Tom Lipo was an iconic pioneer in the field of electric machines, power electronics, and machine drives in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He left an indelible mark at UW-Madison by co-founding WEMPEC, the Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium, in 1981, and then serving as a WEMPEC Co-Director for 28 years. He was internationally renowned for his remarkable creativity with new electric machine topologies, earning him many important international awards including National Academy of Engineering election. His impressive record of technical accomplishments represents a remarkable legacy that lives on today here at UW-Madison and around the world.
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Legacy Faculty
Lorenz, Robert D.
Novotny, Donald W.
Don Novotny was a world-recognized expert in electric machines whose career in the ECE Department spanned 61 years. He was a consummate classroom instructor who loved teaching and was extremely good at it, winning several UW teaching awards. Don developed the original proposal for WEMPEC, the Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium, in 1980, and then served as its Founding Co-Director for 15 years. He also pioneered distance learning in the 1980s via video-taped lectures for engineers to earn MS degrees while working in industry. Don lived the Wisconsin Idea and set a shining example for all of us who follow in his path. See Memorial Resolution Here