Arun Phadke: Born in 1938, Arun Phadke earned his B.S. in 1955 from Agra University in India. He went on to receive a B.T. in 1959 from the Indian Institute of Technology, Khargpur, an M.S.E.E. in 1961 from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in 1964 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Between 1963 and 1982 he worked in the electric utility industry, the last 13 years of which were at the American Electric Power Service Corporation (AEP). There, along with theoretician Thorp, who joined him at AEP in 1976-1977 while on a sabbatical leave from Cornell, Phadke explored the application of computers to high-voltage transmission substations.
In 1982 Phadke accepted a faculty position at Virginia Tech, while remaining as a consultant to AEP until 1990. Phadke holds five patents. He has published over 150 journal and proceedings papers and has written or contributed to 22 books. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. His scientific awards include the IEEE Herman Halperin Electric Transmission and Distribution Award, the IEEE Power Engineering Society Technical Committee Distinguished Service Award and the International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRE) Technical Committee Award. In 2008, he co-won the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering with Prof. Jim Thorp.
James Thorp: James Thorp was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1937. He earned his B.E.E. from Cornell University in 1959, and stayed to receive his M.S. in 1961 and his Ph.D. in 1962. Upon earning his doctorate, he joined the faculty at Cornell. In 1976 Thorp began a sabbatical year with Arun Phadke at the American Electric Power Service Co. to explore the applications of digital computers in high-voltage transmission substations. Thorp focused his attention on protective relays -- devices that locally monitor power grids to quickly detect faults and isolate them, thus limiting equipment damage, public hazard and electricity disruption.
Today, Thorp's research continues to focus on the theoretical basis for adaptive protection and control of the complicated dynamics of large-scale power grids. In 2004 he moved from Cornell University to Virginia Tech as professor and department head of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. He retired from department head position in 2009, and was honored as a professor emeritus, and a research professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech, since. Thorp holds two patents, and has written nearly 100 published papers and over 100 conference papers. He is fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He has won the PES Outstanding Power Engineering Educator Award, the CIGRE Atwood Associate Award and the IEEE PES Career Service Award, and co-won the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering with Prof. Arun Phadke.
In 1982 Phadke accepted a faculty position at Virginia Tech, while remaining as a consultant to AEP until 1990. Phadke holds five patents. He has published over 150 journal and proceedings papers and has written or contributed to 22 books. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. His scientific awards include the IEEE Herman Halperin Electric Transmission and Distribution Award, the IEEE Power Engineering Society Technical Committee Distinguished Service Award and the International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRE) Technical Committee Award. In 2008, he co-won the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering with Prof. Jim Thorp.
James Thorp: James Thorp was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1937. He earned his B.E.E. from Cornell University in 1959, and stayed to receive his M.S. in 1961 and his Ph.D. in 1962. Upon earning his doctorate, he joined the faculty at Cornell. In 1976 Thorp began a sabbatical year with Arun Phadke at the American Electric Power Service Co. to explore the applications of digital computers in high-voltage transmission substations. Thorp focused his attention on protective relays -- devices that locally monitor power grids to quickly detect faults and isolate them, thus limiting equipment damage, public hazard and electricity disruption.
Today, Thorp's research continues to focus on the theoretical basis for adaptive protection and control of the complicated dynamics of large-scale power grids. In 2004 he moved from Cornell University to Virginia Tech as professor and department head of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. He retired from department head position in 2009, and was honored as a professor emeritus, and a research professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech, since. Thorp holds two patents, and has written nearly 100 published papers and over 100 conference papers. He is fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He has won the PES Outstanding Power Engineering Educator Award, the CIGRE Atwood Associate Award and the IEEE PES Career Service Award, and co-won the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering with Prof. Arun Phadke.