Dear IEC Community,
Happy New Year and Best Wishes for 2021!
I think we can all agree that 2020 was not kind to us and will not be missed. That said, this past year has taught us a few good things about ourselves. For one, we should all be now convinced that we are indeed a resilient community of educators that can rise to a myriad of challenges. We have managed to bootstrap ourselves out of a difficult situation by taking advantages of ECE-enabled tools and technologies to find effective ways to conduct labs and continue to deliver engaging lectures remotely. For the IEC community, a relevant byproduct of this past year’s experiences is that 2020 demonstrated that we are already in possession of the tools and technologies needed to efficiently operate as a “super department”. However, as was pointed out repeatedly in previous letters, the full realization of this common vision will necessitate more engagement through increased participation in workshops and more showcasing of activities at member institutions through this newsletter. Our active participation in the workshops is critical because they help raise the profile of our organization, which leads to greater opportunities for partnerships for all members and/or institutions.
Mandoye Ndoye
Associate Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Tuskegee University
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POSTPONED: February 2021
Anti-Racism Practice in Engineering: Exploring,
Learning & Solutions (ARPELS) Workshop Series
New dates coming soon!
Feb. 25, 2021
ECE Webinar: MathWorks
Virtual Labs with MATLAB and Simulink
2:00pm ET/1:00pm CT
Registration opening soon
Mar. 23 & 25, 2021
ECEDHA Summit
Diversity and Inclusion
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John Kelly
Associate Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering
North Carolina A&T State University
Vice President
IEC Board
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iCASE Workshop Series:
Inclusive Consortium of Autonomous Systems Engineers
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One of the goals of the IEC is the creation of inter-instructional initiatives that enhance the research and learning at all of our campuses. iCASE is an example of such a program. iCASE will be a diverse, comprehensive consortium focused on exposing, encouraging, educating, engaging and employing the underrepresented minority engineering community. iCASE will be affiliated with the Autonomous Control and Information Technology Institute at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T).
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Miguel Velez-Reyes
Chair and George W. Edwards, Jr./El Paso Electric Distinguished Professor in Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
The University of Texas at El Paso
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ECE@HSI Workshop: Women in ECE
Available On-Demand!
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Thank you to those that were able to join us for our final session in this 6 session ECE@HSI Workshop Series. Our January session, Women in ECE, had record turnout with a panel of 12 incredible women across academia and industry. We encourage everyone to watch the on-demand recording below and watch the pre-recorded speaker presentations available on the ECE@HSI Webpage.
Nationwide, enrollment of women in ECE averages only 20% of the student population. This undoubtedly points to the need of cultural changes in ECE Departments to better attract, retain and support the success of female students across our programs. In this ECE@HSI workshop, we have invited an outstanding group of speakers and panelists from academia, industry and NASA to talk about research, models and initiatives aimed at providing their insights as to how can we change the ECE departments’ cultures to address this and how a coalition like ECE@HSI can promote and enable change. Special attention will be paid to the challenges and needs of Latina students.
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ECE@HSI Workshop Session 6: Women in ECE - January 15, 2021
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The Smart City REU/RET trains students and teachers in a variety of cutting edge technologies related to research in Smart and Connected Cities. Participants work side-by-side with leading researchers across multiple institutions with projects relating to the Internet of Things Security, Energy Storage Systems, Nanomaterials and Sensor Networks, Smart Grid Systems, and Materials Research. This program offers an excellent opportunity for students to explore various electrical and computer engineering research topics while gaining experience in the process of conducting research. Teachers get exposed to various engineering topics and hands-on projects that they can leverage to enhance their class activities to better inspire their students to pursue careers in electrical and computer engineering.
The deadline has been extended to February 12th, 2021.
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Dr. Kenneth A. Connor
Professor Emeritus, Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Member, Board of Directors, Inclusive Engineering Consortium
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We encourage IEC members and ECE Faculty to get involved in our communities. Join reddit communities like r/ECE or let us know if there are resources you've found online that you'd like to share with our community and students.
Have an interesting article, video, link that you'd like to share with our community? Share with us at info@iec.org
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The 2014 IEEE Robotics team from Prairie View A&M
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Request for Photos and Online Programming
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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 Claire Seifert at cseifert@iec.org.
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Soldering Kit Donation from Hackster.io
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Call for Proposals
We welcome IEC Member Institutions to submit a 1-2 page proposal describing how you would use the kits in an activity for students at IEC partner institutions.
Please submit your proposal to Claire Seifert at cseifert@iec.org by Friday February 12, 2021.
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Hampton University's 25th Anniversary Celebration
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On Friday, April 16, 2021, the Hampton University School of Engineering & Technology will celebrate its 25th Anniversary with a fully virtual and interactive event and experience.
The event will run from 9 am until 4 pm with educational sessions such as workshops, panel discussions, and networking with alumni and students. An evening celebration is set to occur from 7p – 8:30pm. Tickets are $75 and registration is now open! All participants will receive a special 25th Anniversary Care Package.
100% of net proceeds will go towards endowed scholarships for the School of Engineering & Technology.
Secure your tickets today!
Sponsorship opportunities are available.
Hampton is a premiere historically black university, with roots dating back to 1868. Its most famous alumnus is Booker T. Washington, and as one of few HBCUs with schools of engineering, Hampton is fully ABET certified.
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IEC is pleased to welcome L3Harris Technologies as a Corporate Member
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Patrick Kane
Director, Cypress University Alliance Program
Infineon
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Happy New Year and Welcome to 2021! I am sure we are all glad to see the end of 2020! For the first blog of the New Year, I invited Dr. Steven Leeb of MIT to write a guest blog regarding how he was able to keep teaching – and his students were able to keep learning during the pandemic. We would like to hear your stories of how you and your courses fared during the pandemic. Feel free to make liberal use of the comment section!
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Practical Magic in a Pandemic
By: Steven B. Leeb
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Engineering instruction in the 20th century saw a laudable and transformative focus on science in engineering education, a desire to see past the rote application of table data to the creative possibilities of the physics and mathematics underlying engineering methods. The clarity that motivated these changes came at the great price exacted by the conflicts of the last century. At that time, a substantial number of students had developed hands-on skills as ham radio operators, in repairing vehicles, and in being immersed in a world of consumer products that could be examined, taken apart, reassembled, and fixed. These students came hungry to understand the math and physics that made a clearly visible world work.
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Conversation with Our Corporate Member
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We caught up with Patrick Kane to tap into his mindset on career paths, the future of ECE, and life in general. Here is what he shared...
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Patrick Kane
Director, Infineon University Alliance
Infineon
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Q. What do you want the academic community to know or understand about your company?
A. Infineon is the world’s eighth largest semiconductor company with over 45,000 employees. One of Infineon’s core values is to “foster cultural inclusiveness where individuals are respected and diversity is cherished.” Cypress officially became a part of Infineon on April 16, 2020. As the Cypress University Alliance has stood with academia since 2006, the Infineon University Alliance will continue that legacy.
Q. Was there a defining moment in your life that made you choose ECE as a profession?
A. Perhaps when I built my first Heath Kit radio in eight-grade. I have always been a tinkerer.
Q. If you had to choose another profession, what would you choose
A. Musician
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Want to get involved? Participate, speak, sponsor! Opportunities available.
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