High Voltage Lab to assist neighbors 'down under'

An Australian company specializing in lightning protection is turning to Mississippi for high voltage research assistance.

Representatives of Lightning Protection International, based in Hobart, Australia, have been at Mississippi State to collaborate with researchers at the High Voltage Laboratory. Among visitors were Rich Gumley, director, and Franco D'Alessandro, senior physicist with the company.

Discussing lightning protection are (l - r) French consultant Gerard Berger, Austrailians Franco D'Alessandro and Rich Gumley, and Mississippi State's Stan Grzybowski. Berger is with the National Scientific Research Center in Paris.

A part of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the High Voltage Laboratory is an independent non-industrial research center for high voltage engineering. It is the only center of its kind among North American universities.

"The High Voltage Laboratory has developed an international reputation for its expertise in this area," said director Stan Grzybowski, noting that the Australian company could have sought assistance anywhere in the world.

The company wished to evaluate a certain type of lightning protection system known as an early stream emission air terminal. Under strict laboratory conditions, it wished to generate data that would provide definitive measurements of the system.

The best place to do that turned out to be halfway around the globe. "We're meeting needs for international clients from as far away as Pakistan, Australia, and Greece because of the unique capabilities of the lab," Grzybowski said.

"We're also working with a number of American companies who are exporting internationally and need to meet international standards."

An active participant in international professional organizations, Grzybowski recently was the guest of the Korean committee that organized a conference on properties and applications of dielectric materials. Participants from around the world convened for the conference sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

While there, Grzybowski presented three seminars to Korean research institutes.