Getting a charge from research

Ranade shares passion for electrical engineering, places students in jobs

By Daniella De Luca

Preparing students for the world that lies beyond a post-secondary education is what most educators at New Mexico State University seek to accomplish. And Satish Ranade is no exception with his enhanced electrical and power engineering program, geared toward placing students in jobs immediately after graduation.

For the past 27 years, Ranade, a professor at the Klipsch School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at NMSU, has made it a priority to teach engineering students about career opportunities in electrical and power engineering. He is also the chairman for utility management at the Public Service Company of New Mexico, and the director of the Electric Utility Management Program (EUMP).

The EUMP program began in 1968 and has evolved into a master’s program with its focus on a “directed mentoring” approach that has taken in all students at different educational levels – undergraduates, graduates and doctoral students. Through direct mentoring and joint interaction with industry members, the program provides on-campus work opportunities and industry internships. The program is open to students as early as their freshman year.

“These are the people going out there, getting the jobs and are getting the challenges. They should be able to have the biggest ‘toolbox’ and be able to think outside the box when presented with a problem,” Ranade said of graduates from the program. He said students who correspond with him and others in the department after graduation have all had very positive feedback on the teaching methods used at NMSU. The employers also appear to be satisfied.

“The industry often tells us power engineers coming out of NMSU are given virtually no training once in the field because they are ready to start work,” Ranade said.

A lab in Thomas and Brown Hall houses an electrical engineering circuit board similar to the ones used in utility power plants and offices. Students work with the same equipment they would use if they were employed with an electric company such as El Paso Electric, he said. The lab is powered by a solar panel positioned on the roof of the building. This helps students learn how solar energy is harnessed and used, Ranade said.

Ranade is involved in a research team studying how to redevelop technologies for renewable energy venues such as wind and solar power.

Ranade and his colleagues continue to research solar energy that could power homes in Las Cruces. Accessibility and convenience to the homeowner are components he and his research team are keeping in mind.

He said some stakeholders from the state, businesses in Las Cruces and other engineers are showing interest in this research. Of course, undergraduate and graduate students continue to play a role in exploring solar energy in engineering capstone classes. In these upper-level courses, students work in groups that design a project, build it, test it and then ask questions like how to manufacture it, patent it and also ask how they could potentially profit from it.

Ranade, who achieved his master’s in electrical engineering from NMSU and Ph.D. from the University of Florida, spends his spare time playing and watching tennis. He has also served as the adviser to both the university cricket club and the student branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. However, he doesn’t let his comprehensive studies of energy, power and using solar energy become intertwined with his leisure life.

“I have a solar water heater that heats up my pool at home,” Ranade said with a laugh. “That’s about it.”