The ECE Profession

Electrical and Computer Engineers have contributed to some of the most remarkable technological advances of the last fifty years including the personal computer, the Internet, digital audio and video, and fiber optic and wireless
communications. While many of these technologies continue to mature, new technologies such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, and alternative energy are rapidly emerging and promise to provide equally impressive contributions to the technology and society.

Work in electrical and computer engineering includes computers, communications, optics, digital and anlog microelectronics, power generation and distribution, robotics, manufacturing, integrated circuit design, micro-waves, and speech and image processing.

Electrical and computer engineers, like all engineers, are problem solvers. Whether working as a researcher in an emerging technology, a designer in a fast-paced high-tech company, a technical manager responsible for a team of engineers,a technical salesperson trying to find customer solutions, or as an entrepreneur trying to bring new technology to market, ECEs are in an exciting and dynamic field.

Lafayette’s curriculum builds on the fundamentals in the physical and engineering sciences, mathematics, and computer science to prepare students to enter the workforce or graduate school well prepared to meet the exciting challenges that both electrical engineering and computer engineering have to offer.

Junior and senior electrical and computer engineering majors are encouraged to work on independent study and research projects with ECE faculty. Qualified students may also do honors research in their senior year.

Students may seek election to Tau Beta Pi, the national honor society for engineering, and Eta Kappa Nu, the honor society for electrical engineering. Majors may also join the student chapter of the IEEE, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

Students have the opportunity to study abroad for a semester. Many ECE majors elect to pursue a minor in economics, computer science, bioengineering, or mathematics. 

Mission and Goals

The department aspires to be one of the nation’s premier undergraduate electrical and computer engineering departments. It is dedicated to providing students with a
thorough technical preparation, continuous development of professional awareness, and a heightened sense of social responsibility.

In the process of being prepared for careers in electrical and computer engineering, students will have the ability to:

• educate themselves continually,
• adapt to changing job challenges,
• function in a team and provide leadership,
• apply engineering education in solving a broad range of problems,
• excel in their chosen area of professional activity,
• be involved in professional/public/community service,
• communicate in a mature and effective manner, and
• appreciate business enterprise, technology management, and social and legal issues.

The electrical and computer engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4102; (410) 347-7700, www.abet.org

Design Projects

Students work together throughout their four years, using what they learn in the classroom to design, build, and test actual systems. A sample of design projects include:
First-year students: design of a solar-powered, white light-emitting diode (LED) lighting system that is controlled by sensing the ambient light level.

Sophomores: design of a stack calculator; control of a robot’s path by programming an onboard microcontroller chip; design of analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters for audio.

Juniors: design of an autonomous laser tag robot that includes automatic target detection, acquisition, and tracking and activates a laser response system; design of computer-based voting system.

Seniors: design of an Ethernet network interface using Field Programmable Gate Array; design of a multi-node self-powered wireless network for monitoring environmental data such as temperature, humidity, and stream water level.

Excellent Facilities

A massive renovation of the engineering facilities was completed in fall 2003. The new Acopian Engineering Center includes innovative student learning centers, laboratories designed specifically for collaborative student/faculty research, and high-tech classrooms equipped with the latest instructional technology. The electrical and computer engineering laboratories and faculty offices are grouped together
to facilitate interaction among students and faculty. Electrical and computer engineering laboratories include:

Circuits and Control Systems—equipment for studying the principles of circuit analysis and computer-based control systems.
Computer Systems—oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, microprocessor boards, and desktop computers for developing and debugging digital and microprocessor-based circuit designs.
Digital Signal Processingand Integrated Circuit Design—state-of-the-art equipment and software for the study of speech and image processing as well as integrated circuit engineering.
Microelectronics—instrumentation supports basic experimentation as well as computer-aided design activities in solid-state electronics speech and image processing, and integrated circuits applications.

The department also has four research laboratories in fiber optics, microwaves, bioengineering, and computer-aided design.

After Graduation

Among graduates in the Class of 2004, 75 percent accepted full-time positions and 25 percent enrolled in graduate programs.

Recent graduates have gone on to graduate study at Boston, California Institute of Technology, Cornell, Carnegie-Mellon, Duke, Illinois, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Northwestern, Pennsylvania State, Purdue, Stanford, California-Berkeley, Rochester Institute of Technology, Virginia, and Georgia Institute of Technology.

Graduates work in communications, computer design, defense, field engineering, instrumentation, manufacturing, electric power industries, and research and development. Employers include Air Products, Agere, AT&T, Bell & Howell, DuPont, General Electric, GPU, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Lucent, Lutron, National Security Agency, Northrup Grumman, PPL, PPG Industries, Procter & Gamble, Texas Instruments, Unysis, Westinghouse, and Xerox.

Required Courses

Electives

Faculty

Ismail I. Jouny, Charles A. Dana Professor and Head. Ph.D., Ohio State University. Teaching areas: network analysis, communications systems, digital signal processing, speech and image processing, communications networks. Research interests: communications, digital signal processing, pattern
recognition. Recipient of Marquis Distinguished Teaching Award and Jones Faculty Lecture Award.

John F. Greco, Professor. Ph.D., City University of New York. Teaching areas: analysis and design of digital systems, digital circuit laboratory. Research interests: digital systems, computer-aided design, microprocessor applications, senior design. Recipient of Marquis Distinguished Teaching Award.

William A. Hornfeck, Professor. Ph.D., Auburn University. Teaching areas: electric circuits, computer design. Research interests: digital design, computer architecture, computer arithmetic. Recipient of Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award.

William D. Jemison, Associate Professor. Ph.D., Drexel University. Teaching areas: electronics, optoelectronics, electro-magnetic design, microwave systems, Freshman engineering, senior design. Research interests: wireless and satellite communications, microwave circuits and antennas, optoelectronics. Recipient of Beidleman Research Award.

Christopher T. Nadovich, Director of Laboratories. MEEE., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Teaching areas: Design projects and laboratories. Research interests: RF and microwave systems, signal processing, automated test, metrology. Biography

John A. Nestor, Associate Professor. Ph.D., Carnegie- Mellon University. Teaching areas: computer architecture, integrated circuit engineering. Research interests: computer-aided design for large-scale integrated circuits.

Todd Wey, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., Purdue University. Teaching areas: solid state electronics, IC design, and advanced electronics. Research interests: custom integrated circuits, mixed signal modeling techniques, and advanced electronics.

Yih-Choung Yu, Assistant Professor. Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh. Teaching areas: control systems, bioengineering. Research interests: bioengineering, signal processing, control applications in electromechanical systems and medicine.

Ismail I. Jouny
Head, Electrical and Computer Engineering
(610) 330-5414
jounyi@lafayette.edu

For general information:
Office of Admissions
Lafayette College
Easton, PA 18042
(610) 330-5100
FAX (610) 330-5355
admissions@lafayette.edu