ECE Explorations

About ECE Explorations

ECE Explorations introduces ECE students to new technologies, industry trends, and career opportunities in different electrical and computer engineering-related fields. Talks should be 50 minutes in length. The seminar room is equipped with a PA system and projector for showing slides.

Explorations is open to all ECE students and the general public and is required for ECE James Scholars. Typically a broad range of students attend with sophomores and juniors—the students with the greatest need for an introduction to the wider world of engineering—usually constituting the majority of the audience.

Sophomores are typically taking calculus/physics core courses, although they will have had a hands-on, four-hour introduction to ECE; most will have had one programming course. Juniors have typically completed beginning courses in circuits and computer engineering, and will be taking courses in electromagnetics and solid state devices.

About the presentation

Speakers should plan to describe the technologies and career opportunities for engineers in their area. For example, you could describe the breakthroughs in technology for digital television transmission, highlighting your company's products. It is inappropriate to give a recruiting talk in which the company's activities and opportunities are a major theme. It is appropriate to invite the audience to join the company representative post-presentation for specific discussion about the company and to collect resumes.

Presentation format

Explorations is a terrific way to get students excited about your or your company’s particular applications of electrical and computer engineering. Students are still discovering the many ways in which they’ll be able to apply what they learn here. Explorations helps them understand the vast opportunities that await them. Participating in this seminar is also a great way to gain name recognition and build a presence on campus as part of an overall engagement strategy.

Sample abstracts

MOTOROLA, Alex Tziortzis, senior engineer. "Location Finding Techniques for Wireless Mobile Telephony." This presentation discusses the main techniques for location finding in a wireless environment. Comparison and contrasts between the leading technologies will be looked at as well as future considerations for systems like the FCC mandated Emergency 911 requirements for wireless carriers.

TELLABS, Ken Poland, hardware engineer. "T1 Technology." This lecture discusses the basic public-switched telephone network in North America, and establishes the historical need for T1. While T1 is a digital communications carrier of many uses, the focus is on its prime use for voice communications. Limitations of analog voice transmission are discussed, as well as theory of digital voice encoding and Pulse Code Modulation (PCM). T1 parameters such as electrical format, network alarming, and telephone signalling, as well as several communication protocols used in T1 are presented.

Illinois ECE FACULTY, Professor Jim Coleman. "Physical Electronics: Smaller can be Better." What if they wrote some software and there was nothing to run it on? Professor Coleman describes what's hot in the area of physical electronics, integrated circuits, lasers, etc. including hardware technology ranging from the very small to the even smaller.

Contact Us

Katherine Darr

Katherine A. Darr
Assistant Director of Corporate Relations
1070 ECE Building
(217) 244-4453
kdarr@illinois.edu