1. What is Electrical & Computer Engineering?by
Prof. Bitar

2. 6 Blind Persons Describing an Elephant

3. So lets try to describe it.... What do you think of when you think of ECE?

4. How many things did you use today that require electricity to operate?

5. My Broad Definition of ECE
The art of utilizing electricity and electromagnetic phenomena to do useful things...

6. In the past, it was about...

7. Electric POWER
Lighting
Motors

8. And Communication...
1837
1900

9. Early Radio Technology (circa 1920)

10. And... Early COMPUTING ENIAC 1946
17,468 Vacuum Tubes
7,200 Crystal Diodes
1,500 Relays
70,000 Resistors
10,000 Capacitors
5,000,000 Hand Soldered Joints
30 Tons
1,800 sq ft
150 kilowatts

11. 1947 Revolution! The Transistor
Walter
Brattain
John
Bardeen
William
Shockley

12. 1958 Jack Kilby Invents the Integrated Circuit Texas Instruments

13. What is so significant about the Transistor and Integrated Circuits?

14. Modern Integrated Circuit
Millions (billions) of Transistors on a single die.

15. So, let’s pick a modern electronic device and dissect it...

16. ONE Modern Example...A Cellphone
Q: How many technologies are represented here?

17. How many different technologies are utilized in a cell phone?

18. Here’s a Partial List Related to ECE
Display Technology
LCD Displays
Touch Screens
LED Backlighting
Battery & Charging Technologies
Lithium Ion
Efficient AC-DC Power Supplies
Computer Technologies
Microprocessor / Microcontroller
Memory (Cache / SIM Card)
USB Interface
Audio Technology
Class-D Audio Amplifiers
A-to-D and D-to-A Converters
Filter Technology
Microphone Technology
Camera Technology
CCD Imaging
Sensor Technologies
Touch Screen
Switches
Biosensors
Wireless Technologies
RF Antennas / RF Transceivers
WiFi / Wireless Routers
Blue Tooth (local wireless)
Cellular Network Technology
CDMA vs. GSM
Cell Towers
Base Stations
Packet Switching Networks

19. And each of these areas represents a potentially different career path within ECE... Why?

20. And that’s just ONE product – a Cell Phone...

21. So how do you choose?

22. One Approach...

23. “Pick a problem in the world and dedicate yourself to solving it
“Pick a problem in the world and dedicate yourself to solving it... The rest will work itself out on it’s own.”

24. Problem

25. One of My Heros...
“I saw a person in a wheelchair unable to cross a curbing and I was disgusted at the injustice of it.”
~ Dean Kamen ~

26. First Robotics

27. Segway / “Luke” Arm

28. Major Areas of Study at WPI within ECE
Analog Microelectronics
Biomedical Engineering
Communications & Signal Analysis
Computer Engineering
Power Systems Engineering
RF Circuits & Microwaves

29. Major ECE Topics/Industries (provided by IEEE)
Aerospace
Biomedical
Computing
Energy
Consumer Electronics
Geek Life
Green Tech
Robotics
Semiconductors
Telecom
Transportation