Discovering the World through Electrical Engineering

1. Engineering Weeks 2002 Electrical EngineeringProf. Alexandros Eleftheriadis

2. Engineering? • Scientists discover the world that exists; engineers create the world that never was. • Theodore von Karman Electrical Engineering? • Application of mathematics and laws of physics governing electricity and magnetism, as well as information, to develop ‘useful’ devices and systems.

3. Example: Car Systems

4. Disciplines: Power Systems • Power Electronics • Motors and Generators • Power Distribution

5. Disciplines: Electronics • Semiconductor materials • Electronic devices • Analog circuits • Instrumentation • Sensors

6. Disciplines: Optics • Lasers • Fiber optic cables • Telecommunications equipment • Ultra high-speed computer networks

7. Disciplines: Digital Systems • Microprocessors • Logic circuits • Microcoding • Embedded devices • Computer networks

8. Disciplines: Communications • Digital Signal Processing • Radio • Audio / CDs / MP3 • Television / DVD / HDTV • Cellular communication • Satellites • Microwave transmitters

9. Disciplines: Control Systems • Signals and Systems • Analog controls • Digital controls • Robotics

10. History of the Department • Thomas Edison – 1889 • Crocker and Pupin – long distance telephony • Edwin Armstrong – feedback, heterodyne receiver, FM • R. Schwartz, Ragazzini, Zadeh, Millman – control theory, electronics • Kalman, Jury – sampled data systems • M. Schwartz – telecommunications and computer networks (CTR) • Anastassiou – MPEG-2 and DVDs Book Facts: • Pupin’s autobiography won Pulitzer prize • Millman + Schwartz = 16 best sellers (translated in 8 languages)

13. Job Opportunities • Digital hardware/High-end processors • Intel, AMD, Sun Microsystems, TI, IBM, Compaq • Networking hardware • Cisco, Bay Networks, 3COM • Other hardware/semiconductors • National, TI, Analog Devices, Cypress, C-Cube, LSI Logic, Xilinx, Actel, Hewlett-Packard • Storage systems • Seagate, Storage Technology, Quantum Technology • EDA • Synopsys, Cadence • Software • Microsoft, Oracle, Informix, Novell

14. Job Opportunities (cont’d) • Wireless technology • Motorola, Qualcomm, Siemens, Ericsson, Nokia • Wall Street and IT-support type jobs (but may not be ideal) • Merril Lynch, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, etc. NOTE: • Many of the best companies to work for are in the Sun Belt or California (Silicon Valley), so relocating may be very important to landing the best job opportunities.

15. Job Opportunities (cont’d) • Starting salary of ~$55K with benefits. • Sign-in bonus of ~$5K • For small companies (particularly startups), stock options. Larger companies also have stock option programs, but these are not typical for entry-level BS. • We are collaborating closely with Career Services to ensure that leading technology companies recruit at Columbia

16. Internships • Luckily, several big companies in the Tri-State Area (NY, NJ, CT) • AT&T, Lucent, IBM, Verizon, Philips, Siemens, Mitsubishi, NEC, Symbol, Cod Edison, MTA, etc. etc. • Several more in Boston area, particularly small- and mid-sized high-tech

17. Graduate Studies and Research • EE is an extremely active discipline • M.S. – very popular in today’s specialized market, typically 1.5-2 extra years • Ph.D. – 2-4 more years, necessary for research and teaching Professional Schools • Law – particularly patent law • Business – particularly entrepreneurial activities

18. To Probe Further • EE Site • http://www.ee.columbia.edu • Columbia eWeeks • http://www.columbia.edu/cu/eweeks • IEEE • http://www.ieee.org • National eWeeks • http://www.eweek.org • Discover Engineering • http://www.discoverengineering.org

19. Engineering Weeks 2002 Electrical EngineeringProf. Alexandros Eleftheriadis