian Smyth, Schweitzer
Engineering Labs, Pullman, WA
Tom Moon
Assistant Professor & Lab Director
Tom comes to Tech after working for a
small research company for the past three
years in Bozeman. Prior to that, Tom spent
16 years as a professor in the Physics/
Geophysics Department at Tech. Tom will
serve the department as the Lab Director.
His teaching schedule will include digital,
embedded systems, circuits, instrumentation
and control, and remote sensing. Tom brings
an extensive research background in remote
sensing and UAV systems to the department.
Welcome Tom and Joanne!
Brian Smyth, Visiting Professor
Many remember Brian as a student. He completed his
MSEE from Tech last summer. We asked Brian to stay for a
year and teach after Professor Dale
Harrell suddenly resigned. Brian
agreed and he taught circuits, emachines, and power for us. He did
a great job! He started his new job
with Schweitzer Engineering Labs in
Pullman, WA right after the spring
semester. Thanks, Brian for all your
hard work!
» Professor Trudnowski was
named the Montana Tech
Distinguished Researcher for
2008.
» The EE Department received
$40,000 from the state of
Montana for a servo controls
lab.
» Professor Trudnowski was
awarded a $140,000 grant
from the US Department of
Energy to continue research
to develop advanced control
methods for high-voltage
power transmission.
John Morrison
Promoted to Full
Professor!
After years of hard work,
Sunday help sessions, IEEE
fund raisers, and equations,
equations, equations, John
(“JMo”) Morrison has finally
received the recognition
he deserves. For all you
“Book of John” students,
please send John a note of
congratulations.
Have a great summer,
Full Professor Morrison. See
you in the fall!
Scholarship Started: We need your help
As a new department, we don’t have much scholarship money
yet. We have started a scholarship drive for undergraduate EE
students. Many thanks to the Western Montana Section of the
IEEE for their generous donation of $500.
How about you? Any gift helps! Send your donation to:
EE Department, c/o Julie Crnich,
Montana Tech Foundation
1300 W. Park Street
Butte, MT 59701
Questions: Call Julie @ 406-496-4277
Congratulations, JMo!
EE Department
Newsletter Summer 2009
Matt Donnelly,
Our New
Assistant
Professor
Dr. Matt Donnelly has
over 30 years’ experience
as an engineer, energy
professional and senior
manager. He has in-depth
technical knowledge in the
electric power arena with key positions
in transmission, energy R&D, renewable
energy, process and bulk power control,
and emerging forms of generation and
storage.
Matt earned his BS degree from
the U of Arizona, MS and PhD degrees
from MSU, and MBA from the U of
WA. He is a Sr. Member of the IEEE, a
registered PE, and a licensed electrician.
Matt has been active in the IEEE and has
been a strong proponent of engineering
education. He is a member of the IEEEUSA Energy Policy Committee.
Prior to joining Montana Tech,
Matt held positions of increasing
responsibility in consulting, research,
construction and manufacturing, all
in the energy arena. He spent 13 years
with the power systems group of the
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
(PNNL). He was Sr. VP and Chief
Technology Officer at Sustainable Energy
Technologies, a manufacturer of gridconnected inverters and small wind
turbines. He also was a VP at Alpha
Technologies, a manufacturer of UPS
products and a reseller of renewable
energy equipment. He holds six US
patents, has published many papers,
articles, and reports. Please join us in
welcoming Matt and his wife, Toni to
Montana Tech!