This project supports a US-United Arab Emirates Workshop on Research and Education Activities in Power Electronics and Drives, to be held at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), in Sharjah, UAE, March 1-3, 2005. The foreign organizer is Dr. Rached Dhaouadi, Electrical Engineering Department at A.U.S., Sharjah, UAE. The workshop will provide an important forum to address today's need to offer effective classroom and laboratory instructions in the power electronics and motor drive systems. The workshop will address recent developments made in the power electronics area, how these developments can be integrated into the electrical engineering curriculum, detailed course offerings at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and current industry needs for power electronics engineers. Participants will also explore areas in which joint research projects in collaboration with industry might be productive and complement the workshop findings. This forum also will provide an opportunity to make use of the collective experiences of many experts in the field and reach a consensus on global power electronics curricula. Also addressed will be the laboratory hardware and computer simulation support necessary for the course instruction, and the final recommendations for laboratory course outlines, simulation tools and relevant educational materials.
Because of the recent technological advances in the area of power electronics and concomitant increases in research and teaching activities, many universities in the US and abroad are working hard to develop a modern curriculum in power electronics. Several universities in Europe and in Southeast Asia have developed new courses and laboratories in this field, but a comprehensive global curriculum in power electronics has not been developed. There is a clear need in the US, the UAE and other foreign countries to have clearly-defined course contents, including laboratory work, in this area. This workshop will help the UAE universities address this issue, and will strengthen collaborations between US faculty and teachers and researchers in the UAE and in the neighboring countries. It is expected that the workshop will give the power electronics education issue the international exposure and the attention it deserves. Two U.S. junior scientists and one graduate student will participate in the workshop.
