Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 3221 Meet Manish Mohanpurkar, a power and energy systems scientist at INL Education background: Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Colorado State University Job description: Power and energy systems science is one of the major fields within electrical engineering. My job involves research and innovation of different aspects of the electric grid to make electricity greener and more reliable. I create algorithms and design control technologies in real-time environments to verify new ideas related to wind energy, solar energy, electric vehicles, hydropower, microgrids and battery systems. What led you to become a power engineer? The first time I visited my father’s transformer manufacturing company, I was thrilled to see high-voltage electricity operations. Electrical engineering fascinated me because electricity is an“invisible”form of energy that flows through metallic conductors and has observable impacts. School visits to a hydropower generation facility and similar industries enhanced my interest. I also helped my father fix home wiring and troubleshoot problems with home appliances. In high school I had great physics, chemistry and mathematics teachers, building a foundation for a strong technical career. What do you love about your job? I love my job because not one day is similar to another. On a daily basis, I deal with different technical aspects of power and energy systems. This keeps my interest strong in this area and allows me to innovate. Plus, I consult with world-class researchers and work in facilities where cutting- edge research is performed. Why is your work important to INL’s mission and the world? My work directly contributes to INL’s mission of creating the next generation of energy solutions that will be clean, resilient and reliable. Our research with microgrids and real-time simulations is helping develop a microgrid solution at a Northern California Red Cross emergency shelter site. Another project will develop smarter reconfiguration and a resilient power grid for the city of Idaho Falls. These efforts help our community, the region, our nation and the world build better energy infrastructure. What advice do you have for future power engineers? Maintain a learning attitude. Attempt to chase diverse goals and learn from your academic and life experiences. Learn how science and math apply to the real world—not only with books but with nature. Take lessons beyond the books to learn physics concepts by performing simple experiments. This will inspire ideas and innovation. Grow, be a scientist, and remember that it is cool to call yourself a“scientist!” $67,000 AVERAGE STARTING SALARY