Electrical Engineering Degree Research Articles

Integration of Virtual Instrumentation in the Teaching of Data Acquisition and Interface Systems Course

This paper presents a case study of the integration of virtual instrumentation in the development of engineering projects in undergraduate electrical engineering education, regarding a Data Acquisition and Interface Systems (DAIS) course. The DAIS course is part of the undergraduate curriculum in electrical engineering degree of Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG). This course is very important in the training of students who will work in the area of electronics, and uses LabVIEW as an educational tool to carry out practical activities. In the semester course, the teacher and the monitor followed up the student teams that proposed engineering projects to be developed during four milestones of the DAIS course. Statistical analysis of the collected data is done by semester course and by academic year. For each milestone, LabVIEW tutoring sessions and educational assessment are performed with student teams, who had great facility in learning the tool. In the final presentation of engineering projects, the students demonstrated domain about the content of the DAIS course and they were fully satisfied with LabVIEW. From the results, the students considered the virtual instrumentation tool with 96% of usefulness during the academic year and 100% recommendation to be applied in other engineering projects.

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Online: A Journey of Challenges and Triumphs

In June 2005, three State University of New York (SUNY) campuses, namely Stony Brook University, the University at Buffalo, and Binghamton University, joined forces to provide a completely online electrical engineering program that would lead to a bachelor of science in electrical engineering (BSEE) degree. The program was put together to serve a nontraditional student body that is otherwise unable to achieve higher education in electrical engineering. The project was jump-started by an award from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This multi-institutional approach was an effective medium for sharing the resources and revenue of the online offering of courses. The Sloan Foundation grant initiated a big step toward the "Learning Anywhere, Anytime" vision for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. It helped to set up the infrastructure of an ambitious joint venture among the three SUNY campuses to collaborate on a jointly offered program.

Advanced teaching method for learning power system operation based on load flow simulations

AbstractCurrent power systems are undergoing a rapid and complex transformation due to the integration of distributed generation. Load flow analysis is increasingly necessary to evaluate not only the operating point of the existing power system but also the design of future expansions. There are a wide variety of power system analysis packages used for load flow analysis. Of these, PowerFactory, one of the tools most widely used by network operators, is implemented for the present learning approach. In fact, one of the challenges for electric utility companies is the lack of experts who are familiar with this type of commercial tool. In the present work, several scenarios were defined and implemented using PowerFactory, covering common real‐life situations in power systems, such as the connection of a new line or a capacitor bank, or the installation of a renewable energy power plant. In this regard, the goal of the present teaching method was to complement the educational competences of power system engineers. As such, the proposed method was implemented in both an Electrical Engineering Degree course and a Master's Degree course in Industrial Engineering, where useful application feedback from students was obtained. Furthermore, the proposed approach is easily replicable for teaching/learning activities at other academic institutions.

NSF S-STEM Project Initiation: Supporting Undergraduate Cohorts of Career-Ready Engineering and Science Scholars (SUCCESS) Project at WVU Tech

The SUCCESS project was recently funded by NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program (S-STEM). Our project aims to increase student persistence in STEM fields at West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) over its 5-year duration. Our project provides scholarships with varieties of student support services to the participant students to the program. Not only our support service includes faculty/technical expert from industry/ peer mentoring but also offer some exciting opportunities including cohort shared living and academic experiences; undergraduate research experiences; career exploration; and participation in discipline-specific conferences. Initially, we plan to sponsor for 20 full-time undergraduate students “Scholars” who will pursue bachelor’s degrees either in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) or in Computer Science and Information Systems (CSIS). The so-called Scholars will be ideally selected as academically talented, low-income, full-time first-time freshmen through a rigorous selection process. To build a business mindset, the Scholars will be supported/encouraged to choose a minor in Entrepreneurial Studies. By connecting Scholars to professional mentors, the project will enhance partnerships between STEM programs and local industries in the state. The project website was built, and applications will be accepted until May 1st, 2021. We are recruiting our first cohort of Scholars for the fall semester of 2021. We hope to update the project progress annually to the WV community at WVAS Annual Meetings. This project is funded by NSF DUE S-STEM Program from 2021-2026.

In Memoriam: Lawrence E. Tannas, Jr.

In Memoriam: Lawrence E. Tannas, Jr.

Simulation Method In Programmable Logic

Programmable logic controller (PLC) is a microprocessor used to automate industry processes such as controlling a factory's engine. As a candidate in electrical engineering degree must be able to assemble and arrange PLC control program so that later can compete in industrial world. Therefore PLC is one of the compulsory courses that must be pursued. But in learning PLC encountered obstacles that students feel less interested in learning that they need to understand the language of logic, and require them to assemble the series of automation with inadequate equipment, so we think Simulation learning method is a learning method can improve the students' understanding of the situation or problem better. The purpose of this research is to know the effect of simulation learning method on students with high and low creativity level in PLC learning. The method used in this research is an experimental method. Result of this study is simulation learning method can improve learning result of PLC, but not maximal. PLC learning requires real work practices so as to provide accurate knowledge to every student.Based on these conclusions, the suggestion in PLC learning can use a learning method that uses work practices as a learning tool of PLC

Simulation Method In Programmable Logic

Programmable logic controller (PLC) is a microprocessor used to automate industry processes such as controlling a factory's engine. As a candidate in electrical engineering degree must be able to assemble and arrange PLC control program so that later can compete in industrial world. Therefore PLC is one of the compulsory courses that must be pursued. But in learning PLC encountered obstacles that students feel less interested in learning that they need to understand the language of logic, and require them to assemble the series of automation with inadequate equipment, so we think Simulation learning method is a learning method can improve the students' understanding of the situation or problem better. The purpose of this research is to know the effect of simulation learning method on students with high and low creativity level in PLC learning. The method used in this research is an experimental method. Result of this study is simulation learning method can improve learning result of PLC, but not maximal. PLC learning requires real work practices so as to provide accurate knowledge to every student.Based on these conclusions, the suggestion in PLC learning can use a learning method that uses work practices as a learning tool of PLC

Analysis of Graduates Performance Based on Programme Educational Objective Assessment for an Electrical Engineering Degree

Programme Educational Objectives (PEOs) are specific goals that are aligned with the vision and mission of an institution of higher learning. The PEOs describe the expected achievements of the graduates in their career and professional accomplishment after graduation. At Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, the PEOs of undergraduate programmes are particularly designed to ensure that the graduates are well-equipped with a broad foundation of theoretical and practical knowledge in various electrical engineering areas of interest and to prepare them for the rapidly changing engineering technology. These PEOs are carefully aligned with the vision and mission of the university and faculty and should be achieved by the graduates 3 to 4 years after graduating. These PEOs must be assessed and evaluated to determine the PEOs’ attainment of the programme. Therefore, assessment and evaluation activities must be available to plan and organize the process of obtaining the PEOs’ attainment. Surveys on graduate attributes need to be conducted to gain feedbacks from stakeholders 3 to 4 years after graduation. In this study, anonymous online questionnaire survey was created to obtain the feedbacks from the alumni. These feedbacks are then analysed to assess the PEOs’ attainment. In order to evaluate the performance of the PEOs, performance indicators are developed and used in the evaluation. Outcomes from this study are used to determine the achievement of PEOs and to propose the improvement as part of continuous quality improvement (CQI).

A Conversation with J. Stuart (Stu) Hunter

J. Stuart (Stu) Hunter has been an inspiration and mentor to a generation of statisticians, especially to those working in industry. Born on June 3, 1923 in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Stu moved to Linden, New Jersey at the age of 2 where he spent the rest of his childhood, graduating from high school at age 16. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 1947, he went on to receive a master’s degree in applied mathematics in 1949 and a PhD in statistics in 1954, all from North Carolina State. His research centered on experimental design, in particular the study of fractional factorial designs and response surface methods. He was the founding editor of Technometrics. Stu joined the faculty at Princeton University as an assistant professor in the Engineering School in 1961. He was a first-rate teacher, and his courses at Princeton were often rated among the top courses at the University. The interviewer had the good fortune to take his Engineering Statistics course in 1970 which began a life-long friendship. Stu was a consultant for many companies and the co-author of the influential book Statistics for Experimenters with George Box and William Hunter. His short courses in industry were legendary. He served as the 1993 president of the American Statistical Association (ASA) and has received many honors and awards from the ASA, the ASQ and other organizations. In 2005, he was named as a fellow to the National Academy of Engineering. The Stu Hunter Research Conference was established in 2012 to “honor one of the pioneers in applied statistics.” Stu retired from Princeton in 1984, but remains active consulting, mentoring and traveling to this day.

UPCT-Bloopbusters: A methodology of teaching physics and technology concepts using movie scenes and related experiments

There is an increasing need for innovative educational methods that can motivate and engage students in subjects that are often perceived as difficult or boring. One such approach is the UPCT-Bloopbusters educational project, developed by a group of professors at the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT), Spain, wherein concepts from the fields of physics and technology are presented and exemplified in the classroom through scenes from different movies in conjunction with experiments. The project was conducted on three subjects, one from each of the three bachelor of electrical engineering degree programs offered at the UPCT, namely Physics I, Applied Physics, and Optical Communications. This paper describes the methodology of the educational project and then presents and discusses the academic results of the students involved in terms of success and performance rates both before and after the application of the new methodology. Moreover, the results of a survey carried out on the students are presented. Finally, some of the exercises used in this methodology for the teaching and learning of science based on different movie scenes are provided as examples. The results of the project show that the students were receptive of the methodology and further indicated that it may lead to increased academic performance due to their enhanced understanding of physics and technology concepts.

Inaugural editorial: Energy Conversion and Economics

Inaugural editorial: <i>Energy Conversion and Economics</i>

Multidisciplinary Materials Research in KAIST Over the Last 50 Years

Multidisciplinary Materials Research in KAIST Over the Last 50 Years

The hidden curriculum in two employability skills development courses in a South African electrical engineering degree programme

ABSTRACT Employability development is a focus of contemporary engineering education, both abroad and in South Africa, from where this study emanates. However, pedagogic initiatives in service of this goal may fail to take into consideration the ideological underpinnings of this emphasis on employability, as well as of the curricula developed in its service. This study utilises discourse analysis as a tool to analyse texts relating to a final-year course pairing offered to electrical engineering students, which explicitly aims to develop employability skills. Drawing on Fairclough’s three-dimensional conception of discourse, the texts, which include faculty handbook extracts, course handouts, timetables, and additional teaching materials, provide insight into the ideological underpinnings of the courses as well as the context of their creation. The findings of the study reveal the neoliberal foundation of the course-pairing in general and, more specifically, three discourses that interact throughout the courses: the ‘entrepreneur of self’ discourse, the discourse of ‘inevitability’ and the ‘one-size-fits-all’ discourse. The study concludes by suggesting that perpetuating these discourses will lead to replication within the engineering industry, as opposed to transformation and innovation.

Special issue on SoC and AI processors

Special issue on SoC and AI processors

Remaining True to His Calling [Pathways

Profiles IAS member Carson Bates. Growing up during a time when computers and electronics were at the forefront of developing technology, Bates, like many others of his generation, was fascinated by computers. He attended the Colorado School of Mines in Golden to pursue a degree in electrical engineering with the intention of specializing in electronic circuits and microprocessor design. This plan changed after he attended an IEEE Industrial Applications Society (IAS)- sponsored student Chapter luncheon held at the Colorado School of Mines.

The Pransky interview: Dr. Matanya Horowitz, founder and CEO of AMP robotics

Purpose This paper is a “Q&amp;A interview” conducted by Joanne Pransky of Industrial Robot Journal as a method to impart the combined technological, business and personal experience of a prominent, robotic industry PhD-turned entrepreneur regarding his pioneering efforts of bringing technological inventions to market. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The interviewee is Dr Matanya Horowitz, Founder and CEO of AMP Robotics, an industrial artificial intelligence (AI) and Robotics Company that automates the identification, sorting and processing of complex waste streams to extract maximum value for their customers. Horowitz discusses how he came to found this groundbreaking company and created disruptive innovations. Findings Horowitz earned four bachelor degrees in electrical engineering, computer science, applied mathematics and economics, as well as a master’s degree in electrical engineering, all from the University of Colorado. He also holds a PhD in control and dynamical systems from the California Institute of Technology with publications and research in control theory, AI, robotic path planning and computer vision. Shortly after finishing his PhD, he founded Louisville, Colorado-based AMP Robotics in 2014 with the mission of changing the fundamental economics of recycling. In the Fall of 2019, AMP raised $16m in Series A funding, led by Sequoia Capital. Originality/value Horowitz developed and commercialized AMP’s breakthrough AI platform, AMP Neuron™ and robotics system, AMP Cortex™, which automates high-speed identification, sorting, picking and processing of material streams. Horowitz was individually recognized as Waste360’s “2019 Innovator of the Year” in addition to being named in their “40 under 40” list. AMP has received numerous awards and gained international recognition, including The Circulars 2018 Award for “Circular Economy Top Tech Disruptor” at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and the NWRA’s (National Waste and Recycling Association) “2017 Innovator of the Year” award.

Evaluating the effect of using synchronous machine simulations to support traditional teaching methodology in electrical engineering degree courses

AbstractSynchronous machine concepts are abstract and difficult to understand on the basis of the equivalent electrical circuits. Many studies highlight the difficulty of engineering degree students in understanding electrical circuits and propose different methodologies to address this issue. This study aims to show how the use of computer‐assisted teaching improves general understanding of synchronous machines, in accordance with the following hypothesis: “complementing the traditional approach to teaching synchronous machines courses (based on theory lessons and practical laboratory sessions), with computer simulations, improves conceptual understanding and, consequently, course success rates.” To test the effectiveness of the proposed teaching methodology, a controlled experiment was conducted. The students were divided into two groups, control and experimental, and their responses were compared. The former followed traditional teaching methodology, whereas the latter utilized the proposed complementary computer‐assisted simulations. Both groups were evaluated according to the same test comprised of a list of comprehension questions. The results of the z test analysis show that z = 4.365 and p &lt; .001, implying that the null hypothesis can be rejected and a significant contrast between the two groups can be recognized. The effect size, evaluated using Cohen's d, is d = 0.816, again indicating that the difference between the groups is significant. The posttest results reveal that the experimental group outperformed the control group in all three of the dimensions under analysis: theory, problems, and complete test.

RETRACTED: Research approval assessment: A methodology to cultivate electrical engineering students’ attention through stimulating their interesting studies

In the 21st century, electrical power enterprises face the flood of new technologies and an aging workforce of professional engineers. To address this shortage, heightening the competences of current electrical engineering students is essential. Although researchers have raised these issues and presented expedient methodologies, they have not enhanced graduation rates because many young students are declining the electrical engineering major due to many factors. Nevertheless, the declining percentage must be addressed in the electrical engineering education system; hence this article implemented a research approval assessment technique to engage electrical engineering students’ interest with their major, enhance academic research and professional skills, and excel at their electrical engineering degree in the School of Electrical Engineering at Wuhan University, China. The assessment process assists students in recalling and integrating their interests to fulfill degree requirements and select future research, practicing engineering software, and enhancing the collaborative skills necessary for their future engineering careers. Although many students were involved in research approval assessment process, this article focuses on a Pakistani student’s approval process, detailing their topic of Pakistan power sector challenges (ferroresonance presence as high profile challenge), and evaluation results. The results indicated that students’ interests not only engage them effectively but also motivate their success.

EMC Personality Profile

With this Personality Profile, I would like to introduce you to Dr. Zhiping Yang, Chair of the EMC Society's Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Zhiping grew up in China, attended Tsinghua University, China and received the B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering and Applied Math in 1994. He continued his studies at Tsinghua University and received the M.E. in Electrical Engineering in 1997. After receiving his M.E. degree Zhiping left Tsinghua University as well as China and enrolled at the University of Missouri-Rolla, MO, USA as a Ph.D. student. Under the supervision of Dr. Mariesa Crow, he investigated the incorporation of battery energy storage into a Static Synchronous Compensator. The main contribution of Zhiping's research is the establishment of the modeling and control of the StatCom/BESS in power system dynamic applications. He received the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, MO, USA in 2000.

Tutorial overview of simple, stratified, and parametric bootstrapping

AbstractStudents pursuing baccalaureate degrees in electrical engineering and computer engineering are required to take a course in probability and statistics. While the course continues to be mostly conceptual, author started initiatives to introduce data analytics in this course with special emphasis on machine vision applications. Topics such as receiver operating characteristics curves and hypothesis testing are covered through examples and exercises with students having individual datasets. Continuing with this theme, bootstrapping and associated methodologies have now been introduced to facilitate interpretation of machine vision experiments. A demo created that illustrates simple, stratified, and parametric bootstrapping as a means to understand the statistics of a machine vision sensor is presented. It encompasses a number of conceptual topics such as random variables, densities, parameter estimation, chi square testing, etc. alongside data analytics offering a holistic picture of machine learning and machine vision to the undergraduate students.