NIST JUNE 2016 News Letter
The smart grid community was deeply saddened last week by the untimely death of one of its pioneers, Erich Gunther.
“Erich was an exceptional talent, collaborator, and dear friend to me and many others at NIST,” said Dr. David Wollman, Deputy Director of NIST’s Smart Grid and Cyber-Physical Systems Program Office. “Many of us, both on the NIST Smart Grid team and in the Community Resilience Program, had the great privilege of working closely with Erich in recent years. He brought a rare combination of intelligence and passion—of head and heart—to his work, his hobbies, and, most of all, to the many communities he touched. We offer our deepest condolences to his family, his friends, and his co-workers at Enernex.”
Among the many tributes appearing online last week, these two may be of special interest to the readers of this newsletter:
Sharon Allan, President of the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP), initiated an Erich Gunther memorial website at forevermissed.com, and many members of the smart grid community have been contributing their tributes, pictures, and stories. NIST launched the SGIP as a public-private partnership in 2009, and Erich Gunther (and Enernex) played crucial roles in its formation, growth, and evolution. “Smart Grid Today” established a public link to a special issue remembering Erich Gunther. The issue contains links to every story that was ever published with Erich Gunther’s name in it. (There are more than 50 stories, dating back to 2009.) “The stories are open to the public and offered in honor and celebration of his life as a true leader, visionary and mentor to the smart grid industry and the broader electricity industry.