Friends, colleagues and students of Professor Ovidiu Crisan celebrated his career achievements at a retirement luncheon this month.
Crisan came to the Cullen College of Engineering as a visiting professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Two years later he was promoted to professor, a position he held for 26 years.
Through the years, Crisan developed a record of strong rapport with both undergraduate and graduate students. He taught courses in electromechanical energy conversion, circuit analysis, power electronics and electric drives, advanced power system analysis, and power transmission and distribution with an unparalleled teaching style. "Dr. Crisan is immensely popular among our students," said Badri Roysam, chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "He brings a deeply caring, and an incredibly detailed approach to teaching, something that is increasingly rare in modern academia. If a student makes an error on one of his exams, he does not merely assign a grade to the question. He also provides a full handwritten solution. His former students have risen to high positions in the local electric power industry, and he is widely admired in the industry."
In addition to teaching, Crisan was an active researcher in the areas of power systems components modeling, power systems operation and control with a concentration in voltage stability and voltage collapse research as it applies to electric utilities.
"Professor Crisan is a renowned expert in the area of electrical power distribution and generation," said Fritz Claydon, associate dean for administration and research. "The dedication he brings to his courses and to the students he teaches is simply unparalleled. ECE at UH is losing a true giant and he will be sorely missed by me, his faculty and staff colleagues, and most importantly our students."
As the long-time faculty advisor for the UH Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) student branch, Crisan focused on expanding the chapter and encouraging organizational support. "Crisan has worked hard to make the student chapter of IEEE an institutional powerhouse, and helped this organization win numerous awards over many years," said Roysam. "He has consistently inspired to students to excel."
Crisan is a life senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a member of the IEEE Power Engineering Society and a member of the Conference Internationale des Grande Reseaux Electrique (CIGRE). He has received the Cullen College of Engineering Outstanding Teacher Award, the W.T. Kittinger Award for Excellence in Teaching, and is a six-time winner of the Outstanding Student Branch Counselor Award, IEEE Region 5.
Crisan received an M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Dr. Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Timisoara in Romania.