Manpower trends in electrical engineering in the United States

Electrical engineering is the largest branch of the U. S. engineering profession. Employment has been affected significantly by the growth in electronics since 1945, but electrical engineers are employed in a variety of industry groups. About 11 000 bachelor's degrees have been earned each year since 1959, and the number of master's and doctor's degrees has increased steadily practically every year. In the last few years, however, electrical engineering degrees have decreased slightly as a percentage of all engineering degrees. Statistical sources do not agree in definitions or criteria, and may therefore include varying percentages of nondegree holders in the total number of electrical engineers reported. There are about 270 000 people currently employed in the field according to the U. S. Department of Labor, with 10 000 to 12 500 new requirements each year. Although manufacturing industry will continue to employ the majority of electrical engineers, rapid growth is envisioned in business, professional, educational, and government services.     

Engineers and engineering in the US and Japan: a critical review ofthe literature and suggestions for a new research agenda

Researchers have identified a number of interesting differences between engineers and the practice of engineering in Japan and the US (and, to a lesser extent, other countries). They have found that: Japan graduates more engineers per capita than the US; Japanese engineers seem to stay in the practice of engineering longer than their US counterparts; Japanese firms perform more of the post bachelor degree level education and training of engineers than US firms; Japanese universities seem to emphasize teamwork more and business education less than US universities; Japanese firms have less rigid job boundaries than US firms; high performing Japanese firms have more overlap between functions and have developed distinctive ways of handling new product development such as the use of heavy weight project managers. On the other hand, empirical studies so far do not seem to show that "culture" has made much difference in the practice of engineering between the US and Japan. This paper reviews these findings and the implications that have been drawn from them. It goes on to suggest that while this research has provided many useful ideas and models for US managers, in other areas it has stopped short of examining the consequences of what has been found. The result has been the loss of opportunities for policy makers, educators, managers, and social theorists     

Physiology for Engineers: A Report on an Intensive Summer Conference

Many of the engineers who are currently engaged in bioengineering work have had little formal training in biology. To provide these practicing engineers with a knowledge of physiological fundamentals as well as with examples of the applications of engineering techniques to the study of physiological systems, an intensive course in physiological systems analysis for engineers was presented during the summer of 1964 at the University of Michigan. This report presents data on the training and research interests of the course attendees, as well as some of our experiences in the teaching of physiology for engineers.     

An undergraduate computer engineering option for electrical engineering

Computer engineering is concerned with the organization, design, and utilization of digital processing systems. These may be general purpose computers or more specialized digital systems that are concerned with communications, control, information processing, etc. The rapidly expanding application areas for digital processing techniques require increasing numbers of properly trained engineers, and it is the responsibility of electrical engineering education to provide the necessary educational opportunities. A means for doing this is an undergraduate computer engineering option within electrical engineering. The curriculum for such an educational program would be both hardware and software oriented, as described.     

A generation in search of a future

To many executives and practicing engineers, the turmoil in the universities has been a bewildering phenomenon. At the Fourth of March meeting at M.I.T. to protest the misuse of science and engineering (IEEE Spectrum, April 1969, p. 8), Professor George Wald of Harvard?notable for his undergraduate teaching as well as for the research on vision that brought him a Nobel Prize?addressed the question of what is worrying the young. He spoke without a text, but a tape preserved his eloquent indictment of the way things are. The standing ovation it evoked is testimony that his talk resonated strongly with the minds of the audience convoked by the Union of Concerned Scientists, an M.I.T. faculty group. It is printed here, with his permission, for the insight it gives into the ferment which, though less strong on engineering campuses than in some other places, is giving social relevance a strong place in the values and professional aspirations of the next generation of electrical engineers.     

Skill Requirements for the Rehabilitation Engineer: Results of a Survey

A survey of skills requred for rehabilitation engineering was prepared by the Biomedical Engineering Divison of the American Society for Engineering Education. The purpose of the survey was to determine basic and specific skills needed for the practice of rehabilitation engineering as assessed by four groups: biomedical engineering educators, practicing engineers, medical doctors, and medical specialists. Results indicated an emphasis in basic skills such as transducers, medical devices, kdnesiology, and anatomy, and in specific skills such as rehabilitation devices and aids, equipment control programs, and legal correlates. The two engineering groups tended to agree with each other as did the two medical groups; however, the engineeringgroups did not always concur with the medical groups. Medical doctors and medical specialists generally desired a more broadly trained and more highly skilled rehabilitation engineer. Results suggest that the M.S. degree level appears most reasonable for educational training in rehabilitation engineering.     

Marketing as an engineering career

When funds are tight, design and development are curtailed first; however, marketing is one of the last areas to go. That's the view of two recent electrical engineering graduates who spent last summer in a ten-week pilot program for junior marketing engineers. The marketing assistantship program described here was developed by the Hewlett-Packard Co. to acquaint engineering undergraduates with the job opportunities available in marketing. The authors soon realized that their initial impressions of this field were somewhat misleading.     

Effective communication: the what, why, and how of entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is increasing in importance and presents a good career opportunity for engineering students. Engineering schools should imbue an understanding of entrepreneurship, knowledge of why it is important, and a sense of how students might go about pursuing it. This article discusses some aspects of this challenge for engineers and, particularly, for engineering educators.     

Industry-university cooperation: a way to stem the loss of freshman engineering students

Each academic year more than 100 engineers from the Phoenix metropolitan area participate in the freshman engineering program at Arizona State University either as technical consultants or as jury members for the semester design competition. Although this program requires the use of consultants and judges, the benefits of the joint effort extend far beyond these important functions. The freshman engineers are provided an opportunity to talk to practicing engineers on a personal and informal basis and at a time when their own ideas about engineers and engineering are still very hazy. The combination of faculty and experienced engineers working together with students on a common project, with each of the participants contributing in his area of interest and specialization, has established a spirit of mutual understanding and respect.     

加强电机结构认识实习环节,提高电机学教学质量

“电机学”课程的理论抽象,学生必须对电机结构有清晰的了解,才能掌握好理论知识,结构认识实习成为重要的一个教学环节。为解决电机结构认识实习中存在的问题,激发学生实习的兴趣和热情,我们对实习形式和实习手段都进行了较大改进,建立了以现场实习、实验室内的电机拆装、电机结构录像、三维结构模型相结合的实习形式。取得了良好的教学效果。     

Application software

Companies that deal in application software for electrical engineers found their territory expanding during the past year. The availability of highly capable hardware, as well as the introduction of the operating system, Windows NT, opened up the market to many new platforms. In addition, users are demanding software that can cope with new tasks. Everywhere, vendors say, one of the principal pressures is the need to network engineers into corporate data, so that engineering design data may be shared with manufacturing, reliability calculations can flow from design work, and so forth. This paper discusses Windows NT, how `old software' is being updated to do more tasks, how DSP and RF tools are are being combined to form wireless systems and how suppliers are taking on many platforms     

“数字信号处理”教学方法的探索与实践

“数字信号处理”课程最初开设于通信与电子工程专业。本文简述了在自动化专业开设“数字信号处理”的必要性;分析了教学过程中存在的主要问题,给出了产生问题的主要原因;对“数字信号处理”教学方法进行了有益的探索,论述了教学过程中遵循的基本原则和采取的主要措施。教学实践表明,依照本文内容从事教学工作取得了很好的教学效果,可以为该课程的教学实践提供有益的参考。     

Optimal modes and levels of integration, and the identification of cross-functional coordination deficiencies in concurrent engineering

In this investigation, it was proposed that achieving a fit between coordination requirements and the institution of optimal modes and levels of integration will result in optimal patterns of information processing, but will not necessarily minimize coordination problems or deficiencies. Data were collected at three time intervals from engineers and scientists working in 24 department of defense project offices and laboratories. Using a content analysis of narrative responses, 16 coordination problems or deficiencies were identified. As expected, the results did not demonstrate that the group of organizations that approached optimal levels of integration exhibited fewer coordination deficiencies than those organizations that exhibited suboptimal levels. Furthermore, the pattern of coordination deficiencies did not decline across time in those organizations that approached optimal levels. These results suggest that in order for research in concurrent engineering to advance, greater focus should be applied to the identification and effective management of coordination problems and deficiencies.     

Fuel cells and fuel batteries?an engineering view

If fuel cells and fuel batteries attain their expected usefulness in the future, electrical and electronics engineers may some day be joined by a new kind of engineer?the electrochemical engineer. The fuel-cell problems this new engineer will have to face include those involving various types of fuels and their properties, efficiency, reliability, life, and operating temperatures. All of these properties are tied in with the important consideration of economics.     

What is telecommunications circuit switching?

This article is an attempt to provide one with no knowledge of telecommunications circuit switching with some insight into its complexity and technological progress. This subject has for many practicing telecommunication engineers been treated as enigmatic. The problem is that switching is a combination of many details. The power of modern technology has added to the complexity of the features and services that can be offered economically by these systems. Perhaps in no other area of telecommunication does the evaluation of the choice of technology and system architecture so obfuscate the true purpose of the system. The functional requirements of a switching system are relatively simple and easily understood, but the service and feature requirements are growing and being implemented at a rate greater than ever before. With its growth has emerged a new era of switching. It is the desire of the author to place the past and current technology, as well as the fundamentals into prospective so that the reader may be prepared for the new era in telecommunication circuit switching.     

基于工程化教学模式的电气专业课程改革实践

本文以工程化教学模式作为电气工程及其自动化(简称“电气”)专业课程的改革方向,在工程教育专业认证背景下,构建一套理论与实践紧密结合的工程化实践教学体系,激发学生的创新思维和创新意识,使学生成为具有创新精神和实践能力的复合型人才。     

基于工程化教学模式的电气工程及其自动化专业课程改革探索与实践

本文以工程化教学模式作为电气工程及其自动化(简称“电气”)专业课程的改革方向, 在工程教育专业认证背景下,构建一套理论与实践紧密结合的工程化实践教学体系,激发学生的创新思维和创新意识,使学生成为具有创新精神和实践能力的复合型人才。     

基于工程化教学模式的电气工程及其自动化专业课程改革探索与实践

本文以工程化教学模式作为电气工程及其自动化(简称“电气”)专业课程的改革方向, 在工程教育专业认证背景下,构建一套理论与实践紧密结合的工程化实践教学体系,激发学生的创新思维和创新意识,使学生成为具有创新精神和实践能力的复合型人才。     

“电力系统继电保护”MOOC教学模式探索

“电力系统继电保护”是电气工程及其自动化专业的核心课程,其教学和考核方式对电气类专业人才的培养起着非常重要的作用。针对“电力系统继电保护”教学新要求,分析了MOOC模式下“电力系统继电保护”课程教学的特点,研究了基于MOOC的“电力系统继电保护”课程考核方式,从“理论+实践”以及“自学+交流”等方面充分考察学生在MOOC平台的学习效果,有利于学生在尽快掌握相关专业知识的同时,培养了解决工程实际问题的能力。     

Where the jobs are

Despite the avalanche of layoffs in assorted industries, elsewhere things are booming for electrical engineering, including defense, health care, and patent-related fields. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, recent graduates with bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering should be greeted by a favorable job market this year. Looking ahead, the bureau further predicts overall demand for electrical engineers to remain strong, with EE employment rising 26 percent and 93000 new positions added over the decade ending in 2008.The prognosis for 2002 is not all bad for EE employment