EE Graduate Student Nathan Carnovale Receives IEEE Charles LeGeyt Fortescue Graduate Scholarship

PITTSBURGH (Aug. 26, 2020) — The IEEE Educational Activities Board (EAB) has selected Nathan (Nate) Carnovale, graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering, to receive the Charles LeGeyt Fortescue Graduate Scholarship.

The scholarship was named for Charles LeGeyt Fortescue (1876-1936), an electrical engineer who spent his career at the Westinghouse Corporation, in recognition of his contributions to the field of electrical engineering. The award is given to a beginning graduate student for one year of full-time graduate work in electrical engineering.

“Nate is one of the most outstanding students in our department, and we are most excited for his ECE graduate studies sponsored by this prestigious scholarship,” said Alan George, professor and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Nate Carnovale graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in December 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a concentration in electric power and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in electric power engineering at Pitt. His current research deals with system and fault identification methods in microgrids and inverter-based generation power systems.

“In his time at Pitt so far, Nate has proven to be an outstanding student and engineer,” said Brandon Grainger, Eaton Faculty Fellow, associate director of the Pitt Energy GRID Institute, and assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. “I look forward to his continued work in the Department and in the field of electrical engineering.”  

During his undergraduate career, Carnovale interned with Eaton for two summers, working at Eaton’s Power Systems Experience Center for Eaton’s Power Systems Automation and Controls services groups in Warrendale, PA. There, he gained experience in power systems metering and monitoring and microgrid control systems, as well as experience installing, wiring, and programming Eaton demos at the Experience Center.  This past summer, he interned with Eaton’s Digital Office team testing and developing software for smart circuit breakers used in electric vehicle charging applications.

For four semesters at Pitt, Carnovale was a teaching assistant for the Art of Making, an introductory engineering course to hands-on systems design. During his time as an undergrad, he worked to develop an adapted physical education learning tool for students with physical and mental challenges at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children in Pittsburgh, a project he started during his time as a student in the Art of Making course. 

“To be recognized by the organization at the foundation of my industry is a great honor and means a lot to me,” said Carnovale. “I am excited that this scholarship will not only help me in my own pursuits but also my department at the University of Pittsburgh as we strive toward innovation in the electrical engineering field.”

Author: Maggie Pavlick