COLLEGE STATION - Texas A&M University electrical engineering professor B. Don Russell has been elected vice president of the United States National Committee of CIGRE, an international organization of 80 countries dealing with large, high-voltage electric power systems. Russell, who holds the J.W. Runyon, Jr. Professorship in Engineering, becomes the first person from Texas A&M to serve in the organization’s leadership. CIGRE (Conseil Internationale des Grandes Reseaux Electriques a Haute Tension) brings together thousands of researchers and industry technical leaders from almost every country in the world to promote research and technology in high-voltage electric power systems. Besides serving as vice president of the United States branch of the organization, Russell also will serve as chairman of the branch’s technical committee. In this role, he will supervise the selection of the research and technical topics presented at the organization’s biannual symposium in Paris. "It’s extremely important that engineers collaborate so that the best practices in electric power are shared by the international engineering and research community," he said. "This organization is the foremost organization for international interaction in electric power systems. It is a distinct honor to be asked to be an officer." CIGRE, or the International Council on Large High Voltage Electric Systems, has been a major force in the improvement of electric power infrastructure in developing countries and has helped develop international standards and practices for the industry worldwide, Russell said. Russell is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and past president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Power Engineering Society.
