IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - March 2014 - 26

fig 1 The DLCC in Pittsburgh is the first convention center in the world to obtain the Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design certification. It is gold rated in new construction and platinum rated as an existing building. (Photo used with permission
from The Zach Morris Experience.)

and located on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames.
The Ames Laboratory leads the Critical Materials Institute,
a DoE Energy Innovation Hub funded at up to US$120 million over five years. The Critical Materials Institute brings
together leading researchers from other DoE national laboratories, academia, and industry to develop solutions to
domestic shortages of rare-earth materials and other materials critical to the U.S. energy security.
On the technical side of the ECCE 2014 conference, there
are two broad topic areas of energy conversion covered by
the technical sessions: the systems and technologies area
and the components and materials area. The systems and
technologies area encompasses a vast number of topics
ranging from specific industrial applications, such as the
oil and gas industry, transportation industry, renewable and
alternative energy industry, and energy usage in the information technology space, to cutting-edge technologies, such
as microgrids, energy harvesting, wireless power transfer,
high-efficiency energy systems, demand response, and
energy storage systems.
While the integrated system approach to energy conversion is proving to be a major catalyst for optimizing performance and improving system efficiency, the component and
materials portion of the energy conversion landscape is also
a major focus of the ECCE. The topics in this sector include
new materials for energy conversion, design and analysis of
electromechanical converters, control of electromechanical
converters, power conversion circuits, switching devices
and control, passive components, packaging design and inte-

IEEE Power Electronics Magazine

z March 2014

gration, multiphysics modeling of components and systems,
measurement techniques, sensors, electromagnetic compatibility, reliability, diagnostics, and prognostics, which are all
constitutive components of the technical program.

Exposition and Exhibitors
The exposition portion of the ECCE runs concurrently with
the technical conference and plays a vital part in setting the
representative ethos of the conference. The exhibition has
been growing steadily since its inception five years ago. Last
year alone, the conference attracted more than 40 exhibitors presenting state-of-the-art energy technologies, including ABB, GE Global Research, and Ford Motors. The 2014
organizing committee hopes to top that landmark number in
Pittsburgh by providing exhibitors with an easygoing and
productive environment in which to network and socialize
with potential customers (the attendees) and potential
employees (the student attendees).
The first evening and the following full day of the conference are devoted entirely to the exhibition. The exhibition floor also includes activities, such as poster sessions,
lunch, and special presentations, enabling the attendees
to interact with the exhibitors. A special student-industry
dinner is also on the program to provide industry employers with a chance to meet and greet students and bridge the
initial gap. During the exhibition days, there will also be a
surprise or two in store for the attendees.
In addition, there are many other activities to meet the
intellectual needs of the attendees. One such activity is the

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - March 2014