Remembering IEEE Power & Energy Society Leader Mel Olken
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Mel Olken
Former executive director of the IEEE Power & Energy Society
Fellow, 92; died 9 January
Olken became the first executive director of the https://ieee-pes.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) in 1995.
In 2002 he left the position to serve as founding editor in chief of the society’s https://ieee-pes.org/publication-item/power-energy-magazine/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Power & Energy Magazine.
Olken led the publication until 2016, when he retired.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/?srsltid=AfmBOopCvH6eSvBfUYKD5FUuofKgmij7k0i5ekpVX8CdRpBYYFMlhLWM" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">City College of New York, Olken was hired as an electrical engineer by https://www.aep.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">American Electric Power, a utility based in Columbus, Ohio.
He helped design coal, hydroelectric, and https://spectrum.ieee.org/80-billion-us-nuclear-power" target="_blank">nuclear power plants.
While at AEP, he was promoted to manager of the electrical generation department.
He joined IEEE in 1958 and became a https://spectrum.ieee.org/ieee-student-scholarship-boost" target="_blank">PES member in 1973.
An active volunteer, he chaired the society’s https://ieee-pes.org/technical-activities/committees/energy-development-power-generation-committee-edpg/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">energy development and power generation committee and its https://ieee-pes.org/technical-activities/technical-council/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">technical council.
Olken was elected an IEEE Fellow in 1988 for “contributions to innovative design of reliable generating stations.”
He became an IEEE staff member in 1984 as society services director for https://ta.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Technical Activities.
From 1990 to 1995 he served as managing director of Regional Activities group (now https://www.ieee.org/communities/geographic-activities" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Member and Geographic Activities), before becoming PES executive director.
He received a PES https://ieee-pes.org/about-pes/awards-scholarships/ieee-power-energy-society-lifetime-achievement-award/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 for his “broad and sustained technical contributions to the development of power engineering and the power engineering profession.”
Stephanie A. Huguenin
Research scientist
IEEE member, 48; died 1 October
Huguenin was an administrative assistant in the https://www.augusta.edu/scimath/physics/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">physics and biophysics department at https://www.augusta.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Augusta University, in Georgia.
According to her Augusta https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/theaugustapress/name/stephanie-huguenin-obituary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">obituary, she died of an illness acquired during her volunteer work in India.
She received a bachelor’s degree in engineering in 1999 from the https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/college-of-charleston-3428" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">College of Charleston, in South Carolina.
During her senior year, she worked as a mathematics and science tutor at the Jenkins Orphanage (now the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenkins_Orphanage" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jenkins Institute for Children), in North Charleston.
After graduating, Huguenin traveled to India to volunteer at an orphanage run by the https://motherteresafoundation.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mother Teresa Foundation.
Upon returning to the United States in 2001, Huguenin worked as a freelance research consultant.
Three years later she was hired as a systems administrator and archivist by photographer https://ebetroberts.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ebet Roberts in New York City.
In 2010 she left to work as an operations strategist and technical consultant.
She earned a master’s degree in communication and research science in 2016 from https://www.nyu.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New York University.
While at NYU, she conducted experimental and theoretical research in Internet Protocol design and implementation as well as network security and management.
From 2020 to 2024 she was a research scientist at businesses owned by her family.
She joined Augusta University in 2023.
She was a member of the https://www.ieee.org/membership-catalog/productdetail/showProductDetailPage.html?product=MEMGRS029" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society and the https://ieeesystemscouncil.org/ieee-systems-council-welcome" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Systems Council.
Huguenin volunteered for the https://www.ietf.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Internet Engineering Task Force, a standards development organization, and the https://www.arin.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">American Registry for Internet Numbers.
ARIN manages and distributes internet number resources such as IP addresses and autonomous system numbers.
The nonprofits she supported included the https://coastalconservationleague.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Coastal Conservation League, the https://longleafalliance.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Longleaf Alliance, the https://lowcountrylandtrust.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lowcountry Land Trust, the https://www.nature.org/en-us/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nature Conservancy, and https://www.womenindefense.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Women in Defense.