SDSU electrical engineering students set standard for academic awards

When it comes to electrical engineering scholarship, the program at South Dakota State University could be considered the standard of the power grid. 

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has announced the 2023-24 recipients of the Power and Energy Society Scholarships. For the second year in a row, SDSU dominated. The nine current selections are one better than the mark the program set last year. The list includes four repeat winners and five newcomers. 

IEEE, which is the world’s largest technical professional association, awards Power and Energy Society Scholarships in seven regions nationwide. This year a total of 82 awards were given with SDSU students getting 11%. The Midwest region is one of the largest regions in terms of scholarships awarded with 23. Thirty-nine percent of the Midwest scholarships went to SDSU students. 

Nationwide, no other school had more than four recipients. They were Iowa State, Texas A&M and Clemson, all schools with much larger enrollments. 

Top regional scholar also a Jackrabbit

Also, this year marks the fifth time in six years that an SDSU student has won the John W. Estey Outstanding Scholar Award winner, which goes to the top electrical engineering student in each region. 

The award provides a $5,000 scholarship, a $1,000 travel allowance to the IEEE Power and Energy Society general meeting and 12 months membership in IEEE. 

The 2023-24 Estey winner from the Midwest region is Kalen Meyer, of Rock Rapids, Iowa. He is the third recipient in the past five years from Rock Rapids. 

Professor Steve Hietpas, who directs SDSU’s Center for Power Systems Studies, said, “To be selected for the John Estey scholarship, in addition to the IEEE PES Scholarship is quite an achievement as the pool of candidates in our region is very strong. 

“However, it didn’t come as a surprise that our region’s committee selected Kalen Meyer. Kalen has maintained a very high GPA while also competing on the Jackrabbit wrestling team — no easy feat!” 

Meyer holds a 3.93 GPA and wrestles at 184 pounds. 

Other SDSU recipients of the Power and Energy Systems scholarships in 2023-24 are Sarah Aman, of Aberdeen; Leif Bredeson, of Darlington, Wisconsin; Nicholas Erickson, of Pierce, Nebraska; Devon Glisar, of Sioux City, Iowa; Cristian Hernandez, of Oakdale, Minnesota; Shelby Mueller, of Watertown, Minnesota; Luke Rasmussen, of Rock Rapids and Drake Rogers, of Milbank. 

Win-win for industry, students

Hietpas said the SDSU scholarship selections reflect “the high caliber of students attending SDSU and the strength of the power and energy faculty, resources and curriculum within the electrical engineering and computer science department as well as the strong connection between the 27 industry members of the Center for Power Systems Studies in our students. 

“The numerous internships provided by Center for Power System Studies members provide valuable field experience for our students, who are then able to do better in the classroom. In turn, these industry members have very well-trained students to hire upon their graduation.” 

Student profiles

The Power and Energy Society Scholarships are $2,000 for first- and second-year awards and $3,000 for third-year awards. A profile of the SDSU scholarship recipients: 

• Aman, a junior, is the daughter of Pat and Lynn Aman of Aberdeen and a 2020 graduate of Warner High School. 

This is her third year to receive the Power and Energy Society Scholarship. At SDSU she has been involved in IEEE, Robotics Club and The Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band while maintaining a 3.1 GPA. 

She has held internships at Ottertail Power Co. in system operations (2021), Missouri River Energy Services in transmission planning (2022) and Burns & McDonnell in energy generation (2023). 

Aman has received awards from IEEE Power and Energy Society in 2022 and 2023 for an undergraduate research poster she presented at IEEE Rising Stars on how automation will affect the power industry’s future. She currently facilitates a power systems modeling competition called Ideathon for undergraduate and graduate students on behalf of IEEE Power and Energy Society and MathWorks. 

After graduation in 2025, she plans to work for Ottertail Power in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, as an operations engineer and pursue a master’s degree part-time. 

• Bredeson, a senior, is the son of Heidi Johnson and Scott Bredeson, both of Wisconsin, and a 2020 graduate of Darlington High School. 

At SDSU he founded the Jackrabbit Disc Golf Club, is an officer in Jackrabbit Lifting Club and a member of Robotics Club and holds a scholarship from the Center for Power Systems Studies while maintaining a 3.20 GPA. 

Bredeson has completed an internship at Alaska Center for Energy and Power in Fairbanks, where he researched and assessed the feasibility of hydropower and pumped storage hydropower resources in Alaska. His work was then published in a trade journal, and he presented his findings at the student-led Texas Power and Energy Conference 2023 at Texas A&M University. 

After graduation he will be an embedded software engineer at Vermeer Manufacturing in Pella, Iowa. Long-term he would like to pursue opportunities in renewable energy or aerospace. 

• Erickson, a sophomore, is the son of Joel and Heidi Erickson of Pierce and 2022 graduate of Pierce High School. 

At SDSU he plays the trombone in The Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band, is a dean’s list student with a 3.85 GPA, was selected to the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, received a Center for Power Systems Studies scholarship and is a member of IEEE. In the summer he will intern at MidAmerican Energy. 

He plans a career in the power and energy sector. 

• Glisar, a senior, is the son of Andrew and Luci Glisar of Sioux City, and is a 2020 Sioux City North High School graduate. 

At SDSU he is chair of the IEEE student chapter and treasurer of the SDSU Shooting Sports Club while holding down a 3.00 GPA. 

He interned in summers 2021 and 2022 in substation operations at MidAmerican Energy’s Sioux City Service center. At Christmas break he interned at MidAmerican’s distribution department for one month. In summer 2023 he interned with Burns & McDonnell in its substation department in Kansas City, Missouri. Upon graduation he will return there to a full-time position. 

• Hernandez, a senior, is the son of Dawn and Justin Johnson and Mario Hernandez, all of the Twin Cities area, and a 2020 graduate of Tartan High School. 

At SDSU he has been a tutor for the Circuits I course and holds a 3.40 GPA. He participated in the summer 2022 power tour. “It showed me what a power engineer could be, and I found it all quite interesting. I’m thinking about getting into renewable energy. There’s lots of opportunities in wind or solar in southwest Minnesota.” 

His immediate plan after graduation is to work as an electrical designer sizing utility service and choosing panelboards on behalf of IMEG Corp. in Minneapolis. 

• Meyer, a junior, is the son of Sid and Tana Meyer of Rock Rapids and a 2021 graduate of Central Lyon High School. 

Also a repeat Power and Energy Society Scholarship recipient, Meyer holds a 3.93 GPA. 

At SDSU, the dean’s list student has competed on the wrestling team and won the SDSU Wrestling Academic Award in 2023. He also is a member of the honor societies of Tau Beta Pi (all engineering disciplines) and Eta Kappa Nu (for electrical engineers). A member of the IEEE chapter, he was named Sophomore of the Year. 

He has interned at DGR Engineering, Rock Rapids, for the past three summers. After another summer internship, he plans to find a career in the power and energy system field. 

•  Mueller, a senior, is the daughter of Noah and Nicole Mueller and a 2020 graduate of Watertown-Mayer High School. 

A repeat Power and Energy Society Scholarship recipient, Mueller holds a 3.30 GPA. She has been a teaching assistant for the introduction to electrical engineering lab and a tutor for Circuits 1. 

Mueller has interned for Burns & McDonnell in its substation and networks, and integration and automation departments. After graduation, she will work in the substation department at the Burns & McDonnell office in Minneapolis. 

• Rasmussen, a junior, is the son of Chad and Ginger Rasmussen of Rock Rapids and a 2021 graduate of Central Lyon High School. 

Also a repeat Power and Energy Society Scholarship recipient, Rasmussen holds a 3.95 GPA. At SDSU he has been an officer in Tau Beta Pi, the honor society that represents engineers of all disciplines; the Robotics Club and the student branch of IEEE. He also is a member of Eta Kappa Nu, the international honor society of IEEE.

Rasmussen interned at DGR Engineering in Rock Rapids the past two summers and plans a career in the power industry. 

• Rogers, a junior, is the son of Jonathan and Mindy Rogers, both of Milbank, and a 2021 graduate of Milbank High School. 

At SDSU he is a member of The Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band and the basketball pep band. He is a recipient of the Xcel Nuclear Energy and Woodbine scholarships and holds a 3.73 GPA. He plans a career in the power and energy sector.