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After graduating from The University of Michigan with a BFA in Fibers, Marianne Fairbanks went on to study textiles at The Kyoto Seika University in Japan before returning to the US to pursue an MFA in Fibers and Material Studies at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. There she began working collaboratively with Jane Palmer under the moniker of JAM. JAM’s work has been included in exhibitions such as Beyond Green: Toward a Sustainable Art, which originated at the Smart Museum of Art, Chicago. Marianne was a cofounder of Mess Hall, an experimental cultural space in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago that sought to cultivate community through workshops, symposia, and exhibitions. She was also cofounder of Noon Solar, a small business that created sustainable bags and totes that incorporate flexible thin film solar panels to charge cell phones and mp3 players, a business that grew out of one of JAM’s projects. For over 10 years Marianne has also maintained an active roll as co-curator of a space in Chicago called Lula Café.

In her current work Marianne seeks to explore intersections between the materiality and processes associated with textiles, sustainable design, community, collaboration and entrepreneurship. She brings this mash up of passions to her students in classes like weaving and off loom structures.

The horseshoe, the water wheel, the windmill, the steam engine … systems for energy transport and power conversion have always been at the forefront of human imagination. Rooted in that tradition, modern electrical power converters have evolved through the interplay of historical, social, environmental and technological factors, among others. We use careful empirical study, reinforced with analytical modeling to elucidate the role of these factors in determining the shape and form of electrical power converters. Thus, we are able to optimize power converter systems for the future. Our research program covers the major aspects of electrical power conversion systems in different application areas including information processing, industrial drives and processes, and utility power distribution. Specific research projects focus on characterization of power semiconductor devices and components, development of novel power converters and control strategies, physical realization and packaging, mitigation of converter-induced harmonics, and control of electromagnetic interference.