After reading one too many engineering papers, a young staff engineer with Detroit Edison decided there had to be a better way to engage an audience; keep its interest and concentration; and, most importantly, ensure the knowledge, data and intellectual thought are presented in an easy-to-understand way.

Adam Jacob's view is simple: All of the material on the planet is useless unless it has the potential to teach and the wherewithal to make it stick. Constantly combining the extensive expertise and knowledge of his colleagues, Jacob strives to come up with attention-holding presentations, whether it be for conferences, trade shows, proposals, white papers, information sessions, or industry and community reports.

Jacob's methods are also being well received in training sessions and seminars. He puts a unique spin on even the most dry material by expanding and creatively manipulating the English language and using it as a true teaching tool.

In an industry that is more often than not considered conservative and somewhat resistant to change, Jacob's approach is, to say the least, refreshingly different. His presentations are not only highly informative, but they are also thought provoking and understandable, through his use of cleanly structured layout, verbal imagery, humor and quotes. His solutions evoke interest at all levels, and are designed to inspire thinking and elicit response.

Throw into the mix high-quality graphics and pictures captured on Jacob's digital video and still camera, and the whole package snaps to life adding significantly higher value for the viewer. He certainly sets the benchmark for the Electric Power Research Institute's (EPRI's) best practice of improving communications throughout the industry, through initiatives that can be used by the utility companies to develop strategies for improving systems in the most cost-effective manner.

TAKING IT TO THE PUBLIC

A recent example of the effectiveness of Jacob's work came to light when Detroit Edison, a regulated utility serving 2.2 million electric customers in southeast Michigan, U.S., decided to install a generator on a distribution circuit for load relief. The hardware consisted of a 1-MW gas-fired generation unit and the associated hardware to support the circuit load. As with all energy providers, whenever new installations are being considered or existing ones are being expanded, the community being served can actually become their nemesis. Opposition groups can easily form a knee-jerk reaction to change, albeit for the better, and the response can quickly turn ugly. This installation proved to be no different.

To deal with the roadblock, Jacob came up with a creative solution using his interest in video editing. He created a short, informative and entertaining presentation addressing the potential concerns of the local citizens and elected officials such as noise, footprint of the installation and the future, permanent solution to the circuit overload problems. Supported by strong graphics — including stills, video footage and charts — the highly professional presentation helped convince residents of the need for and the merits of the project.

Jacob also has used his talents to teach fellow engineers. One subject he has covered is the process of installing distributed generation. Jacob helped prepare a complete, forward-thinking educational paper. Divided into several key categories, the paper included design parameters, load analysis, site location, legal issues, noise pollution, impact on wildlife and the environment, and general landscaping. The paper also instructed Detroit Edison personnel on how to deal with delicate residential issues if and when confronted.

A REFRESHINGLY DIFFERENT APPROACH

How information is presented is just as important as the information itself. And Adam Jacob has a knack for making even the most dry material come to life.

“The very first video presentation Adam prepared for one of our seminars was an instant hit,” recalled Rich Seguin, principal engineer at Detroit Edison. “Since that one, we have had full attendance at every one of our conferences for the past four years. The company has even provided videos for several other users in the industry and a loop of a current video Adam wrote, directed and shot is running in the lobby of EPRI headquarters in Palo Alto, California.”

In today's environment of ever-increasing technical complexity associated with the energy sector, it is good to have young engineers who can help communicate difficult technical ideas in easily understandable ways. And Jacob is more than willing to share his ideas, techniques and expertise with the industry.