Letter from the Editor Dear IEC Community,  It is hard to believe that we have been going through the trials and tribulations of living under COVID for more than one year now. This pandemic has continually turned our lives upside down by forcibly changing the way we work, communicate with each other, teach, and perform various other tasks. According to Charles Spurgeon “Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil and let us see what we are made of”. Well … for educators (and others), the soil has indeed been thoroughly dug up and we have uncovered that, at least when we must, we are resilient, innovative, and rapidly adaptable to changes. The unavoidable question is then how we might permanently cultivate these qualities and organize ourselves into more effective learning communities that greatly benefit the students they serve.   > Read More Mandoye Ndoye Associate Professor  Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Tuskegee University

Calendar of Events May 18, 2021 Anti-Racism Practice in Engineering Workshop 2:00pm ET/1:00pm CT Register Today! Jun. 15 & 16, 2021 ECEDHA Summit Data Science/AI, Quantum, 5G and Advanced Wireless, and Robotics and Autonomous Systems Details Here Jul. 13 & 14, 2021 ECEDHA Corporate Technology Summit Details coming soon! Oct. 12 & 14, 2021 ECE Lab Pros & ECE Makers Summit Details coming soon!

Featured Article

Demetris Geddis Assistant Dean and Department Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering, SET - Electrical and Computer Engineering Hampton University  Join the Data Center Working Group!  Interested in collaborating with the iMasons?  Please email info@iec.org for more information and details on the first working group meeting.

Hampton University's iMason Sponsored Capstone Design Project Hampton University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering students completed a two-semester capstone design project that was sponsored by the Infrastructure Masons (iMasons). HU students designed two Data Centers for mobile phone apps. With the help of iMasons mentors, students were able to quickly acquire a high-level understanding of our digital infrastructure. Constrained by latency, bandwidth, power, and cost, Hampton students designed sophisticated energy efficient centers and recommended the site locations. HU ECE and Architecture students presented theirs to over 50 industry professional from companies such as Google, Microsoft, and EdgeConneX.    > To learn more about the program please click here Watch the April On-Demand Session

Thinking Outside The Box

Kenneth A. Connor Professor Emeritus, Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Member, Board of Directors, Inclusive Engineering Consortium

I would like to bring two web resources to your attention below that are definitely not the usual places one would look for ideas to use when developing courses. They are not developed by colleagues at other universities. Rather they are collections of information that someone has put together because of a personal passion.

B.U.I.L.D. B.U.I.L.D. which stands for Building Understanding Involves Learning and Doing, with its associated YouTube Channels. I was looking for someone who had investigated generating power from the water flowing in the downspout of a building roof. The guy who makes the videos – Quint – is a mechanical engineer, so he misses a few things here and there that are relevant to ECE, but he is very thorough and clearly willing to spend as much time as is necessary to thoroughly try out an idea as crazy as harnessing the power from even a small amount of falling water. His use of 3D printers, in particular, is great fun. I think that a team of good students could study his ‘Rain Gutter Power Series’ and learn a lot by coming up with their own ideas, in addition to understanding his. They would also understand much better what it takes to generate power from water or wind. (He has another series on wind power.) > More Information

Train Electronics The stated mission of TrainElectronics.com is ‘to develop microcontroller based electronic devices for the model railroad community and to educate model railroaders so that they can build and modify their own electronic controls.’ The well-documented projects, which are supported by excellent videos and other documentation (including the necessary code for the processor being used), are not limited to electric trains and address some very creative ideas. I found this site because I was looking for someone who had built a motor out of a Fidget Spinner. My goal is to develop a simple motor design that can be built as part of an outreach project to help understand how the amazing Tesla Model 3 motor works. The advice provided on how to build projects is also exceptionally good, particularly when the circuit involves surface mount devices. > More Information

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The 2014 IEEE Robotics team from Prairie View A&M

Request for Photos and Online Programming In an effort to showcase our community, we are asking all IEC Member Institutions to share any photos and available programming/seminars/events with us so we may add it to the IEC Website. Photos of students or faculty participating in interesting virtual or in-person activities or projects are welcome, including archived photos. If there is something you would share with your department, we welcome you to share it with the IEC community!  Photos and upcoming seminar information can be sent to the IEC at info@iec.org.

Institutional Spotlight

Virginia State University’s Department of Engineering Celebrates Its Students

The Department of Engineering consists of two undergraduate programs, namely Computer Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering. The Computer Engineering program enrolled its first students in fall 2001, and in 2016, graduated more African-American students than any other such program in the nation. It received its most recent reaccreditation in August 2020, and has the distinction of its Self-Study being recommended by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET’s visit team to be displayed at ABET’s Annual Symposium where only fifty (50) self-studies are highlighted from engineering programs nationwide, and internationally. The Manufacturing Engineering program’s Self-Study was chosen as well. VSU’s president, Dr. Makola Abdullah, has a vision for computing at Virginia State University, and computer engineering, as well as computer science, will be a focus and have a special initiative.

VSU Team Takes 3rd Place in AMIE Design Challenge

AMIE (Advancing Minorities Interest in Engineering) had its 4th Annual Design Challenge for the HBCU Engineering Schools on March 26, 2021. This year the competition was virtual. According to AMIE, the objectives of the competition are: “to engage students in industry challenges and processes through collaboration with corporations, governmental agencies, and technical leaders; introduce students to new and emerging technologies and how they are used to solve real-life problems; and provide the opportunity for innovative, out-of-the-box thinking, skills development, and solution presentations.” VSU’s multidisciplinary team of five students from Computer Engineering (2), Manufacturing Engineering (1), and Computer Science (2) took 3rd place in the competition among the HBCU engineering schools.   The team was comprised of students from freshmen to seniors. These students prepared well and worked collaboratively to attain this accolade.

From Left to right: Keimyon Brown, Hamilton Winstead, Kailyn Haye, Jamari Crawley, Alex Charles

Computer Engineering Major Names "Outstanding Freshman of the Year"

Kailyn Haye Freshman Computer Engineering Virginia State University

In April 2021, Virginia State University’s Honors Program recognized Kailyn S. Haye as “Outstanding Freshman of the Year.” Kailyn is a Las Vegas, Nevada resident who began her studies in fall 2020 as a Presidential Scholar and dual Computer Engineering and Mathematics major. She has become a highly successful and active member of the Honors Program and VSU. Kailyn has served on the Honors Student Council where she assisted in organizing programming to increase student engagement, including the Honors Book Club and the Mid-Term essential Study Kits. She was also a member of VSU’s Honda Campus All Star Team and AMIE Design Challenge Team. Kailyn is involved in activities within her major through participation in the National Society of Black Engineers. She has excellent leadership skills and takes the initiative to be very helpful to other students and her professors. Kailyn is self-motivated, proactive, and has a pleasant disposition. This is not the last that we will hear of her.

Computer Engineering Students Receive Fellowships

Students Participate in VSU’s Virtual Undergraduate Research Conference

In November 2020, Computer Engineering majors Faith Little, Keimyon Brown, Isaac Eason, and Brian Dao received the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship (DDETFP) from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The one-year award amounts ranged from $5,500 to $10,000. VSU has been one of the sites for the Dwight David Eisenhower Fellowship Program since 1997. It is a student development program aimed at attracting the brightest minds to the transportation related fields. The funds for this program are used as stipends for students. Selections are made by the Federal Highway Administration. The four students are well deserving of this award.

The 15th Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) was held, virtually, at VSU on April 9, 2021. This conference is organized under the leadership of Computer Engineering faculty with participation of Computer Engineering students as well as other STEM majors.  There were oral and poster sessions with attendance of over ninety (90) students and faculty. It is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) HBCU-UP (Undergraduate Program). NSF has awarded the HBCU-UP to VSU for the past seventeen (17) years. In addition to the URC, the HBCU-UP supports the following activities: bridge from high school to college; undergraduate research; graduate school preparation; and faculty-student teams at industry/research facilities. HBCU-UP has supported faculty/student summer internships with industry at the following organizations: Mitsubishi Advanced Polymera, Ept, NASA, Oakridge National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and the Department of Taxation. In addition to summer internships in the U.S., they were sponsored in China and Korea as well. The Undergraduate Research Conference as well as the other programs have benefited numerous students and Computer Engineering majors in particular.

For Further Information Contact:  Virginia State University Dr. Pamela Leigh-Mack, Chair Department of Engineering (804) 524-1136 pleigh-mack@vsu.edu

Corporate Features

KBR Wins $48.5M U.S. Air Force Task Order for Optoelectronic Technology Research KBR (NYSE: KBR) won a $48.5 million recompete to support optoelectronic technology research for the U.S Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate’s Optoelectronic Technology Branch (RYDH). KBR will perform analyses of military and commercial developmental devices with emphasis on emerging electronic, plasmonic, electro-optic, and photonic technology. These devices will include lasers, waveguides, detectors, and focal plane array. KBR will also perform analyses on materials, such as semiconductors, nonlinear crystals, and laser gain media; and more broadly, applications of the subject devices and materials. Applications for this research exist for nearly every airborne platform, including the F-35 Lightning II, spacecraft such as Wideband Global SATCOM and Global Positioning System satellites, as well as ground based and modular sensing packages. >> Read More KBR Completes Centauri Acquisition, Strengthening Military Space and Intelligence Capabilities KBR, Inc. (NYSE: KBR) (“KBR”) announced today it has completed the acquisition of Centauri, LLC (“Centauri”), a leading independent provider of space, directed energy, and other advanced technology solutions to the United States intelligence community and Department of Defense, from Arlington Capital Partners. About KBR KBR is a global provider of differentiated professional services and solutions across the asset and program life cycle within the government solutions and technology sectors. KBR employs approximately 28,000 people worldwide with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in 40 countries. KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, and long-term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results. At KBR, We Deliver. >> Read More

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