Rap Sessions

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Session 1: Smart Grid: A dumb idea?

Moderator: Alix Paultre, Editorial Director, Design Group, Advantage Business Media

Panelists:
Michael Ballard, Manager, Home Appliance Solutions Group, Microchip Technology
John Jovalusky, Technical Marketing Manager, Qspeed Semiconductor
Chris Siegl, Member of Technical Staff, Fairchild Semiconductor
Zaki Moussaoui, Sr. Applications Manager Engineer, Intersil
Paul L. Schimel, PE, Senior Applications Engineer, International Rectifier

There's lots of talk about the "smart grid" and how it will save energy and money. Whose money? Should the local utility company have the ability to shut off your air conditioner or stop your clothes dryer when it wants? Should they be allowed to raise their rates with no warning, just when you need electricity the most? How will solar, wind, and other alternate-energy systems tie into the grid going forward? Who will write the standards? There are very few original IEEE standards that have had much success. Come help us explore what's right and wrong about this concept.

Session 2: Energy Harvesting: Is it really better than a battery?

Moderator: Arnold Alderman, President, Anagenesis

Panelists:
Eric Persson, International Rectifier
Dr. Heath F. Hofmann, Associate Professor, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Dr. Regan Zane, Associate Professor, University of Colorado at Boulder
Rakesh Dhawan, President & CEO, Strategic Technology Group

Self-winding watches are hard to find these days, because a 5-year battery is cheaper, lighter and more reliable. However springs don't pollute but batteries do, yet it is hard to believe that batteries will be outlawed anytime soon. Is there a lesson here for energy harvesting? Will the amount of energy gathered in these applications be so small that a power converter (i.e. micro-power supply) is not needed? Have you received an order for a micro-power converter this week? If we are getting lost in microtechnology, how can we expect to figure out nanotechnology?

Session 3: Social Media: Tech Tool or Tinker Toy?

Moderator: Greg Evans, Chairman & CEO, Welcomm

Panelists:
Bill Barron, VP & Publishing Director, Hearst Business Media
Margery Conner, Technical Editor, EDN Magazine
Alice Martin, Director of Marketing, Adams Magnetic Products
Michael Pranikoff, Director, Emerging Media, PR Newswire

Tweets, blogs, video clips and podcasts are certainly less expensive than print and online advertising, but are they effective at getting the word out about new products? Are design engineers really using these media in their work or simply going to the web for product information and application support? How are engineers in different parts of the world using social media?