IEEE Utah Section – 2026 Update

The Executive Committee would like to welcome everyone to the 2026 IEEE Utah Section.

Chair: Mr. Dan Christenson;  Vice Chair: Ms. Jennifer Hershman; Treasurer: Mr. David Loper;  Secretary: Mr. Shankar Raj

The IEEE Utah Section has been off to a strong start in 2026. To recap some recent highlights:

Featured Technical Talk

The section hosted an engaging presentation titled:
“The CAPSTONE Mission and the Future of Spacecraft Navigation and Autonomy.”

Dr. Matthew Givens, Senior Space Navigation Engineer at Advanced Space LLC, shared both historical and technical insights into spacecraft navigation. He also discussed lessons learned and challenges faced during the CAPSTONE mission—the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment.

Spacecraft orbits may appear as elegant conic paths in space, but designing trajectories is only part of the challenge. Determining a spacecraft’s position, timing, and velocity is where the art and science of navigation come into play.  Launched in 2022, CAPSTONE continues to operate in a Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) around the Moon. The mission has served as a testbed for autonomous navigation and communication technologies and has contributed to NASA’s efforts in developing strategies for the future Lunar Gateway space station.

Technical Tour

Members participated in a tour of the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab and Valar’s Reactor, providing valuable exposure to cutting-edge energy research and technology.

Recognition Dinner

In addition, a recognition dinner was held at Bhansa Ghar in Salt Lake City to honor members who advanced to Senior Member grade and to recognize the many volunteers who support IEEE events throughout the year.

To be eligible for elevation to Senior Member, an individual must:

·         Be an engineer, scientist, educator, technical executive, or originator in IEEE-designated fields for at least ten years

·         Demonstrate significant professional performance over a minimum of five of those years

Awards Program Reboot

The IEEE Utah Section is relaunching its awards program. Information will be distributed soon for nominations and self-nominations. Categories will include, but are not limited to:

·         Engineer of the Year

·         Educator of the Year

·         Fresh Faces of Engineering

Engineering Recognition

The IEEE Utah Section has nominated Mr. Chaitanya Kulkarni (Oracle America Inc.) to represent the section as the Engineer of the Year at the Utah Engineers Council event on April 25.

IEEE Milestone Proposal

Dr. Dan Donahoe is actively finalizing a proposal for an IEEE Milestone Award recognizing the Fluorescence Detection of Cosmic Rays (1976–1991). This work spans multiple institutions, including:

·         Brigham Young University

·         Cornell University

·         University of New Mexico

·         University of Tokyo

·         University of Utah

Involvement

The IEEE Utah Section holds its Executive Committee Meeting on the third Tuesday of each month. If you are interested in attending or volunteering, please reach out for more details.

Your continued dedication to the engineering profession is greatly appreciated, and we look forward to an exciting and impactful year ahead.