IEEE Awards Booklet - 2014 - 12

2014 IEEE MEDALS

IEEE Dennis J. Picard Medal for Radar
Technologies and Applications

IEEE Medal in Power Engineering
Sponsored by the IEEE Industry Applications,
Industrial Electronics, Power Electronics, and
Power & Energy Societies

Sponsored by Raytheon Company

Yuri Abramovich

Thomas A. Lipo

For seminal contributions to adaptive
radar signal processing algorithms and
Over-The-Horizon Radar

For contributions to electrical machine
and drive topologies

Yuri Abramovich's solutions for handling interference and jamming have helped advance the capabilities of long-range radar
and are integral to some of the world's most advanced radar systems. Dr. Abramovich is most known for his work on suppressing interference in Over-The-Horizon Radars caused by natural sources such as thunderstorms or deliberate jamming. These
systems can detect air and sea targets up to thousands of miles
away and are used for military applications, maritime reconnaissance, and drug enforcement. He has conceived, developed, and
evolved powerful adaptive signal-processing techniques that have
demonstrated their ability to protect Over-The-Horizon Radar
systems from interference while preserving the ability to detect
targets. His techniques are known for achieving near-theoretical
performance when applied in real-world situations where other
proposed methods fell short. His diagonal loading principle for
regularization of adaptive radar is used to improve adaptive filters. Dr. Abramovich also explored alternatives to diagonal loading, developing methods applicable to passive direction finding
in nonuniform adaptive arrays and source detection. Considered
one of the important developments in signal-processing theory
in the past decade, he introduced the expected likelihood concept to normalize general likelihood ratio detectors for improved
performance. Already a leading research engineer in the Ukraine,
where he personally engineered many of his solutions into naval
long-range radars and anti-ballistic missile multifunction radars,
Dr. Abramovich emigrated to Australia in 1994 where he was
in charge of a technical team that implemented a number of
patented adaptive and signal-processing algorithms in a fielded
high-frequency surface demonstrator. He helped to commercialize this system while also developing adaptive processing algorithms for advanced maritime detection and tracking for Australia's Over-The-Horizon Radar defense network.
An IEEE Fellow and recipient of the European Association
for Signal Processing's Technical Achievement Award (2011),
Dr. Abramovich is currently a principal research scientist with
WR Systems Ltd., Fairfax,Va.

An international authority on the design and analysis of electric
machines and power electronics drives for over 40 years, Thomas A. Lipo's innovative contributions have advanced the state of
the art and improved the efficiency and reliability of motors
and drives. Prof. Lipo began his pioneering work in 1968 with
the analysis, simulation, and control of early alternating-current
motor drives, impacting electric traction control for subway cars
and open pit mining equipment, among other applications. He
has pioneered or improved upon electrical machine topologies,
including flux switched machines, high torque vernier machines,
axial flux permanent magnet machines, brushless doubly fed reluctance machines, open winding machines, and double air gap
machines. He also pioneered modern, multiphase fault-tolerant
machines, demonstrating that a new family of five-phase induction and synchronous reluctance motors could provide more
torque and higher robustness compared to traditional three-phase
motors. Prof. Lipo's work with his students on permanent magnet motors has provided a key element for the design of traction
applications in hybrid and electric vehicles, known as the "characteristic current." Also among his trend-setting research that has
helped move power technology from concept to practical applications, Prof. Lipo and his students were the first to investigate
methods of eliminating the effects of input voltage unbalance on
motor drives. This work has been widely referenced and used in
many commercial applications. In 1980, Prof. Lipo cofounded the
Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium
at the University of Wisconsin, which has become an internationally renowned collaborative effort of industry sponsors, professors,
and students in the research and development of new power electronics technologies.
An IEEE Life Fellow and member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the U.K. Royal Academy of Engineering,
Prof. Lipo is an Emeritus Professor with Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Wisconsin,
Madison.

Scope: For outstanding accomplishments in advancing the fields
of radar technologies and their applications

Scope: For outstanding contributions to the technology associated
with the generation, transmission, distribution, application, and
utilization of electric power for the betterment of society

12 | 2014 IEEE AWARDS BOOKLET

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Awards Booklet - 2014