Electrical & Computer Engineering

We live in a world dominated by electronic devices that impact all aspects of human endeavor--from communications and computers to defense and medical technologies. With innovations that progress from concept to production in a matter of months, or even weeks, electrical and computer engineering is arguably the fastest growing and broadest of all technical fields. With a history that dates back more than 100 years and a record of faculty research accomplishments that began before the turn of the 20th century, WPI's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department is known for its innovative approaches to undergraduate electrical engineering education. Its programs produce tomorrow's leaders of this dynamic, complex and competitive field.

At WPI we recognize that to succeed, electrical and computer engineering majors must have a solid foundation in the basics of the discipline plus a firm grasp on its state-of-the-art concepts and technologies. More than that, they must be able to think creatively and work proactively to find new solutions to emerging needs and better ways to carry out existing applications.

Whether you're interested in information technology, computer design, personal and wireless communications, robotics, imaging technologies, electric power generation or transmission, or mechanical electrical interfaces, WPI's integrated, flexible, project-based ECE curriculum will provide you with the education and the skills you need to succeed in your career or in graduate school.

Programs

Undergraduates are encouraged to begin their electrical and computer engineering studies in the freshman year with courses that introduce them to the most relevant areas within electrical and computer engineering, with many opportunities for laboratory work.

They get a solid foundation in mathematics and in basic and engineering science, including computer science--an essential tool for all ECEs. We offer many cross-disciplinary research and project opportunities in biomedical engineering, materials science and mechanical engineering, both on campus and at the nearby Massachusetts Biotechnology Research Park and University of Massachusetts Medical School, as well as with a host of electronic and computer companies.

Electrical and computer engineering majors may expand the depth of their undergraduate education by pursuing a concentration in computer engineering or in aerospace systems, communication and signal analysis, electromagnetics and microwaves, electronics engineering, microelectronics, power systems engineering or systems engineering. Major faculty areas of expertise include computer engineering, integrated circuit design, microprocessor system design, Global Positioning System technologies, networking, wireless communications, cryptography, electromagnetics, ultrasound, photonics and digital signal processing.

The combination of classroom, laboratory and project experience educates engineers who are prepared to meet the future challenges of this exciting, evolving discipline.

Projects

The Major Project integrates classroom work with real-world engineering and research. It may be completed in laboratories on campus or off-campus at sites around the world, including NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, California's Silicon Valley, Venice, London and Ireland.

Some recent project topics:

Facilities

The department supports the following state-of-the-art facilities, all of which are available for undergraduate project work:

Wireless LAN Research Laboratory

This lab develops tools, benchmarks and new applications for wireless local area networks. A research facility and a practical "wireless classroom," the lab is used by students and faculty to conduct basic research in such areas as channel modeling and simulation, spread spectrum communications, adaptive equalization, and multiple access methods.

Cryptographic and Information Security Research Lab

This facility is dedicated to developing and advancing technologies and techniques that provide efficient and reliable information security over the Internet, private intranets, networks and computer systems. Work done here focuses on hardware architectures for modern cryptographic schemes and fast software algorithms.

Network Computing Applications and Multimedia Laboratory
Polaroid Machine Vision Laboratory

These labs explore new applications emerging from the convergence of computing and communications. Researchers develop prototypes that move such technologies as digital multimedia, distributed object-oriented and software component realization, and middleware into commercial and defense-related applications. In the image processing area, researchers have developed efficient algorithms for the computational solution of problems in industrial machine vision, defense-related automatic target recognition and medical pattern recognition.

Ultrasound Research Lab

Faculty and students in this lab work to advance understanding of how ultrasound waves interact with various materials and to develop new methods for employing ultrasound in nondestructive evaluation and medicine. Current research projects include using ultrasound to characterize tissue and atherosclerotic plaque, measure vessel compliance and blood flow, and characterize electroacoustic devices.

WPI Analog/Digital Microelectronics Group

This group consists of the Analog Integrated Circuit Laboratory and the Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit Computer-Aided Design Laboratory, which are part of the New England Center for Analog and Mixed-Signal IC Design, a university-industry consortium. The group offers undergraduate and graduate programs in analog, digital and mixed-signal integrated circuit (IC) design and conducts advanced research in these areas.

Nondestructive Evaluation and Electromagnetics Laboratory

In this lab, researchers bridge theory and practice as they focus on problems in electromagnetics and nondestructive testing of interest to industry. Research projects have focused on molten metal sensing, radio frequency signal propagation through multilayer circuit boards, and temperature effects in power transistors.

Careers

WPI's electrical and computer engineering graduate students are sought after in today's high-tech society. Heavily recruited by top employers, ECE graduates obtain jobs at salaries that are well above the national average. ECE grads establish careers in such fields as hardware and software product design, systems engineering, manufacturing, marketing, sales, applications engineering, research, education, medicine and patent law.

Inspired by the lifelong interest in learning that is at the heart of the WPI curriculum, many ECE grads further their education at WPI and other prestigious universities, including California Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Purdue, Stanford and the University of Virginia.

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Last modified: November 08, 2006 14:15:36