IOWA STATE'S VIJAY VITTAL ELECTED TO NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING



AMES, Iowa--Vijay Vittal, Harpole Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University, has beenelected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Vittal, 48, was elected "for improvements in real-time controland dynamic security assessment for electric power systems," according to the academy's citation.

"It's quite a recognition of my work," said Vittal, on learning of his election. "I'm quite thrilled about it." Vittalwill be installed into the academy in an Oct. 3 ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Vittal is one of 76 new national members and 11 new foreign associates elected to the NAE, and the second member of theIowa State engineering faculty to be so honored in the past year. R. Bruce Thompson, a distinguished professor ofaerospace engineering and materials science engineering, was elected to the academy last fall.

Election to the NAE is among the highest distinctions accorded an engineer. Membership honors those who have made"important contributions to engineering theory and practice, including significant contributions to the literature ofengineering theory and practice," and those who have demonstrated accomplishment in "the pioneering of new fields ofengineering, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovativeapproaches to engineering education."

"Iowa State University is extremely proud that Vijay Vittal has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering,"said Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy. "He is without question one of our most outstanding facultymembers and his work on electrical power systems has helped to improve the lives of people throughout the world."

"With the election of Professor Vittal to the NAE right on the heels of Bruce Thompson, Iowa State continues to claimits place as one of the top engineering programs in the nation," said James L. Melsa, dean of the College ofEngineering. "We're especially proud that, as an Iowa State Ph.D., Vijay represents the caliber of person, scholar, andengineer the college both attracts and produces. That one of his primary functions here is to maintain this highstandard of graduate education at Iowa State is just icing on the cake."

Vijay Vittal was born in Bangalore, India, where he received his B.E. in electrical engineering from the B.M.S. Collegeof Engineering. He earned an M.T. in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, India,and in 1982 was awarded the Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Iowa State University, where he joined the faculty ofthe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Professor Vittal's research covers a wide range electrical and power system issues, including power system dynamics,the dynamic security assessment of power systems, power system operation and control, and application of robust controltechniques to power systems. An internationally recognized leader in his field, Vittal is the author of two textbooksin power system analysis. He was Program Director for Power Systems for the National Science Foundation's Division ofElectrical and Communications Systems from 1993 to 1994, and currently directs the Electric Power Research Center atIowa State. He has received numerous awards and distinctions from professional societies and from Iowa StateUniversity, including the Outstanding Power Engineering Educator Award from the Power Engineering Society of theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 2000, and the Iowa State University Foundation Award forOutstanding Achievement in Research in 2003.

Professor Vittal lives in Ames, Iowa, with his wife, Sunanda, and son, Vinayak, 18. Another son, Eknath, 20, isstudying electrical engineering at the University of Illinois.