Andrew McEniry awarded IEEE PES scholarship

Undergraduate student Andrew McEniry was recently announced as a 2025-2026 IEEE PES scholarship recipient. Offered by the IEEE Power and Energy Society's PES Scholarship Plus Initiative, the scholarship recognizes promising undergraduates who are interested in power and energy engineering careers. The award supports the student's educational expenses and provides them opportunities to connect with industry professionals. 

Currently in his senior year, McEniry is driven by his curiosity and passion to explore and innovate as an electrical engineer. We had the opportunity to learn more about McEniry's interests, and plans for the future.
 

How it started

My first curiosity about electrical engineering happened when I built my own personal computer in 7th grade. The complexity was fascinating, and it seemed like black magic to me at the time. In my young mind, it was as if engineers were teaching rocks how to do math. My father helped foster this early passion for electrical engineering. He would buy me beginner circuit kits to tinker with, and he encouraged me to join the robotics team at my middle school.

I remember one moment in precalculus in high school. Our teacher was discussing imaginary numbers, and I asked her what purpose they serve if they are imaginary. She waved her hand at the ceiling lights, and said they help power the lights. This was such an astonishing statement at the time. After having interacted with electrical hardware, this sudden curiosity about the theory was one of the main reasons I decided to pursue electrical engineering.

Choosing the U

Being from Iowa, there isn't much in terms of urban higher education environments. The University of Minnesota sits in an urban environment, with many Fortune 500 companies nearby. I knew this would be great for internship opportunities. I also knew from perusing online forums that the University had a great reputation for engineering. Additionally, I have always loved the state of Minnesota and visited Duluth every summer as a child. 

Power systems and power electronics

I had an internship at a subcontractor that did work on data centers under construction. When I left my desk, I was able to walk around the site. I saw many applications of power systems and power electronics engineering all over the place. This summer experience piqued my interest in these areas. 

There are so many different ways to improve the field of power electronics. It takes knowledge of magnetics, embedded systems, semiconductors, printed circuit board design, and more to make a functional product. All the different angles from which a researcher can find ways to improve a power converter is what makes the field so fascinating.

The road ahead

I will be pursuing a Ph.D. in electrical engineering at MIT after my graduation from the University. I will be focusing on power electronics, and I'd like to explore novel switched-capacitor topologies.

I would like to work on cutting edge technology in a corporate laboratory after my Ph.D.

The goal of the PES Scholarship Plus Initiative is to provide financial assistance in the form of scholarships and other support such as real world experience to highly qualified students interested in power and energy engineering careers. Scholarship awardees receive up to $10,000 toward educational expenses, networking opportunities with professionals, and connections to power and energy companies for jobs and internships. Learn more about the IEEE PES scholarship.