The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association
March 2021
Special Announcement
Research. Technology. The Future of ECE.
Stream the new podcast series now!
We are excited to share the official launch of the new ECE TECH TALKS Podcast Series.

Throughout this series, host Barry Sullivan sits down for casual conversations with thought leaders in ECE – across both academia and industry – to hear their perspectives on the latest in research, technology, and their vision of the future of ECE.

Episode 1: A Conversation with
Ahmad Bahai
Ahmad Bahai
Senior VP & CTO,
Texas Instruments
Episode 2: A Conversation with
Steven McLaughlin
Steven McLaughlin
Provost and Executive VP of
Academic Affairs, Georgia Tech
Featured Articles
Fisayo Sangoleye
Leena Aggad
Diversity in Engineering: A Student Perspective
By: Fisayo Sangoleye, PhD Student, ECE, University of New Mexico & Leena Aggad, Master's Student, ME, University of New Mexico

Being culturally diverse, can you discuss some of the challenges you identify with? 

Cultural diversity, although something that is necessary to create a thriving environment, presents challenges to those that wish to uphold its benefits. The challenges our organization identifies with are creating a fitting environment for all, attracting new cultures, as well as dealing with the ignorance of those not commonly immersed into culturally diverse settings. 

Every different background comes with a completely unique set of cultural norms and traditions. Because of this, it is generally hard to create a setting that adheres to everyone’s culture preference. Therefore, it becomes a responsibility of organizational leadership to ensure that at least, key aspects of everyone’s culture are integrated enough to make them feel welcome. An example of this might perhaps be as simple as creating an international playlist of music to play as background noise in an event. Also, perhaps most importantly, it is critical that cultures are not distastefully represented.

Redesigning an Electrical Engineering Curriculum with a Focus on Systems Principles and Engineering Design
By: Catharine June, University of Michigan
The University of Michigan undergraduate program in electrical engineering has been redesigned to place a stronger emphasis on systems principles and engineering design, with projects having a positive impact on society. The onslaught of COVID-19 led to imaginative solutions that could further enrich these lab-based courses even post-pandemic.
Photo (above): Lab kits identical to this were sent to every student taking EECS 300
so they could complete the labs at home.
“These new courses will give students experience early in their student careers synthesizing what they learned in different courses and then applying it to a complete system having an application that is in service to society,” said Mingyan Liu, Peter & Evelyn Fuss Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). “This goes to the heart of what it means to be an engineer.”

Sponsored Article: Free Inventory Management Tool from Mouser Electronics Simplifies Parts Management and Ordering
Mouser Electronics, Inc., as part of its goal to provide best-in-class service and the most robust resources to customers, is offering a free, innovative Inventory Management Tool and new companion mobile app for iOS and Android devices.

The free, easy-to-use, web-based inventory system helps organizations and individuals around the world to effortlessly manage and track their stock of electronic components and related supplies. The integrated iOS and Android apps enable users to scan barcodes as well as print bin labels directly from the application. Customers can take advantage of this free tool by logging into their My Mouser accounts. To create a My Mouser account, go to www.mouser.com/MyMouser .

Association Announcements
ECE Educators,
You're Invited!
March 23 & 25, 2021 |
10am CT

Mark your calendars for the next installment of the ECEDHA Summit Series, a two-day virtual program set for Tuesday, March 23rd and Thursday, March 25th.

Led by Susan Hagness, University of Wisconsin - Madison, the March Summit will focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Visit the ECEDHA website for additional details.

ECEDHA Member and Partner News
2021 IEEE-HKN Awards: Call for Nominations

IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu encourages Chapters and individuals to nominate all eligible candidates for the 2021 IEEE-HKN Awards. The awards promote and encourage excellence in electrical and computer engineering and allied fields. These awards recognize outstanding accomplishments by students, professors and industry professionals who make significant contributions to society, and who exemplify a balance of scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

Deadline: May 3, 2021

Corporate Features
Sponsored Content: Bench Talk for Design Engineers | The Official Blog of Mouser
A Little Engineering Humor
What do electrical engineers have for breakfast?

Serial.