The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association
March 2020
Letter from the Editor
Dear ECEDHA family and friends,

First of all, we have compiled a Chair’s Checklist and Resources for coping with the COVID-19 virus at our doorsteps. However, this is also a time to consider the quintessentially ECE opportunities that it brings to our doorsteps. Do we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform the way humanity responds to new germs?

In this issue of the Source, we are pleased to spotlight a article from Sid Deliwala at UPenn’s ESE department aimed at ECE Lab Managers – please remember to share it with your lab manager. We are also delighted to feature an article from Keysight Technologies – describing an exciting way to introduce ECE students to electromagnetics by way of a Fox Hunt game. Finally, we are delighted to spotlight two of our host Universities for the upcoming ECEDHA Annual Conference and ECE xpo in Orlando. Hope to see you there. Remember that we will avoid shaking hands, but find alternative ways to greet each other, with just as much delight.

Calendar of Events
March 18, 2020
ABET Workshop
Orlando, FL

March 19-20, 2020
Orlando, FL

March 20-21, 2020
Orlando, FL

March 20-21, 2020
Orlando, FL

March 20-21, 2020
IEEE-HKN Pathways to Industry Student Workshop
Orlando, FL

March 20, 2020
Orlando, FL

March 18-21, 2020
ECE in the News
ECE Technology Program at ECEDHA 2020
By: Sid Deliwala, University of Pennsylvania

Like many readers of this newsletter, I will be looking forward to attending the upcoming ECEDHA in Orlando. I remember my first visit to ECEDHA with George Pappas , Chair of Electrical and Systems Engineering (ESE) who convinced me that I will truly enjoy the ECExpo ..and it was an awesome first time experience.
It felt like I was at a home game! I immediately sensed the energy and the connectivity between the curriculum, experiential learning and the conference participants. During the consecutive visits, I enjoyed working with the ECEDHA team and attending the breakout sessions on makerspaces, multidisciplinary senior design, industry showcase and interacting with vendors who participate in ECE xpo.

While connecting with department chairs and industry participants during ECEDHA conference, I soon realized that there was a great void in the representation of lab program directors. As the Director of ESE Lab Programs, I have been connecting curriculum with experiential learning for over 25 years and it has been a fascinating journey for me. Like many peers in this profession we wear many hats; explainer-in-chief, as an educator and being responsible for choosing the most appropriate space and technology for delivering the best learning experience for students. In Penn’s ESE major, an overwhelming importance on cross-disciplinary learning puts huge emphasis on gateway courses in the sophomore year that allows students to choose concentrations AND all of those gateway core CLAB (Course+Lab) courses include a significant laboratory component.

Becoming a "Detective Engineer" - Keysight Introduces Students to Application-Based Interference Fox Hunting
By: Keysight Technologies
As the world becomes more connected, the need for simultaneous mobile communications is becoming evermore important. While we can make the devices operate well in a controlled environment, it is becoming much harder to control interference as more wireless devices are activated every day. As students prepare for jobs, not only will they have to be able to identify different sources of interference, they will need to ensure their devices can operate in an increasingly congested spectrum. On the bright side, tracking down the sources of interference has become much easier with the use of handheld spectrum analyzers.

Keysight Technologies’ education team has created unique opportunities for students to learn more about minimizing interference. Recently, Keysight field engineer Casey Latham, with support from our Authorized Distributor, TestEquity, presented students at the University of Houston with an opportunity to participate in an interference Fox Hunt on their own campus. Fox hunts originated within the amateur radio community, where a ham radio would transmit from an unknown environment, and participants would compete to be the first to find the hidden transmitter. Today, a similar approach is used, with more modern equipment and advanced software.

Conference Corner
Host University Spotlight: University of Central Florida
By: Zhihua Qu

The University of Central Florida welcomes you to beautiful Orlando, the host city of the 2020 ECEDHA Annual Conference and ECE xpo . UCF is thrilled to co-host this event with our partner universities in the sunshine state.

Founded in 1963, UCF is a public research university located in metropolitan Orlando, the heart of one of the nation’s fastest growing economies and top regions for job growth.

Major industries in Orlando and the central Florida region include aviation, aerospace, defense, modeling and simulation, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, turbomachinery, agriculture, biomedicine, entertainment, hospitality and tourism.

Host University Spotlight: University of Miami
By: Mohamed Abdel-Mottaleb

Greetings from sunny Coral Gables, Florida! We couldn’t be more excited to join you all at the 2020 ECEDHA Annual Conference and ECE xpo next month in Orlando.

Established in 1925 during South Florida’s famous real estate boom, the University of Miami is a major research university engaged in $324 million in research and sponsored program expenditures annually. The University ranked No. 64 of all universities in expenditures of federal funds for research and development according to the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development Survey.

ECEDHA Member and Partner News
IEEE-HKN Outstanding
Chapter Awards

The IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu (IEEE-HKN) Board of Governors has conferred upon 26 student chapters the distinction of Outstanding Chapter for 2019. This represents the top 10 percent of all HKN chapters worldwide.

A Workshop for New Chairs at ECEDHA 2020
By: John Papapolymerou, Michigan State University, and Art Lizotte, Keysight Technologies

Stepping into your new office, the one you just moved into over the weekend, you sit down and open your email to find a plethora of messages. You see several congratulatory messages, some from your faculty, two from the dean, and one from the provost. You immediately realize that you will need a new plan for how you tackle your inbox. Yet, before you get started, Sarah, whom you have known for years and now reports to you, comes into your office and asks for a moment of your time. (You think to yourself, maybe I need to keep my door closed if I don’t want to be interrupted.) Sarah informs you that she would like to communicate to the IAB that you have just started and you look forward to meeting everyone in the fall. (Again, you think to yourself, you don’t even know who’s on the IAB much less want to open yourself to yet another set of emails to reply to.) You let Sarah know that you will let her know by Friday how you would like to proceed. As she leaves, Bob, the somewhat problematic faculty member, walks in after her. Bob wants to chat about the upcoming faculty senate meeting. You ask if he would work with Sarah to setup a time on Wednesday. Bob rolls his eyes as he turns to leave and you get up to walk behind him to close the door. 

Join us this month for the
2020 ECEDHA Annual Conference and ECE xpo

March 18-22, 2020 at the Renaissance SeaWorld
in Orlando, Florida
Join us for the 2020 ECEDHA Annual Conference and ECExpo, the largest gathering of ECE department heads, faculty members, lab professionals, communicators, students and leaders from industry.

Join us  March 18-22, 2020 at the  Renaissance SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida.

This year's program is hosted by: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, and University of Miami.

The 2020 program committee has assembled a world-class educational program focusing on the most pressing issues facing academia and ECE today. This year's Conference and ECE xpo includes the following features:

  • A fantastic lineup of keynote and panel speakers from both academia and industry

  • Specialized workshops, including brand new workshops on Makerspaces, AI, and Quantum Computing

  • Sessions focusing on the future of ECE - including Next Generation Computing, Revolutionizing ECE Curricula, Flipped Classrooms, Robotics and Makerspaces

  • Ample networking time to connect with old friends and new acquaintances 

  • The ECExpo, with more than 40 industry leaders on hand to show the latest technologies in the field
Special Announcements
Finalize Your 2019-2020 Membership

Renew your membership today to continue receiving ECEDHA membership benefits, including:

  • The opportunity to participate in the ECEDHA Annual Survey, a valuable tool in benchmarking your organization in faculty and department head salaries, research budgets, student retention, graduation rates, and much more.
  • The opportunity to attend the 2020 ECEDHA Annual Conference and ECExpo
  • Complimentary job posting service via the ECEDHA website
  • And much more!

Please contact Claire Seifert at [email protected] or 312.559.3724 for assistance with your renewal.
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