Emeritus Engineering Professor Honored by Worldwide Organization

The board of directors of the Institute of Electronic and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has honored NMSU Emeritus Professor Satish Ranade as an IEEE Fellow, a distinction reserved for select members’ extraordinary accomplishments. Ranade was recognized “for contributions to integration of renewable and distributed energy resources into power systems.”

“The NMSU College of Engineering has grown to be a recognized leader in power system education largely due to Dr. Ranade’s efforts. A great number of graduates have become leaders in the power industry and are now shaping the future of this field that has enormous worldwide impact. We are very grateful to his contributions to our engineering program,” said Lakshmi N. Reddi, College of Engineering dean.

In 2012, Ranade became the department head for the Klipsch School of Electric Engineering and Computer Science. He joined NMSU engineering faculty in 1981. Although he retired in 2020, he continues to teach part-time. He earned his bachelor degrees from Sagar University, Sagar, India and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. He earned his master’s degree in electrical engineering at NMSU and Ph.D. from the University of Florida.

Ranade conducted research on power system operations; optimization and analysis; artificial intelligence applications; electric machine control and power electronics; photovoltaics; and water system electric use optimization. He has served as principal investigator for more than 30 funded research projects totaling more than $3 million.

Ranade was the second director of NMSU’s Electric Utility Management Program, the only program of its kind in the nation, focused on electrical engineering and business management. The program is sponsored by a group of public and private electric utility companies and industrial organizations. The Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree program includes course work in public utilities regulation and is designed to prepare the student for a future engineering management position in the electric utility industry.

He has served his profession through IEEE in various leadership positions over the years, including the Power and Energy Education Committee. He has received numerous awards and honors from the IEEE and other industry organizations.

Ranade has been engaged in electric distribution system assessments for municipalities, rural electric cooperatives, and major electric utilities throughout the southwest. His collaborations led to the creation of curricula that provides hands-on experiences for students, partnerships that have enabled the modernization of laboratory facilities, and the creation of a dynamic, engineering relevant curriculum.

“The IEEE Fellow is one of the most prestigious honors of the IEEE, and is bestowed upon a very

limited number of senior members who have contributed importantly to the advancement or application of engineering, science and technology bringing significant value to our society. The number of IEEE Fellows elevated in a year is no more than one-tenth of percent of the total IEEE voting membership,” notes the organization’s website. IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization for the advancement of technology.