NDSU assistant professor gets grant to study wind energy

BY LISA GIBSON

Wind energy potential is stunted by a few factors, including uncertainty in wind availability and the obstacle in transmitting that energy to the grid and to the end users once it’s generated. But North Dakota State University assistant professor Nilanjan Ray Chaudhuri has a proposal to solve those issues, along with a $502,810 grant award to flesh out his plans.

The grant comes from the National Science Foundation and is presented as an award to recognize junior faculty members for outstanding research, excellent teaching and the ability to combine education and research to further the mission of their universities, according to NDSU, based in Fargo.

The Midwest represents the greatest potential for wind energy, Ray Chaudhuri says, particularly North Dakota. “North Dakota has the capacity to replace the fossil fuel-fired power plants in the entire U.S.,” he says.

His proposal to solve the issues in transmitting that energy over a large distance from North Dakota to dense population centers in the U.S. has multiple facets. First, the U.S. needs to use more direct current (DC) transmission than alternating current (AC) transmission. The U.S. does have a few DC transmission lines, but uses mostly AC, he says, unlike Europe, which uses more DC transmission. Ray Chaudhuri’s proposal is to convert AC to DC, transmit it through DC lines and then convert it back to AC when it gets to the users, he says. He is careful to point out that his plan will not replace AC transmission, but will add more DC infrastructure. “It turns out, if distance of transmission is longer than a certain limit, DC transmission becomes more efficient than AC transmission.” Interestingly, North Dakota is home to a few of the country’s DC lines, two of which actually cross. “That’s a very unique thing that we have in North Dakota,” he says. The end result would be a meshed system with multiple point-to-point DC transmission lines.

Another key factor in his proposal is to create multiple areas of wind energy generation across a large geographical region in the state. That solves the issue of fluctuating wind availability, as different areas will see unique fluctuations. “They don’t fluctuate the same time in the same way,” he says. “At no place will wind fluctuate the same.” Ray Chaudhuri notes the importance of off-shore wind energy in his plan, particularly in the Atlantic, where wind is almost constant.

The project also will include summer research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, a curriculum that sets NDSU apart from other universities in the country, Ray Chaudhuri says. He also will lead science, technology, engineering and math workshops at West Fargo Public Schools and a summer camp at NDSU for elementary students.

“North Dakota is uniquely positioned to lead the wind energy integration efforts in the nation,” he says in a statement. “The proposed research is very timely and has the potential to act as a game changer in solving different energy challenges, not only in the U.S., but the rest of the world.” PB

Lisa Gibson Editor, Prairie Business 701.787.6753

FIB&T names Stenehjem to board of directors

First International Bank & Trust has named Erik Stenehjem to its board of directors. Stenehjem began his career in 2004 as a credit analyst. He has worked his way through various roles in the bank, where he is now a commercial loan officer at the Fargo Southwest office. Stenehjem is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Sanford Bemidji announces Nermoe as new president

Sanford Health of Northern Minnesota, headquartered in Bemidji, has named Bryan Nermoe its new president. Nermoe has served as interim president since November 2015.

In his role as president, Nermoe will be responsible for the overall management and operations of Sanford Health of Northern Minnesota, which includes the Bemidji and Bagley medical centers, long-term care facilities and numerous clinics in the surrounding region. Sanford serves more than 143,000 people across 14,000 square miles in northern Minnesota.

Fisher Industries promotes Kittelson

The management of Fisher Industries has announced the recent promotion of Curt Kittelson to general manager of General Steel & Supply Company in Dickinson, N.D. Kittelson is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of General Steel, the manufacturing division of Fisher Industries.

Kittelson has been an employee of General Steel for 19 years. Most recently he held the position of sales manager, where he was an integral part of establishing a presence for Fisher Industries in foreign markets. In addition to sales, Kittelson had been assisting General Steel Vice President Flo Friedt with the overall management of the company.

Nermoe has more than 20 years of experience in the health care industry as a leader in multi-specialty group practice, integrated health systems strategy, planning, development and operations. He joined Sanford in 2008 and has held various leadership roles, including chief operating officer for Sanford Clinic Sioux Falls, S.D., and executive vice president of population health and enterprise services.

Nermoe holds a bachelor’s degree in health care administration from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.

NDSU IT Division names assistant vice presidents

North Dakota State University’s Information Technology Division in Fargo has selected Steve Sobiech as assistant vice president for enterprise computing and infrastructure and Jason Blosser as assistant vice president for information technology services.

Sobiech has 14 years of experience working in information technology. He joined NDSU as a student employee in 2001 and advanced to a full-time position at the IT Help Desk in 2006. He was promoted to assistant manager of the Help Desk in 2007 and was named manager in 2011.

His leadership experience includes serving as acting executive director for the Department of Enterprise Computing and Infrastructure and, most recently, as assistant vice president for Information Technology Services. Sobiech earned a bachelor’s degree from NDSU.

Blosser has 20 years of leadership experience in higher education. He was director of systems and networks at Northland Pioneer College in Holbrook, Ariz., from 1994-99. He was director of information technology at Manchester Community College in Connecticut from 1999-2010.

He began his career at NDSU in 2010 when he was hired as a technology systems coordinator in the telecommunications and emergency technologies department. Blosser earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and a master’s degree in religious studies from Hartford Seminary in Connecticut.

Sanford Health Network welcomes vice presidents

Dale Gillogly and Terry Mahar have joined the Sanford Health Network in Sioux Falls, S.D., as vice presidents.

Gillogly brings more than 25 years of experience in health care administration. He most recently served as a regional administrator for Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls. Previously, he worked as executive director of The Elko Clinic in Elko, Nev. Gillogly earned a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Business Administration in Health Care Administration from the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

Mahar brings more than 35 years of health care administration experience, including 15 years as senior management health care consultant at Eide Bailly, to the Sanford Health Network. Mahar joins Sanford from Home Health and Hospice in Minnesota, where he worked as the regional director. His involvement in health care dates back to 1980 when he was an intensive care and critical care registered nurse for United Hospital in Grand Forks, N.D. Mahar received a Bachelor of Science and master’s degree in nursing from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.

LBG’s Kannenberg named an AWWA vice president

Mitch Kannenberg, an associate vice president in the Sioux Falls, S.D., office of Leggette, Brashears & Graham Inc. (LBG), has been elected a vice president by the board of directors of the American Water Works Association.

An AWWA member for more than 15 years, Kannenberg is currently a member of AWWA’s board of directors and is active in the organization’s South Dakota section. He is a past chair of the section and has served on and chaired several section councils. He was awarded AWWA’s George Warren Fuller award for distinguished service in the water supply field in 2012.

Kannenberg is a licensed Professional Engineer and a graduate of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, where he earned a Master of Science degree in Geological Engineering.

Arvig names new director of IT

Arvig, a broadband provider headquartered in Perham, Minn., has announced that Shaun Carlson has been promoted to director of IT. Carlson is responsible for leading all information technology operations and network engineering for the company.

With more than 15 years in the telecommunications industry, Carlson’s expertise includes a broad range of networking and IP technologies, enterprise networking and systems design, telephony, server and desktop support, web and database software development, sales and customer support. He joined Arvig in 2011 as senior network engineer, moved into the position of network engineering manager in 2013 and was promoted to senior manager of IT in late 2014.

Carlson holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from North Dakota State University in Fargo and an Executive Masters in Business Administration from the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D.

Gjovig appointed to U.S. Air Force Civic Leader program

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III has appointed Bruce Gjovig of Grand Forks, N.D., to the Air Force Civic Leader program for a four-year term beginning in 2016.

Gjovig is the CEO and entrepreneur coach for the University of North Dakota Center for Innovation Foundation, a nationally recognized entrepreneur center and venture development organization. He is a leader on the Grand Forks Base Retention Impact Committee (BRIC), providing leadership on major initiatives such as development of the nation’s first UAS business park, Grand Sky, and developing an Arctic mission to provide domain awareness across the U.S. and Canadian Arctic.

As an Air Force civic leader, members serve as civilian advisers, key communicators and advocates for Air Force issues. They provide ideas and feedback to the Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Staff and Air Force senior leaders about how missions can best be accomplished in their respective area and about public attitudes toward the Air Force and Air Force activities.

The Air Force Chief of Staff Civic Leader Program is an Air Staff-level program comprised of two representatives from nearly every Air Force major command, the National Guard Bureau and Headquarters Air Force. These respected civic leaders are nominated by officials to meet several times a year and take part in several other group and individual Air Force functions. Gjovig is a headquarters appointee.