Conference Session

Distance and Web-based Learning in ECE

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brock J. LaMeres, Montana State University; Carolyn Plumb, Montana State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

,weighted multiple choice questions, and short answer questions. These assessments set abaseline measure on the five learning objectives for our current microprocessor curriculum. Infall of 2010, we introduced measurement-based laboratory experiments using logic analyzers.The measurement-based experiments were introduced in two forms: hands-on and remoteoperation. Assessment data was collected for both experimental groups and compared to thecontrol group from fall 2009 to determine (1) if the level of understanding of microprocessorsystems is improved by adding hands-on measurements and (2) if a remote laboratory experiencecan maintain or improve the level of understanding compared to the control group.In this paper, we summarize the development of

Conference Session

Innovations in Power Engineering Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Linfeng Zhang, University of Bridgeport; Xingguo Xiong, University of Bridgeport; Navarun Gupta, University of Bridgeport

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Chemistry Biology Management  Computer Sustainable Energy  Solar  Wind  Hydro Geothermal Biomass Figure 1. Sustainable energy lies at the interaction of several engineering and scientific fields Sustainable energy is an emerging interdisciplinary field and it is related to multipledeciplines as shown in Figure 1. The energy-related courses are provided in ElectricalEngineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, and business. In our Electrical EngineeringDepartment, Sustainable Energy (ELEG 490), Sustainable Energy Laboratory (ELEG492), FuelCells (ELEG419), and Hybrid Vehicles (ELEG 493) have been offered for two years. During ourteaching

Conference Session

Innovative Instructional Strategies and Curricula in ECE I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alejandra J. Magana, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Bedrich Benes, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

“enduringunderstandings” that learners should adopt from any learning experience 1 . This step is thenfollowed by identifying ways of student learning attainment and appropriate mechanisms thatwill allow conveying concepts of these kinds.The purpose of this research study is to explore the development of a quality curriculum in high-performance CG (HPCG) education coupled with data describing how students in such coursesperceived the content, assessment, and pedagogy they experienced. We utilized Wiggins andMcTighe’s backward design (1997) 1 as a framework for designing this study. Their backwarddesign process (p.9) is composed of three main stages: (a) identifying the desired learningoutcomes - the content of the lesson, (b) determining the acceptable evidence

Conference Session

Innovations in Power Engineering Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sanghun Choi, Purdue University; Maryam Saeedifard, Purdue University; Rohit Shenoy, MathWorks

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

prior theoretical knowledge and background of the students in power electronics,combines the sophisticated Texas Instruments (TI)’s hardware tools with MATLAB/Simulinksoftware tools to design, test, and rapidly prototype power-electronic circuits. A detaileddescription of the tools along with their use in the developed laboratory is presented.Index Terms – Power electronics, digital control, micro-controller, MATLAB/Simulinkenvironment, MATLAB Real Time Workshop, rapid prototyping.IntroductionPower-electronic-based systems are being used in a wide range of applications includingvehicular propulsion systems, industrial applications and motor drives, electromechanical motioncontrol, and grid integration of renewable energy resources [1, 2]. The

Conference Session

Teaching Circuit Theory and Electronics

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daren Reed Wilcox, Southern Polytechnic State University; Gerd Walter Wöstenkühler, University of Applied Sciences, Hochschule Harz

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

equipment: DCpower supply, digital multimeter, synthesized function generator, and digital oscilloscope (seeFigure 1). The least expensive is the breadboard (see Figure 2). The student assembles theelectronic devices on the breadboard. The breadboard provides a simple mechanism toelectrically interconnect the electronic devices. The top surface of the breadboard has 22 AWGgauge holes to insert the pins of the electronic device. The holes are referred to as contact pointsor tie points. Underneath the surface of the breadboard are strips of metal that form an electricalnode. The metal strip has spring clips that hold the inserted wire in place. The spacing betweenholes is 2.54 mm or 0.1 inch. The node can be extended by daisy chaining 22 AWG wire to

Conference Session

ECE Division Poster Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nuri Yilmazer, Texas A&M University, Kingsville; Muhittin Yilmaz, Texas A&M University, Kingsville; Remzi Seker, University of Arkansas, Little Rock

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

and their usage in DLD courses.The samples of the representative assignments given in basic activities are described below.They are given to improve the students' understanding of the synthesis of logic functions byusing Product-of-Sums (POS) and Sum-of-Products (SOP) simplification as well as theirsimplified implementation by utilizing Karnaugh-map or Boolean algebra. • Design the simplest circuit that has five inputs; a, b, c, d and e which produces an output value of 1 whenever exactly three or four of the input variables have the value 1; otherwise output will be 0. • Design a logic circuit that will implements the function f (a , b, c ) = ∑ m (1,2, 4,5,6 )After completing the first

Conference Session

Teaching Circuit Theory and Electronics

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James W. Bales, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

week forthe first two sections of the term.Section 1: Let's Build!Week 1. On the first evening of class the students are shown the instructor's first-generation iPod,which has no external volume control. We connect the iPod to external speakers (e.g., those for adesktop computer) and draw the connections on the board. The instructor then takes a stick ofgraphite and draws heavy streak (~1-inch-wide and ~6-inches-long) down a sheet of paper. TheiPod output is connected across the ends of the streak. One speaker lead is attached to one end ofthe graphite streak, while the other is slid along the graphite, causing the sound level of thespeaker to rise and fall (Figure 1). These connections are then sketched on the board, andstudents (typically

Conference Session

ABET Accreditation, Assessment, and Program Improvement in ECE

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Zahorian, State University of New York, Binghamton; Douglas H. Summerville, Binghamton University; Scott Craver, Department of Electrical Engineering, Binghamton University; Michael Elmore P.E., Binghamton University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Compliance Tracking System or ACTS. In this paper, thepreparation of ACTS, its key components, its usage and continued development are described.ACTS can be readily adapted for use by other engineering programs.Introduction and BackgroundSeveral engineering educators have addressed the issues of efficiently assessing ABETengineering criteria, especially outcomes a-k, listed under criterion 3. Felder and Brent[1] havewritten a comprehensive paper on many of the issues involved in designing and teaching coursesto satisfy ABET assessment expectations. Their paper also includes a comprehensivebibliography of related papers.Development of ACTSThe development of ACTS began with defining the Program Outcomes themselves, each ofwhich is then assigned a

Conference Session

Teaching Analog and Digital Communication: Novel Ideas for Lecture Courses, Laboratories, and Projects

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ratchaneekorn Thamvichai, Saint Cloud State University; Tonya Lynette Smith-Jackson, Virginia Tech; Carl B Dietrich P.E., Virginia Tech; Tamal Bose, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

topic inwireless communications area that spans electrical and computer engineering, computer science,and human factors engineering, integrates software defined radio with automated learning,decision making, and adaptation capability embodying aspects of artificial intelligence.Cognitive radio and related technologies are a fertile area of research and provide an ideal focusfor introducing undergraduate students to university research. The program is designed topromote the STEM knowledge, interdisciplinary skills, motivation, and self-efficacy ofundergraduate students. Innovative knowledge results are some outcomes embedded within thevalues of interdisciplinary research, team collaboration, and a focus on research-to-practice.1. Introduction

Conference Session

Innovations in Power Engineering Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dale S.L. Dolan, California Polytechnic State University; Taufik Taufik, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

and hardware portions along with its sampleresults will be presented.1. IntroductionPower electronics is an engineering discipline that deals with the conversion of electrical energyfrom one form to another. Power electronics has become increasingly important nowadays wherebillions of kilo-watts of electric power are being re-processed every day to provide the kind ofpower needed by loads1. Due to the rapid growth in power electronics technology, there has beenan increased presence of engineering companies who come during the career fair at Cal Poly torecruit electrical engineering (EE) students with power electronics background. This in turn hastriggered a great interest among our EE students in the field of power electronics as indicated

Conference Session

Teaching Analog and Digital Communication: Novel Ideas for Lecture Courses, Laboratories, and Projects

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jay Wierer, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Edward W. Chandler, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

results are then compared totheoretical results that can be predicted using methods from the prerequisite signals and systemscourse.The TIMS system is introduced to the students in the second experiment (Experiment 1). Theobjectives of this experiment are to create a double sideband – suppressed carrier (DSB-SC)signal and a pseudorandom binary sequence (PRBS) signal using the TIMS modules and toobserve the spectra of the DSB-SC and PRBS signals on the oscilloscope, comparing results tothe theory presented in lecture. This experiment provides students with an exposure to TIMSmodules that operate with analog signals, producing a DSB-SC signal, and TIMS modules thatproduce digital signals, in particular the PRBS signal. This Experiment 1 used at

Conference Session

Web-based Learning in ECE

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sumit Dutta, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Shreya Prakash, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; David Estrada, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Eric Pop, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

controlled by a computer for data capturevia the IEEE-488 general purpose interface bus (GPIB) or through Ethernet ports utilizing theVXI-11 protocol.1 This has ushered in an era of remote instrument control for virtual laboratoriesas the World-Wide-Web (WWW) and WWW-capable instruments have become ubiquitous.While web-based remote instrumentation control has been investigated for over a decade, theseenvironments have generally centered on Java server software, PHP Hypertext Processor (PHP)server scripts, or direct control via LabView.1-4 Previous LabView implementations of remoteelectronic measurements require users to download either a ~100 megabyte LabView plug-in ora specific Java Runtime Engine,5 in addition to having a compliant browser.6

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarvesh Kulkarni, Villanova University; Joseph Chop, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

! ∀ # ∃ ∃%&& ∋ ( # # ∀ ( # ! )!∗! ) ( # ) + ,−.& ! + ∃ /!+∃0 1 2 3 + !2 /3 +! 1 ∃ /4+ ∃1 2 , !+∃04+ ∃ 2 / 1 5 6 7 ∀ 8

Conference Session

Electrical & Computer Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ramakrishnan Sundaram, Gannon University; Qing Zheng, Gannon University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

insubjects with STEM components (c) promote the interaction between the engineeringfaculty at Gannon University and the K-12 school students through activities whichdeliver critical STEM components.Recently, the ECE department at Gannon University, Erie, PA organized twoEngineering Day events in its system integration laboratory. The laboratoryaccommodated nearly 105 high school students in six hour-long sessions with up to 20students in each session. During each session, the students worked on a traffic signalcontrol circuit. The project activities comprised the following steps (1) complete thedesign of the circuit (2) test the operation of the circuit. Two ECE faculty members andsixteen ECE students currently enrolled in the undergraduate ECE

Conference Session

Web-based Learning in ECE

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dale Buechler, University of Wisconsin, Platteville

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

analogelectronics was analyzed using grounded theory8 resulting in the list of most common studentconceptual errors shown in Table 1. Two problematic concepts: transistor biasing for maximum Page 15.257.4signal swing and transistor frequency response were selected for the think-aloud sessions.Difficult Concepts for Past Students in Analog Electronics 1. Frequency response 2. Transistor biasing 3. Small-signal analysis 4. Voltage regulation 5. Multi-diode circuitsTable 1. Top five difficult concepts for students in analog electronics (Spr. 2007, Spr. 2008)For both think-aloud sessions the students were asked to use their pen tablet to write out

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Huihui Xu, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Xiaoyan Mu, Southeast Missouri State University; Deborah Walter, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

AC 2010-2017: THREE PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATIONS IN BEEM PROJECTHuihui Xu, Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyXiaoyan Mu, Southeast Missouri State UniversityDeborah Walter, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Page 15.1266.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Three Practical Demonstrations in BEEM Project Abstract This paper presents three practical examples that have been created in the BEEM 1  (Biomedical and Electrical Engineering Methods) project at Rose­Hulman Institute of Technology.  These examples are used to introduce respectively (1) Construction of a prototype electrocardiogram measurement system, (2) Use of inductance coils to perform as

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alexander Ganago, University of Michigan; Inger Bergom, University of Michigan; Britton Wolfe, Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

can pass on their experiential knowledge to the next.”More information about the wiki (including screen shots) is provided in the Appendix.Research Questions and Methodology Our work addresses the following questions: 1) In what ways do TAs use the website,and which of its parts are most helpful for TAs’ teaching and the improvement of their teaching?2) Is there any difference in website usage between the new TAs and the TAs who have alreadytaught the course? 3) What prompts TAs to add information to the wiki, and what inhibits themfrom adding information? Our research tools include online questionnaires for TAs, focus groups, and statisticsabout website usage. We gathered data from two semesters — winter 2009 (Jan.–Apr

Conference Session

Embedded System Design

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Weber, Lake Superior State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

a group of their peers that the application is commercially and ethically viable. Surveyresults were taken from three different classes using a 9-value Likert scale. The current researchwill explain the pedagogical basis for using competition in such presentations and a discussion oftrade-offs, observations of how to implement such presentations at different student levels, andtheir impact on student motivation.1. IntroductionIt is the role of every engineering degree-granting institution to make sure their students have asolid background in the core topics of their specific field as well as engineering in general. Asengineers, they must then be able to integrate this knowledge in order to utilize a more holisticview4 when designing

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Natalia Litchinitser, SUNY at Buffalo; Albert H. Titus, SUNY at Buffalo; Alexander N. Cartwright, SUNY at Buffalo; Vladimir V. Mitin, SUNY at Buffalo

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Bioimagingoptical scanners, displays, solid-state Energylighting, laser printers, and biological Page 15.901.2and chemical sensors. More Figure 1: This project focuses on the development of tailorableimportantly, the ability to either modules for education in nanophotonics.manipulate materials with nanometer-scale control to produce desired optical properties or theability to use photonic technologies to perform these modifications will usher in newtechnologies from improvements in biological imaging to the development of novel biosensorsfor systems that range from personal health monitoring to

Conference Session

Electrical & Computer Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

L. Brent Jenkins, Southern Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

course to improve student engagement,especially in the course's concurrent lab6-9. This paper describes efforts to embed derivation anddesign assignments into an "electronics-free" circuits course, primarily in its laboratory component.Six sections follow: a lecture excerpt, three laboratory exercises, an assessment section, and aconclusion. Bold subtitles are used to identify the start of each of these sections. In the interestof clarity, the laboratory exercises will be referred to as Labs 1, 2, and 3. To improve readability,blanks that would normally be included for student use have been omitted.The lecture excerpt and laboratory exercise sections include various sub-sections that arepresented herein using italicized sub-headings. The

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

L. Brent Jenkins, Southern Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

coursesis achieved by including intermediate-level coverage of transient analysis and introductory-levelcoverage of mutual inductance, ideal transformers, transfer functions, frequency response,resonance, filtering, and two-port networks. The impact of this intermediate- and introductory- Page 15.14.2level content is maximized through the inclusion of relevant exercises in the concurrent lab.Figure 1 compares the coverage of topics in Circuits I to that of a traditional two-semestercircuits sequence. "Extended" content is material normally associated with Circuits II that isbeing covered in Circuits I, while "shifted" content refers to

Conference Session

Embedded System Design

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Firas Hassan, Ohio Northern University; Srinivasa Vemuru, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

. Page 15.805.3Lab session oneIn blackjack, the cards are valued as follows: The cards from 2 through 9 are valued as indicated.The 10, Jack, Queen, and King are all valued at 10. The suits of the cards do not have anymeaning in the game. The value of a hand is simply the sum of the point counts of each card inthe hand. For example, a hand containing (5, 7, 9) has the value of 21. The Ace can be countedas either 1 or 11. You need not specify which value the Ace has. It's assumed to always havethe value that makes the best hand. The dealer must continue to take cards ("hit") until his total is17 or greater. The player can choose to stop drawing cards (stand) at any value. If the hand isabove 21, it is a bust.In the first lab session, students

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Randal Abler, Georgia Tech; James Krogmeier, Purdue University; Aaron Ault, Purdue University; Julia Melkers, Georgia Institute of Technology; Tamara Clegg, Georgia Institute of Technology; Edward Coyle, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

improve bothVIP and the collaborative system.1. IntroductionThe Vertically-Integrated Projects (VIP) Program is an engineering education program thatoperates in a research and development context.1 Undergraduate students that join VIP teamsearn academic credit for their participation in design efforts that assist faculty and graduatestudents with research and development issues in their areas of technical expertise. The teamsare: multidisciplinary – drawing students from across engineering and around campus; vertically-integrated – maintaining a mix of sophomores through PhD students each semester; and long-term – each undergraduate student may participate in a project for up to three years and eachgraduate student may participate for the

Conference Session

Laboratory Development in ECE

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yakov Cherner, ATeL, LLC; Amin Karim, DeVry University; Ahmed Khan, DeVry University; Gary Mullett, Springfield Technical Community College

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

virtual lab on optical sensors is shown in Figure 1. Presented materials have beendeveloped with partial support from the NSF. I. IntroductionComputer simulation plays an important role in engineering programs by providing a learningplatform that provides an efficient and effective way of teaching complex and dynamicengineering systems. A simulation-based teaching environment enables students to acquireexperience and evaluate their previous results.1 Phenomenal growth in a wide spectrum of new and emerging technologies has led to increaseddemand for engineering and engineering technology graduates who understand the fundamentalprinciples behind contemporary state-of-the art technologies, but also exhibit analytical, problemsolving, and expert

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Benjamin Levine, University of North Carolina; James Conrad, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Ivan Howitt, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

material was also expected to be shared withWestern Carolina University, the University of South Florida, and Johnson C. Smith University(JCSU).The course was originally designed to cover a larger scope than courses previously offered inEmbedded Wireless Networks, notably with the inclusion of the study of RF propagationcharacteristics and design practices for integrating RF communication. The main courseobjectives were:1) Issues and design practices for integrating sensor, control logic, and RF communications for low cost and low power sensor applications.2) Introduction to low power and low cost RF communication standards. Specifically, the IEEE 802.15.1 (Bluetooth) and IEEE 802.15.4 (LR-WPAN).3) Introduction to low power network protocols

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Cotae, University of the District of Columbia; Esther Ososanya, University of the District of Columbia; Lily Kemathe, University of the District of Columbia; Suresh Regmi, University of the District of Columbia; Kamden Patrice Kouam, The University of the District of Columbia

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

capstonedesign projects and laboratory experiments to provide the students of wireless communicationand networking with a hands-on experience. The motivation of this approach is twofold. First,the projects pertain to the area of wireless sensor networks where rapid technological changes inwireless sensing devices have changed the types of work electrical and computer-engineeringstudents are likely to do in their careers. Second, student groups come up with their own projectapplications and problem statements for which to design a system.1. IntroductionThe academic field is undergoing significant changes correspondent to the revolutionaryadvances in technology. Nowadays, more students have full time jobs or family obligations,which negatively affect on

Conference Session

Student Engagement in ECE

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cordelia Brown, Purdue University; Yung-Hsiang Lu, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

senior-level programming class. The course project spanned the entire semester and is dividedinto four stages. The students have different project team members in different stagesand each team includes 3 to 4 students. The students have to use their own code basedfrom the previous stages. This course involved object-oriented programming coveringboth C++ and Java with an emphasis on their similarities and differences. Students couldchoose the languages for their projects, and may change languages for different stages.The project implemented extensions of the popular computer game Tetris®. Theextensions included: (1) allowing pieces of 5, 6, or 7 squares per piece, (2) developingalgorithms to automatically rotate and place pieces, and (3

Conference Session

Pedagogy and Assessment in ECE

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Syed Masud Mahmud, Wayne State University; Cheng-Zhong Xu, Wayne State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

research can promote retention for a variety of reasons. V. Tinto et. al.1 reportedthat students often fail to graduate due to a lack of persistence, rather than due to lack ofintelligence or ability. Being familiar with “hands-on” technology in a laboratory where theybecome familiar with current equipment boosts self-confidence2. Participation in research groupscan promote persistence in a variety of ways, in part by increasing personal attachment to theresearch group and the research objectives. Secondly, the mentoring process inherent in therelationship between the research supervisor and the student researchers permits identification ofproblems at critical junctures. Finally, the student researchers can learn important skills that willpromote

Conference Session

Active Learning in ECE

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John W. Dyer, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Oklahoma; David Sandmann MSEE, University of Oklahoma; Chad Eric Davis P.E., University of Oklahoma

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

and LayoutThe laboratory course has 24 individual workstations. Each workstation runs on the Windowsoperating system and has both LabVIEW and the Microsoft Office Suite installed. Theworkstations all have Internet access through the main university domain, and students log intothe computers using their standard university login. This allows them to access their network Page 24.891.3drive and store ongoing project work where it can be accessed outside the lab if desired. Eachworkstation has a National Instruments USB-6211 attached via USB cable (see Figure 1). TheUSB-6211 has 16 single-ended, or 8 differential 16-bit data acquisition channels

Conference Session

ECE Program Development

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brandon M. Grainger, University of Pittsburgh; Gregory F. Reed, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

research activities, electric poweris in the midst of a revolutionary period of advancement.As an example of this resurgence, the University of Pittsburgh has developed an electric powerinitiative over the past several years in collaboration with industry, government, and otherconstituents to provide innovative education and collaborative research programs in the areas ofelectric power and energy engineering.[1] Working together with industry partners, along withstrong government sponsorship and other constituency support, the university is contributing tosolutions that address the aging workforce issue in the electric power and energy sector throughmodernized educational programs, as well as to advances in technology development, basic andapplied