Noel Schulz, Edmund O. Schweitzer III Chair in Power Apparatus and Systems in the WSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Women in Technology and Leadership Award.
The award recognizes women technologists for their outstanding contributions to engineering and technology and the empowerment of diverse populations. Schulz was cited for her work “advancing power systems research while educating the next generation of power engineering and working tirelessly to provide support for the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in IEEE, STEM and beyond,” according to the IEEE Women in Engineering website.
Schulz, who has been with WSU since 2016, conducts research in the areas of power systems modeling and analysis, smart grid applications, microgrids, renewable energy, and shipboard power systems. She is co‑director of the Washington State University and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)’s Advanced Grid Institute (AGI) and holds a joint appointment at PNNL. She also leads the U.S.-India Collaborative for Smart Distribution System with Storage (UI-Assist), a consortium supported by the U.S. Department of Energy that is working to increase renewable energy penetration into the electric power grid. Schulz recently stepped into the role as Inaugural Director of WSU’s Institute for Northwest Energy Futures (INEF), headquartered on the WSU Tri‑Cities campus.
Schulz has published 175 papers and two book chapters. During her academic career, she has brought in more than $40 million in external research funding through individual and collaborative projects, including a National Science Foundation CAREER award.
She has worked to recruit and retain women in the field of engineering and to mentor female engineering faculty. In 2014, she received the IEEE Education Society Hewlett-Packard Harriet B. Rigas Award for outstanding contributions in advancing recruitment and retention of women in the engineering professions. She is a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences and a fellow of both the IEEE and the American Society for Engineering Education. Schulz also serves as the WSU First Lady.
