7/17/02 Cheryl Cobb
(ccobb@eng.auburn.edu)
AUBURN -
Cell phones are just the tip of the iceberg. Wireless information technology is
here to stay -- in our homes, cars, hospitals and workplaces.
This fall,
Auburn University's Samuel Ginn College of Engineering will launch the nation's
first bachelor of wireless engineering degree program to provide students with
the tools they need to join the wireless revolution.
The new degree
program complements a larger initiative -- called the Information
Technology Peak of Excellence -- centered in the Ginn College of
Engineering. This effort is designed to capitalize and expand on existing
strengths to move Auburn engineering into a leadership position across all
segments of information technology -- from gathering, communicating, processing
and analyzing information, to using it to make decisions and to take action. The
emphasis will be on wireless communication.
The First Wireless Degree
in the Nation
"We are thrilled to announce this degree program," says
Larry Benefield, dean of the Ginn College of Engineering. "To ensure that the
program addresses the full spectrum of industry needs, we worked closely with
wireless industry representatives. I feel that we've created a degree that will
be exciting and challenging for the students, and produce graduates ready to
meet the fast-evolving demands of the workplace."
The new degree program
is an interdisciplinary effort that involves faculty and programs in two
departments -- Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science and
Software Engineering -- and offers three areas of specialization: hardware,
software and networks.
It builds on existing broad-based programs in
both departments to provide a solid foundation of electrical, computer, and
software engineering fundamentals, as well as an introduction to wireless
communication theories, devices, circuits, systems, networks, standards,
management and applications. Through course options, students will be able to
select areas of wireless specialization and will be exposed to cutting-edge
research.
"Auburn faculty has been involved in information technology
research since the early 1970s," explains Benefield. "Our engineers are on the
front line of research in software and hardware for today's Internet and
tomorrow's wireless, always-connected world. Our approach is comprehensive and
is structured around four research centers."
Founded in 1974, the
Alabama Microelectronics Science and Technology Center supports research on
device and micro electro mechanical systems technologies. Emphasis at the NSF
Center for Advanced Vehicle Electronics is on electronics manufacturing. The
Center for Innovations in Mobile, Pervasive, and Agile Computing Technology
specializes in software. The newest of the four centers -- the Wireless
Engineering and Research and Education Center --supports efforts in the area of
applications and systems.
A True Team Effort
According to
Benefield, the college's information technology effort has been accelerated by
an unprecedented $25 million gift from Auburn Engineering Alumnus Sam Ginn, who
believes that wireless information technology will revolutionize the way we
live. Additional support from Auburn University Peak's of Excellence program, as
well as the efforts of the college's Wireless Engineering Technical Advisory
Board -- comprised of industry representatives -- were also key to advancing the
program.
"We believe our comprehensive approach to wireless IT research
and education will catapult Auburn into a leadership position," says Benefield.
"This fall, the students that enroll in the new degree program will become part
of a true team effort that involves the university, the college, our alumni and
industry, and is designed to provide students with an unparalleled opportunity
for involvement in all aspects of this rapidly growing field."
More
information: Click here for
the Wireless
Engineering Research and Education Center .
Prathima
Agrawal
Samuel
Ginn Distinguished Professor and Director,
Wireless Engineering Research and Education Center (WEREC)
Junmo
Yang, Web-Master
Copyright © 2002-2004 by WEREC. All rights reserved