A former ISU professor has been honored for his work on disturbances in power grids and power systems that can lead to large blackouts.

Vijay Vittal, an ISU engineering professor for 25 years, was recognized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his work in the field of electrical engineering.

“It was very flattering, and at the same time humbling, to be recognized by them,” said Vittal, collaborative professor of electrical and computer engineering at Arizona State University. “It also puts the program at Iowa State in the limelight.”

Vittal was honored in a February 2005 MIT Technology Review article called “10 Emerging Technologies That Will Change The World” for his research in finding ways to prevent power outages.

Vittal worked on large-scale modeling of power systems to prevent blackouts that occur as a result of disturbances. He has also researched how systems respond if a disturbance does occur and whether the response will create any cascading failures that would increase the scope of the problem.

Vittal said he believes the August 2003 major blackout in the northeastern United States is a good example of the importance of finding ways to prevent power outages. More than 50 million people were affected by this blackout, which lasted for 24 hours, he said.

“Electricity is a basic necessity for everybody around the world,” Vittal said. “It’s so ubiquitous you don’t know it exists, and you realize its value only when it’s not there.”

He said he became interested in power systems because it was the topic of his dissertation when he was a graduate student at Iowa State.

“Once I started doing research in this area, it was more and more interesting,” Vittal said.

“His research is important because there is the potential for catastrophic events that are caused by disturbances in power systems,” said James McCalley, professor of electrical and computer engineering.

McCalley worked with Vittal on his research for 12 years at Iowa State.

“Vijay is a very creative and thorough individual; both those come together in his work,” McCalley said.

Vittal’s work continues to affect Iowa State.

“He’s left a legacy at Iowa State from the point of view of having a number of faculty still on our staff that spent a lot of time working with him and benefited greatly from that experience,” McCalley said.

He is continuing his research on power systems at Arizona State, where he became a professor in December 2004.

“There are many aspects to explore,” Vittal said.

Vittal said he finds his work fulfilling because he enjoys working with students and colleagues. He also interacts with researchers studying power systems around the world through several technical committees and the Power Engineering Society, a professional organization.

He has also been recognized for his work by being elected to the National Academy of Engineering in Washington in spring 2004.