ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories Senior Scientist Stan Atcitty has been honored with the A.P. Seethapathy Rural Electrification Excellence Award by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for his leadership and innovation in the rural electrification of U.S. tribal nations.
The IEEE, one of the world’s largest technical professional organizations, established the Seethapathy Rural Electrification Award in 2008. The award recognizes exceptional power engineers who have innovated or implemented cost-effective electrification technologies for the rural sector. It is among 24 national awards of the IEEE Power and Energy Society.
Atcitty, a member of the Navajo Nation, leads the power electronics subprogram as part of the Department of Energy Office of Electricity’s Energy Storage Program. He also leads the Tribal Energy Storage Program and the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Minority Serving Institution Partnership Program, conducting outreach with tribal colleges and universities.
“There is a tight connection between electrification and life,” Atcitty said. “In many cases, no electricity means no life for the community. My focus is on the heart of the people, working for their benefit, not mine. True purpose in life is found when we act for the benefit of others.”
Atcitty noted that much work remains to be done. Many tribal communities across the U.S. still have unreliable or limited access to electricity.
Building trust for energy sovereignty
For more than 25 years, Atcitty has collaborated with tribal nations, offering everything from introductory energy lectures to building relationships and trust, to providing in-depth technical reports on distributed energy resources and power electronics tailored to each tribe’s needs. The technical support is focused on giving each tribe the information they need to make the best decision for themselves, rather than selling a specific technology or solution, he said.
“By informing tribal communities, we empower them to make informed decisions about future renewable energy and energy storage deployments,” Atcitty said. “This is the core of our work. My team and I are dedicated to advancing their energy sovereignty and self-determination to the next level.”
Atcitty is particularly proud of his work with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Due to their location, the community experiences over 100 power outages annually, mostly from hurricanes and other storms. Atcitty and his team developed a distributed renewable energy system with storage for key community buildings, such as the hospital and administrative buildings. The system is currently operational, and the tribe is pleased with the results, he added.
Atcitty’s research focuses on power electronics necessary to integrate energy storage and distributed generation with the electric utility grid. He has received seven R&D 100 awards and one Gold Green Energy award from Research & Development magazine. Last year, he was named an IEEE Fellow and has been a member of the organization for more than twenty years. He received a Presidential Early Career Award in 2012 and a Technical Excellence Award from the American Indian Science and Engineering Society in 2007.
Networking and mentoring with purpose
Atcitty’s outreach and engagement with tribal colleges and universities complement his work with tribes.
“Simply put, sovereignty is the right of the people to govern themselves; I believe that educating the next generation to become impactful community members is part of that right,” Atcitty said. “By nurturing students and the younger generation, we ensure they become well-informed and valuable on-site assets within their respective tribes.”
In his role with the NNSA’s Minority Serving Institution Partnership Program, Atcitty visits tribal colleges and universities, talks with students and inspires them to pursue higher education and consider employment within NNSA’s labs, sites and plants. The most rewarding part, he said, is when he receives a message from a student about being accepted into a graduate program or graduating from a prestigious program.
Atcitty mentors many tribal students, including Gordon North Piegan III, a Blackfeet Nation member and Sandia intern pursuing a Ph.D. at George Mason University. The Blackfeet Community College is deploying renewable and distributed energy systems, and Piegan is already contributing his technical expertise to his community.
Atcitty earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from New Mexico State University in 1993 and 1995, respectively. In 2006, he became the first American Indian male to earn a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering from Virginia Tech University.
Atcitty advises students and future engineers to prioritize serving others rather than exploiting them.
“When you dedicate yourself to this mission, you discover true life and purpose,” Atcitty said. “That’s what I’m doing right now, and that’s why I enjoy my job at Sandia so much. I’m leveraging my national and international influence to give back to tribal communities and tribal colleges and universities.”