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More than 230 engineers from 28 countries recently met in San Francisco to discuss the latest technologies and future practice of high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission of electric power in an event organized by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University.

The High Voltage DC Colloquium was hosted by the United States National Committee of the International Council of Large Electric Systems (CIGRÉ). The U.S. CIGRE secretariat is under contract with Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES).

The program included a broad range of tutorials, paper sessions and working group meetings on the latest HVDC and high voltage power electronic applications to electric power transmission.

"The engineering program is privileged to host the USNC Secretariat offices of CIGRÉ," said Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering at Texas A&M. "CIGRÉ provides an opportunity for universities and industry to collaborate on developing new technologies and practices to improve the efficient delivery of electric power. Electric power engineering has been a significant research and education emphasis at Texas A&M University for more than a hundred years."

Dr. B. Don Russell, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, manages the USNC Secretariat and serves as vice president of administration of the USNC CIGRÉ. He also is a member of the CIGRÉ U.S. executive committee. Russell is an A&M System Regents Professor and holds the Bovay Chair in the Dwight Look College of Engineering. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and is former president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Power and Energy Society.

Conference planning and coordination was handled by Sharon Loe, program coordinator for the USNC Secretariat.

CIGRÉ is an international organization of more than 80 countries headquartered in Paris. It is dedicated to the development and dissemination of the best practices and new technologies to improve electric power generation, transmission, delivery and utilization throughout the world.