Manyphay Souvannarath, senior systems analyst for
General Electric (GE) Energy, was one of only three international participants in the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)'s 2012 Young Professionals Workshop to be selected as a 2012 Young Professional (YP) Leader, marking the second year in a row that a U.S. YP has received this honor. Ms. Souvannarath was voted to the position during the 76th IEC General Meeting (GM), held in Oslo, Norway, in October 2012. In her role as YP Leader, Ms. Souvannarath will serve as an ambassador for the program within the IEC family and will work to shape its activities in the run-up to the 2013 workshop, scheduled for October 2013 in New Delhi, India. The
Young Professionals Workshop brings together international candidates selected from IEC National Committees around the globe who are at the start of their careers in electrotechnical standardization and conformity assessment. The program aims to cultivate long-term national involvement in the international arena, strengthen the future of technology transfer, and encourage the participation of young professionals in shaping the future of standardization and conformance.
| | Nominate This Year's IEC YPs The USNC recently announced that it is seeking nominations for young professionals at the start of their electrotechnology careers to participate in the Young Professionals 2013 Workshop. Nominations must be submitted electronically to Charlie Zegers, general secretary of the USNC ([email protected]) by Tuesday, April 30, 2013. Letters of support from members of the standardization community attesting to the nominee's outstanding achievements and appropriateness for receipt of the award are strongly encouraged. The full nomination form can be accessed here. | |
During the 2012 Young Professionals Workshop, held in concert with the 2012 GM over three days, Ms. Souvannarath and two other YPs selected by the U.S. National Committee (USNC) attended standards-related technical meetings, and were given the opportunity to observe meetings of the IEC Standardization Management Board (SMB) and the IEC Conformity Assessment Board (CAB). "Being able to sit in at the management meetings and also getting to sit in at the Technical Committee level was a great insight. This provided a holistic view from the technical side all the way through to the management side of standards, and that was a good opportunity," said Ms. Souvannarath. In her position at GE Energy, Ms. Souvannarath has worked on Smart Grid-related projects for the company's systems engineering group and as a senior systems analyst in connection with GE's GridIQ software. Prior to joining GE in 2010, she was employed by Michigan's Holland Board of Public Works as a programmer/analyst and then as an applications manager. Ms. Souvannarath received her bachelor's degree in computer science and biochemistry, and a masters of business administration from Michigan's Grand Valley State University. She is currently at work on a master's of science degree in systems engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
About the USNC/IEC
The
U.S. National Committee of the International Electrotechnical Commission (USNC/IEC) serves as the focal point for U.S. parties who are interested in the development, promulgation, and use of globally-relevant standards for the electrotechnical industry. The Committee is also engaged in the assessment of conformance to standards, undertaking work in areas such as testing, certification and accreditation. As the U.S. representative to the IEC and many related regional standardization bodies, the USNC/IEC serves as a conduit to the global standards-setting community for technical and policy positions arising in the U.S. and brings issues from the global arena to the U.S. for review, consideration, and response. The USNC/IEC is a totally integrated committee of the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
