#Eweek2025 Spotlight | Alan Odermann

Who (or what) inspired you to be an engineer? 

I was one of those kids interested in knowing how everything worked. This was before the internet and video games. My closest brother and I were constantly taking things apart, fixing them, scavenging for parts, and making new things. I loved model railroading, which led to playing with electricity. And I loved math and science, thus engineering seemed like the logical choice for a career. I also loved (and still do) the study of all things in nature and almost chose geology, but there were more prevalent job opportunities in engineering at the time.

Who is an engineer you look up to and/or admire?  

During my first years of substation engineering, I worked with an engineer who started as a draftsman, then progressed to designer, then to engineer. He was one of the smartest substation engineers I ever worked with and I really admired him.

What is your area of expertise and why did you choose it?

I began engineering with five years specifically in substation design. Substation design involves the planning, engineering, and construction of electrical substations for efficient power transmission and distribution systems. Over my career, I branched out into a broad range of power engineering, but substation modifications and design have been regularly in the mix. My substation design experience ranges from 5 kV to 500 kV projects for both new substations and modifications to existing substations across the mainland U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. I really enjoy being able to engineer anything power-related, from substations to overhead and underground medium voltage distribution systems to low voltage distribution systems within an industrial setting.

What is one of your favorite projects and why?

The most interesting substation project I’ve worked on thus far was designing the 500 kV series capacitor bank platforms — as part of a flexible AC transmission system — for the Bonneville Power Administration’s C.J. Slatt Substation along the Columbia River in northern Oregon. The steel platforms were raised above the ground on 500 kV insulators with multiple sub-voltage variations at different circuit locations within the capacitor-switching buss work. I worked closely with the General Electric electrical engineers who developed the cutting-edge thyristor controls to switch capacitors in and out of service in a new way to help “push” power in a desired direction.

One of my most memorable experiences was at an underground gold mine. There was a mine dewatering pumping plant in an underground room with massive pumps and piping manufactured in Germany. The equipment was from some time before World War II, and there were underground substations with equipment that had been installed by Thomas Edison.

What has been an innovative, out-of-the-box project you’ve worked on recently?

One of my recent projects in Washington state involved a 12-pulse rectifier for a chemical production plant. (A rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating energy current, which periodically reverses direction, to direct current, which flows in only one direction.) The power infrastructure feeding these rectifiers was complex and very interesting, both from the power perspective — the rectifiers produced 160,000 amps of DC current — and the controls perspective as they were no longer supported by the manufacturer so I had to reverse engineer them and keep them operating without the manufacturer’s expertise.

What are your defining characteristics as a person?

I don’t like doing anything without thorough planning. I want to engineer everything. I’m always doing projects at home and I engineer every one — whether it’s building a house or furniture or installing a water treatment system. I also love the study of nature and still want to know how everything works.

What piece of advice would you give a young person interested in becoming an engineer?

Don’t be intimidated. Try your best in math and science, but also in English class. Communications skills are some of the most important skills you can have in any endeavor, including engineering.

Are you involved in activities that help engage students/young people in engineering?

I participate in career days at a local high school to speak with students about engineering and encourage them in that direction. And this goes beyond engineering, but I’ve also been involved in giving presentations to school kids about my love of nature — particularly entomology. I take different species of praying mantises to classrooms and teach kids about these coolest of cool insects. It’s probably the most fun thing I’ve ever done. The kids are so excited to see and learn about these insects.