IEEE PELS – Chapter Update and Summary of Technical Seminar on 29th July 2026: University of L’Aquila – EMF Safety in Automotive Wireless Power Systems

Thanks everyone who came along to the most recent IEEE PELS technical seminar where Professor Prof. Valerio De Santis from the University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy, gave a seminar on the topic of: “EMF Safety in Automotive Wireless Power Transfer Systems” – (photo shown below).

This was a great seminar – considering we have had multiple presentations in the past on the topic of wireless EV charging, this was the first to be focused purely on the topic of EMF safety regarding these high-power wireless charging systems. Prof. De Santis gave an overview of the most up-to-date assessment strategies to verify compliance of EV-WPT systems with EMF regulatory standards. He also discussed human safety standards (e.g., ICNIRP, IEEE TC95) and product safety standards (e.g., IEC/IEEE PAS 63814).

The PELS Chapter has received requests for a seminar from some of our members based in the New Zealand power electronics industry – a seminar regarding practical bench testing skills has also had some expressions of interest. We are currently reaching out to industry members who might be interested in providing a seminar – please contact the IEEE NZ North PELS Chair Patrick Lawton (patrick.lawton@auckland.ac.nz) if you are available.

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IEEE GRSS Distinguished Lecture 24, March 2026

The IEEE New Zealand North/Central/South Joint Sections Chapter (GRS29), together with the University of Auckland affinity and technical groups, hosted an IEEE GRSS Distinguished Lecture at the University of Auckland on 24 March 2026. (vTools advertised)

Prof. Saibun Tjuatja delivered the IEEE GRSS Distinguished Lecture, “Amplifying Insights, Elevating Impact: An Introduction to GRSS and the Power of Remote Sensing,” at the University of Auckland on 24 March 2026.

The invited speaker was Prof. Saibun Tjuatja, President of the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) and Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. He delivered a lecture titled “Amplifying Insights, Elevating Impact: An Introduction to GRSS and the Power of Remote Sensing.”

In his presentation, Prof. Tjuatja introduced the mission, global activities, and community impact of GRSS. He discussed how remote sensing enables improved understanding of Earth systems and supports important applications such as environmental monitoring, disaster management, and sustainable development.

 

The lecture also highlighted the value of GRSS membership, particularly for students and young professionals, including access to technical resources, networking opportunities, mentorship, and leadership pathways within IEEE. The session was well received by attendees and encouraged engagement among IEEE members, students, and the wider university community.

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IEEE PELS Technical Seminar on 27th February 2026: High Power Wireless Power Transfer and Interoperability Challenges

Thanks everyone who came along to the recent IEEE PELS technical seminar where Professor Dmitri Vinnikov from Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia) gave a seminar titled: “From Research to Impact: Power Electronics Innovation at TalTech”. The seminar presented the interesting concept of DC voltage building infrastructure and the standardization currently being spearheaded by his research group at TalTech. The seminar was very well received and some engaging discussions were held following the presentation.

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IEEE SPS chapter Distinguished Lecturer Seminar

Date: 07 Aug 2026

Time:12:00 – 13:00

Title: Video Quality Optimization in Adaptive Streaming – from principles to popular applications

Speaker:

Ioannis Katsavounidis, Meta Platforms & IEEE SPS Distinguished Industry Speaker.

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IEEE SPS Chapter Talk

Date: 18 Sep 2026

Time:12:00 – 13:00

Title: From MIMO Radar Signal Processing to Autonomous Driving Perception

Speaker:

Associate Professor Jie He, Chang’an University, China and Visit.

This talk provides an overview of Prof He’s research in MIMO radar signal processing and its extension to autonomous driving perception. It will cover the motivation behind this research, the evolution of her research interests, and the directions she is currently exploring. She will also briefly introduce my research plans during her visit to AUT and hope the talk will serve as a starting point for discussions and future collaboration in intelligent sensing, autonomous driving, and engineering education.