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Three Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) engineers have been recognized by their peers in power industry organizations, including CIGRE and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Research & Development Director of Technology Bogdan Kasztenny received the CIGRE Technical Council Award 2024 for his contributions to B5 protection and automation. CIGRE is a global community dedicated to the development and sharing of power system expertise, featuring professionals from over 90 countries and 1,250 member organizations. The Technical Council Award is granted every two years by the Technical Council Chairman for active participation in their study committees.

Kasztenny is a distinguished CIGRE member and serves as the Strategic Advisor of the SAG group in Study Committee B5. He has also been previously honored as an IEEE Fellow, an Institution of Engineering and Technology Fellow and a Senior Fulbright Fellow. Kasztenny joined SEL in 2009 and has authored over 220 technical papers and holds over 60 patents.

Principal Engineer Chris Huntley and Distinguished Engineer Michael Thompson have both been elevated to the title of IEEE Fellow. Huntley received recognition for his contributions to telecommunication and timing systems in electric power utilities, and Thompson was acknowledged for his developments in modern protection technology standardization and guidelines.

With more than 427,000 members in 190 countries, IEEE is the largest organization of technical professionals dedicated to advancing electronic technology worldwide. The “Fellow” title is awarded annually by the IEEE Board of Directors to only 0.1 percent of the members who exemplify extraordinary accomplishments in IEEE fields of interest, which include electronics and communication engineering, electrical engineering, information technology, and computer engineering.

Huntley joined SEL in 2007. His focus has been on the research and development of communications and cybersecurity products. He holds 12 patents on communications circuit technologies. He was a senior member of IEEE and co-founder of IEEE Standard C37.94 on optical interfaces between teleprotection and multiplexer equipment.

Thompson has spent the last 23 years at SEL as a consultant for engineering services, following a 40-year career in power systems engineering. He served as a past chair of the IEEE Power System Relaying and Control Committee and received the IEEE SA Standards Medallion in 2016.

“Congratulations, Bogdan, Chris, and Michael! Your dedication to making electric power safer, more reliable, and more economical is truly inspiring,” said President Dave Whitehead.