Purdue alumnus Schweitzer honored with luncheon, honorary doctorate
Edmund O. Schweitzer III, alumnus of the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, received an honorary Doctor of Engineering from Purdue University’s College of Engineering during the Spring 2022 commencement.
Schweitzer is the founder, president, and chief technology officer of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. He was recognized by the university recognized as a pioneer in digital power protection and for his many other career achievements, including being a recipient of the IEEE Medal in Power Engineering and 2019 induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Prior to receiving his honorary doctorate, Schweitzer was honored at a luncheon in the Bill and Shirley Rice Design Studio in the MSEE Building.
“Your legacy is inspiring generations of people…[and] all of us here, to turn every single one of the brilliant minds that enter our school into brilliant, effective, and outstanding engineers,” said Dimitrios Peroulis, Michael and Katherine Brick Head of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Schweitzer earned a BSEE from Purdue in 1968 and an MSEE in 1971, and credits the university with preparing him to take his interest in electric power and start his own company. Today, Schweitzer has been granted more than 250 patents and SEL products are helping protect, monitor and control electric power systems in 168 countries.
“I’m grateful for the recognition, but I’m even more grateful for the work you all do at Purdue to educate and inspire young people to go out and work to make the world a better place—the same way you did for me,” said Schweitzer.
In 2019, Schweitzer and his wife, Beatriz, contributed $3-million to endow an electrical and computer engineering professorship and to support Purdue ECE’s power and energy systems research area, now named Schweitzer Power and Energy Systems. In October 2020, the Schweitzers made a $4-million commitment to support programs and scholarships at Purdue Polytechnic High School Schweitzer Center at Englewood, one of three free, STEM-focused charter high schools founded by the university and the City of Indianapolis.
SEL celebrated the grand opening of its new 100,000 sq. ft. facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, known as SEL Purdue, in 2020. The ground floor of the three-story building houses a manufacturing operation while the upper floors provide space for its Engineering Services and Research & Development divisions, which include opportunities for internships for Purdue students and research collaborations with the university’s faculty.
Sources: SEL president receives honorary doctorate degree from Purdue University and ECE alumnus Edmund O. Schweitzer III to receive honorary Doctor of Engineering