Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is recognized annually throughout May. It celebrates the history, culture, contributions, and achievements of Asian and Pacific Islanders IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) would like to spotlight Zongjie Wang who has planted her professional roots as the Assistant Professor of the Department of Electrical Computer Engineering at the University of Connecticut and the Associate Director of the Eversource Energy Center, a partnership with the University through state-of-the-art research, technology and software that strive to solve real-world challenges within the power and energy space. Zongjie focuses on grid modernization, workforce development, and industry-specific educational training in this role, which she explains acts as a bridge and connects her world of academics to utility professionals. Being an expert in her line of work, Zongjie strives to expand her knowledge and involvement in the engineering space. A portion of her work in the power systems is through her research and grasping a greater understanding of today’s challenges and advancements.
Zongjie’s interest in the engineering industry was influenced by her research and her parents, two hardworking engineers: her father, an electrical and computer engineer, and her mother, an electrical engineer and finance professional. Together, much of her knowledge and drive stems from their experiences working in the field. Growing up, she thrived on having insightful conversations with her father on all things engineering, listening to what fascinating discoveries he had to share.
As an undergraduate student studying electrical engineering in China, Zongjie realized that the more she studied, the more she wanted to contribute to power and energy. During this time, Zongjie found out about her university’s involvement with IEEE through her student chapter, which kickstarted her discovery of IEEE PES. The university faculty shared many resources on papers to events, and worked with students on an educational and professional level in developing journals. Zongjie was invited to attend the IEEE PES General Meeting, which was held in Vancouver, Canada. This was the start of her IEEE PES involvement.
Zongjie explained, “I was more amazed by the many great proposals, panel discussions, presentations, posters, and other discussions that were organized by IEEE PES. That was the very first time I was exposed to a conference like that.”
Through her exposure and involvement within the events space, Zongjie holds a number of different leadership roles with IEEE PES. She plays a valuable part in the IEEE PES Membership and Committees, the Technical Program Committee for many IEEE PES events like the IEEE PES Grid Edge Technologies Conference & Exposition, and being General Chair of the 57th North American Power Symposium (NAPS) taking place later this year in October. Zongjie has also been selected as the Secretary-Elect for the IEEE PES Education Committee (PEEC) award subcommittee.
As Zongjie continued her professional development, she realized that there was not much women’s representation in the field. Her exposure to IEEE PES events and involvement in a variety of committees made her aware of the IEEE PES Women in Power program (WiP), which fosters career advancement, networking, and women’s education in the energy industry. This allowed her to gain further insights and connect with women in the engineering space. Zongjie’s involvement in this program came to life after she reached out to the past program Chair, Dr. Elli Ntakou, who is also a collaborator at Eversource Energy Center. The two exchanged ideas on fostering career advancement and networking with women in the energy industry. The role of Academia Coordinator was open in which Zongjie happily filled.
She explained, “The role is really to connect the students, especially the female students, with the junior engineers or utility professionals from an industry perspective, which bridges the connection between academia and utilities.”
When asked what IEEE PES means to her, Zongjie shared:
“IEEE PES is my community to exchange ideas and collaborate with professionals committed to a sustainable energy future”.
Zongjie noted that she appreciates the role IEEE PES plays in today’s world by sharing the latest news in technological developments in the electric power industry and educating members of the industry and the general public. The core of her academic background and research has always revolved around IBR – Inverter Based Resources, especially understanding the advancements in power systems as they directly impact the community. As a whole, IEEE PES and the engineering industry provide room for creativity and continuous learning and align with Zongjie’s aspirations and personal values.
She shared, “Recognizing the critical role engineering systems play with the IEEE PES is important, especially as it relates to industry advancement and sustainability”.
Looking ahead, Zongjie hopes to continue transforming the global electric grid toward a reliable future while inspiring and serving as a role model for women engineers.
She approaches this concept of the future from three different perspectives – Research, Teaching, and Service. Zongjie would like to contribute more to the IEEE PES community. It brings about a lot of great networking and development opportunities. She would also like to continue her research in the power and energy industry, help more students and professionals achieve their goals within engineering publications, as well as continue to contribute to the initiatives in addressing community challenges and industry advancements. Zongjie also wishes to continue to serve on various committees to help strengthen the organizational presence of IEEE and IEEE PES from an academic and professional standpoint.
Zongjie’s involvement in IEEE PES truly speaks volumes about her passion for power and energy and how it can bring together students and engineering professionals.