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Welcome
The Newsletter of IEEE Educational Activities
Volume 1 Issue 3 2014
INSIGHT EA
Sections Congress Highlights 2
Customized Education Solutions
4
Focus on Pre-University 5
Recognition and Achievement 6
Spotlight on Standards 8
Global Outlook: China 9
Global Outlook: Africa 10
Volunteer Profile: S.K. Ramesh 12
Professional Staff Profile:
Burt Dicht
14
University Programs 16
Accreditation News 18
Following EA Social Media 19
Featured Resource: TryNano.org 20
In This Issue
Issue Editor:
- Joanne Van Voorhis
EAB Core Purpose: “To be a leader in
science, engineering, and
technology education, to
be a difference-maker
in career-long learning
for practitioners, to be a
global catalyst for
innovation, and to foster
public understanding and
appreciation of
technology.”
2014 has been a very busy year within Educational Activities! We have signed a three-year agreement with edX, a non-profit organization founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to offer massive open online courses (MOOCs) and other continuing professional education courses to a worldwide audience on www.IEEEx.org.
EPICS in IEEE now has 53 approved projects in 18 countries. IEEE’s Teacher In-Service Program continues to grow: 51 participants from 9 countries participating in a TISP training workshop during TENCON in Region 10. And, approximately 58 volunteers from 4 countries attended a TISP training workshop in Nairobi, Kenya. Immediately after the first workshop, a TISP presentation was arranged – some 68 teachers participated at this activity. IEEE EA also organized and hosted a workshop entitled “Charting the Future of Engineering Education in Kenya.” More than 100 attendees participated including representatives from academia, government, industry and students. Continuing education and university education activities were also hosted in China, July 2014 and Singapore, Sept. 2014.
The IBM/IEEE Smarter Planet Challenge competition received 60 project submissions representing 21 counties with more than 250 students involved -- and we are preparing for the EAB Awards Ceremony, which will take place on Saturday, 22 November.
We are already looking forward to expanded efforts in 2015!
Prof. Saurabh Sinha 2014 IEEE Vice President, Educational Activities
TryEngineering.org has a new look and a mobile version too!
IEEE Sections Congress 2014
EAB Volunteers and Professional Staff Participates in IEEE Sections Congress 2014: “Inspiring our Leaders of Tomorrow”
Submitted by: Mirelle White, EA Business Development Program Manager
The Educational
Activities Board was a
major contributor to
IEEE Section Congress
2014 held at the RAI
Convention Center,
Amsterdam, The
Netherlands, 22–24
August 2014. This
year’s event was the
first to be held outside
of North America and
the first to employ a
mobile app, sponsored
by the IEEE Foundation,
for attendees to use on
smartphones and
tablets. In the past,
flyers and brochures
were collected by
attendees at the exhibit tables. This year, attendees were encouraged to go green by
collecting information on the various IEEE programs, products and services by reviewing the
materials loaded on the mobile app and networking with other section leaders by scanning
badges for contact information. This year’s event accommodated over 1000 Section leaders
and IEEE volunteers and 120 professional staff, representing all regions and IEEE offices.
The 2014 event theme was “Inspiring our Leaders of Tomorrow.” Content for the various
presentations were broken down into three tracks: “Enhance Member Satisfaction,” “Improve
Volunteer Experience,” and “Reach Globally with Local Touch.” EA’s presentations were part of
the “Reach Globally with a Local Touch” category. Sessions during IEEE Sections Congress
were broken down into three types of events: Breakout Sessions - 75 minutes; Learning Labs –
20 minutes; and Ignite Sessions – 5 minutes.
Educational Activities supported a total of 15 presentations, covering 9 topics. EA held two
Breakout Sessions titled, “EPICS in IEEE and TISP – Two Key Programs that Impact Your Local
Community and Pre-University Educators”. EA was pleased to have Dr. S.K. Ramesh copresent
with Ms. Yvonne Pelham, Senior Manager, Educational Outreach. And in a joint EAB/ TAB
Breakout Session, Dr. Moshe Kam and IEEE Fellow Roger Fujii presented “IEEE – Wide
Opportunities for Continuing and Professional Education”. In conjunction with the Breakout
2 IEEE EA Insight
IEEE volunteers and professional staff celebrate the
commemoration of the E-Scientia exhibit in Karachi India.
Sessions, EAB volunteers presented a total of 13 Learning Labs on EAB Awards, EAB Portals,
IEEE Certificates Program, IEEE-HKN, Standards Education, IEEE eLearning Library and
Accreditation Activities. The distinguished speakers for the Learning Labs included Dr. Moshe
Kam, Dr. James Irvine, Dr. S.K. Ramesh, and Mr. Sohaib Qamar Sheik. Over 270 people
attended Educational Activity sessions during the weekend.
When not presenting, and their schedules allowed, EAB volunteers were great ambassadors for
the EA booths, attracting section leadership to talk about EA programs, products and services.
At peak hours in the exhibit hall, Educational Activities booths had on average of 75 visitors
talking with volunteers and staff, reviewing printed materials and scanning QR codes and
badges on their smart devices. Educational Activities saw nearly 65% of the attendees visit the
booth.
Educational Activities also sent six professional staff members to support the volunteers, staff
the booth and assist with speaking engagement coordination over the two days of activities.
Staff attending the event included Doug Gorham, Nancy Ostin, Yvonne Pelham, Regina Samson,
Alex Torres, and Mirelle White.
On Saturday evening, all IEEE volunteers and professional staff were invited to attend the 2014
IEEE Awards ceremony. Opening remarks were given by IEEE President and CEO, J. Roberto B.
de Marca, who joined IEEE President-Elect, Howard E Michel as Co-master of Ceremonies. The
highlight of the evening was the presentation of the IEEE Medal of Honor, awarded to B. Jayant
Baliga, “for the invention, implementation and commercialization of power semiconductor
devices with widespread benefits to society.”
At the conclusion of Sections Congress, Educational Activities volunteers and professional staff
felt that this year’s event had been a great success, that collaborations had been forged,
opportunities had been identified, and Amsterdam was a great backdrop for SC2014.
IEEE EA Insight 3
Alex Torres and Jeffry J.
Handal, Volunteer Member of
the Standards Education
Committee, at EA Sections
Congress booth.
EA's Yvonne Pelham presented
to a Sections Congress group
about EPICS in IEEE and the
Teacher In-Service Program.
IEEE Past President, Moshe
Kam, encouraged Sections to
participate in Engineering
Education Accreditation
Activities.
Photo Caption
Eye on: Customized Education Solutions
Customized Education Solutions: Leveraging The Virtual Education Platform Submitted by: Mirelle White, EAD Business Development Program Manager
Customized Education Solutions
provides a variety of services to
meet the needs of volunteers,
members and the general
public with the goal of providing
access to quality content on
engineering, technology and
skills training.
One such service is the Virtual
Education Platform (VEP), which
helps the IEEE community
attend content-rich events
without travel arrangements or
time away from work, while still
enjoying most of the benefits of face-to-face training.
Educational Activities collaborates with IEEE organizations to extend the reach of live
conferences, distinguished lecturer events, and professional development offerings by
repurposing existing recorded content, adding new content to events, and creating a virtual
element to face-to-face IEEE events. This virtual presence is enhanced further with the ability
to provide downloadable content, run live streaming videos or pre-recorded content, allow
attendees to network with others in their field of interest, and participate in real-time chats.
VEP also helps IEEE stakeholders create an archive for ongoing webinar series, develops a
repository for older content, and provides a channel to promote upcoming events.
Additionally, IEEE organizations can offer CEUs or PDHs through the IEEE Certificates
Program, added to an event and integrated into the platform for ease of use by the attendees
and organizing committee.
VEP is a premier offering through the Customized Education Solutions program. The program
exists to provide a quality service to education providers who are seeking customized virtual
capabilities and enhancements for their learning events.
For more information about the Virtual Education Platform, Customized Education Solutions or
if you are interested in developing a customized delivery of your educational contact, please
email [email protected] to discuss your ideas.
4 IEEE EA Insight
Focus on Pre-University
16-year-old CEO Wins IEEE’s Presidents’ Scholarship
His project aims to make both hardware and software development easily accessible to all.
Submitted by: Lynn Bowlby, Project Administrator, Educational Outreach
What do you get when you have a 16-yr-old high school student and the CEO of a tech startup? You get the recipient of the IEEE Presidents’ Scholarship for 2014, of course. George Morgan, a junior from Clovis North High School in Fresno, California was awarded the IEEE Presidents’ Scholarship for his project “A Multiarchitectural Approach to the Development of Embedded Software.” He received his award during the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles in May. Administered by IEEE Educational Activities, the US $10,000 scholarship from the IEEE Foundation is awarded annually to a high school student who creates a project that demonstrates understanding of an IEEE area of interest. The amount is payable over four years of undergraduate study, and the scholarship includes complimentary IEEE student membership during the four years. The student also receives a framed certificate and an engraved plaque.
George hand-built a basic computer chip smaller than a credit card and used an old toaster oven to help fuse the tiny metal components to the chip’s base. His attention to detail on the chip design was flawless—leaving IEEE’s volunteer judges in awe. The computer chip has helped George to move toward accomplishing his goal of making both hardware and software development easily accessible to anyone. Not only does his project rely on the use of his hand-build computer chip but the platform uses an operating system which he also wrote.
Traditionally, creating interactive objects and environments has been a time consuming process and requires a substantial knowledge of programming. With the use of George’s operating system, which incorporates object oriented design patterns at a low level, embedded hardware on that system can be controlled dynamically and in real time from a host device such as a PC without compiling a single line of code. Simply by having a brief conversation with George, you quickly learn that he has a passion for teaching and for making technology more accessible and user friendly for everyone, regardless of their skill-set. “I love to see the sparkle in someone’s eye as they are learning.”
George’s fascination with computer engineering began at a very young age—“as soon as my mom would let me use a soldering iron, I started working on electronics.” By the age of 7, he had designed his own portable Game Boy charger. Then, at age 11, he coded a basic computer program, and by 14, he was already designing IPhone apps. Now, at 16, he is President and CEO of a tech startup he founded in 2013. The goal of his company is to create user-friendly electronics prototyping platforms. You would think that starting his own company would be the highlight of his high school career; however, upon receiving the IEEE Presidents’ Scholarship, George said with a grin “this is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I am so excited to win this award!”
IEEE EA Insight 5
George Morgan receives the
IEEE Presidents' Scholarship
from IEEE President-elect,
Howard Michel.
Morgan’s computer chip.
6 IEEE EA Insight
2014 IEEE Educational Activities Board Award Recipients Submitted by: Fern E. Katronetsky, Manager, EAB Administration & IEEE-HKN
The following are the 2014 EAB and IEEE-HKN Award Recipients who will be recognized at this year's IEEE-
EAB Awards Ceremony on Saturday, 22 November at The Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Please join us in congratulating those being honored.
IEEE EAB Meritorious Achievement Award in Accreditation Activities – recognizes efforts to
foster the maintenance and improvement of education through the process of accreditation of
engineering, engineering technology, computer science and applied science programs.
Recipient: CHANDRABHAN SHARMA – Professor, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine,
Trinidad
Citation: “for leadership in the establishment of the Caribbean Accreditation Council for Engineering
and Technology (CACET) in 15 countries in Region 9”
IEEE EAB Meritorious Achievement Award in Continuing Education – recognizes the dedicated
contribution to the design, delivery, and support of continuing education courses and programs in the
fields of interest to IEEE Members.
Co-Recipients: V. K. DAMODARAN – Chairman, Centre for Environment and Development,
Trivandrum, India and RANJIT R. NAIR – Project Executive, Inapp Information
Technologies, Trivandrum, Kerala, India
Citation: “for contributions to the design and delivery of faculty training modules that improve the
quality of educational instruction and student learning”
IEEE EAB Meritorious Achievement Award in Informal Education – recognizes IEEE members
who volunteer in informal education settings for the benefit of teachers, students, parents of
students, and the public.
Recipient: FERNANDO GUARÍN – Senior Engineer, IBM, Hopewell Junction, New York, USA
Citation: “for dedication to bringing the excitement of electronics engineering to high school
students”
IEEE EAB Major Educational Innovation Award – recognizes IEEE members who have
distinguished themselves for outstanding educational innovation in a field of interest of the IEEE.
Recipient: JOHN H. BOOSKE – Professor and Department Chair, University of Wisconsin, Madison,
Wisconsin, USA
Citation: “for leadership in developing, implementing and promoting student-centered active
learning methodologies”
IEEE EAB Pre-University Educator Award – recognizes current individuals for work in a pre-
university school who have inspired an appreciation and understanding of Mathematics, Science and
Technology and the engineering process in pre-university students, and who have encouraged them
to pursue technical careers.
Recipient: KRISTIN BEDELL – AIG (Gifted Education) Specialist, Orange County Schools, Efland,
North Carolina, USA
Citation: “for leadership in the promotion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics
education at the primary school level to increase diversity and enrich student learning”
Recognition and Achievement
IEEE EAB Employer Professional Development Award – recognizes organizations employing
IEEE members for contributions to employee continuing education and professional development and
given to organizations whose contributions to employee continuing education and professional
development are outstanding as evidenced by their quality, comprehensiveness, innovation or
impact.
Recipient: SOUTHERN COMPANY – Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Citation: “for long-term commitment to innovative and diverse employee professional development”
IEEE EAB Society/Council Professional Development Award – recognizes IEEE Societies or
Councils for major contributions to the professional development of its members through the
provision of outstanding products, services and support in the areas of lifelong learning, continuing
education, and professional development and given to Societies or Councils whose contributions to
continuing education and professional development are outstanding as evidenced by their quality,
comprehensiveness, innovation or impact.
Recipient: IEEE INFORMATION THEORY SOCIETY
Citation: “for leadership in educating and mentoring the future generation of the information theory
community”
IEEE EAB Vice President’s Recognition Award – recognizes contributions that do not fit within
the formal EAB award structure, and that have had a significant and substantial effect on the practice
of engineering and of engineering education related to the mission of the EAB.
Recipient: DANIEL J. COSTELLO, JR. – Leonard Bettex Professor Emeritus of Electrical
Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
Citation: “for contributions to digital communication system design, dissemination of research in
channel coding and modulation, and for significantly influencing teaching and learning in these areas”
IEEE-ETA KAPPU NU Eminent Member Recognition – recognizes the organization’s highest
membership grade and is conferred upon a select few.
Recipient: HERMANN W. DOMMEL – Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Citation: “for technical attainments and contributions to society through outstanding leadership in
the profession of Electrical and Computer Engineering”
IEEE-ETA KAPPU NU Eminent Member Recognition – recognizes the organization’s highest
membership grade and is conferred upon a select few.
Recipient: RAY KURZWEIL – Director of Engineering, Google, Inc., San Francisco, California, USA
Citation: “for technical attainments and contributions to society through outstanding leadership in
the profession of Electrical and Computer Engineering”
IEEE-ETA KAPPA NU C. Holmes MacDonald Outstanding Teaching Award – recognizes the
central and crucial role of college professors in training and motivating future electrical and computer
engineers.
Recipient: DMITRIY GARMATYUK – Associate Professor, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
Citation: “for outstanding teaching performance, demonstrating exemplary ability in conveying
understanding of complex material to his students while also stimulating deep interest in the subject
matter”
IEEE-ETA KAPPA NU Outstanding Young Professional Award – recognizes a young professional
for meritorious service in the interests of humankind as evidenced by his or her past record and
future promise, as well as for outstanding achievements in his or her chosen profession.
Recipient: CHANGZHI LI – Assistant Professor, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA
Citation: “for exemplary work on biomedical radar devices and dedication to the IEEE local section
and IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society”
IEEE EA Insight 7
Photo Caption
Spotlight on Standards Education
IEEE Workshops on Technical Standards and Consensus Building Submitted by: David Law, Vice-Chair, IEEE Standards Education Committee
Jennifer McClain, Senior Manager, Standards Education & Business Development
Earlier this year, the Standards Education Committee (SEC) sponsored its’ third Workshop on Technical Standards & Consensus Building at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Approximately 60 students experienced first-hand how some of the work of standardizing technologies gets done. The full-day workshop was hosted by Dr. James Irvine of the Electronic and Electrical Engineering Department and Chair of the SEC. Dr. Irvine was joined in facilitating the workshop by David Law, Chair of the IEEE 802.3 Working Group (Ethernet), and Adrian Stephens, Chair of the IEEE 802.11 Working Group (WiFi). As highly experienced standards developers from industry (David is with Hewlett-Packard and Adrian is with Intel), students learned the fundamentals of standards, how they are absolutely critical to industry, and heard case studies that focused on key technical questions and negotiations during the development of the some of the most widely used technologies in the world.
Previous workshops were held at City University in London and at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA, USA. Feedback from over 100 workshop participants has been very positive, and the SEC will continue to support and expand this activity.
Consensus-Building Simulation
During the multi-hour consensus-building exercise, students are split into working groups of about 10 people and a case study involving space travel is presented to all. Each working group is instructed to evaluate four technical questions in light of technical suitability, economic factors, and possible regulatory impact. Each person within the group receives a ‘role’ to play. The roles are representative of the individuals who participate in standards development. The exercise is set up so every participant is involved and plays a necessary part in discussions and decision making. Students must work through the technical questions by applying negotiation and business skills, in addition to applying some engineering principles.
After many rounds of negotiating within their working groups, each ‘Chair’ reports the results for each technical question. It is during this group reporting that much is learned, including that technology, economics and politics all play a role in developing standards.
Facilitator Adrian Stephens observed:
This workshop impressed me by how quickly the participants were exhibiting behavior typical of real standards development meetings. The workshop started with students, most of which really wanted to have their say, but knew nothing of this type of working group structure. The students received a bunch of “secret instructions” on the roles they would be playing. Split into groups, each group chose one person to act as working group chair who then tried to steer the group towards making decisions. What impressed me was that all of the groups succeeded in making good consensual decisions, after much debate (and fun) was experienced. I believe the students ended up with an insight into what really goes on in standards, and practiced a useful life skill – consensus building.
8 IEEE EA Insight
Students at Strathclyde exchange
ideas during the workshop.
Photo credit: Adrian P. Stephens
IEEE EA Insight 9
Global Outlook: China
EA Representatives Exploring Partnership Opportunities in China Submitted by: Saurabh Sinha, 2014 IEEE Vice President, Educational Activities
In July 2014, Prof. Saurabh Sinha, VP, Educational Activities Board and Dr. Douglas Gorham, Managing Director, EA, participated in several meetings in China focused on reinvigorating partnerships and establishing new partnerships in the areas of university education. Meetings were held with representatives from the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and the China Engineering Education Accreditation Association (CEEAA).
During the visit with CAST, Prof. Sinha and Dr. Gorham were part of a delegation led by 2014 IEEE President-Elect, Howard Michel. The lead from CAST was Aimin Shen, Executive Secretary. In his opening statement, the Executive Secretary Shen emphasized China’s interest in program accreditation, and specifically to join the Washington Accord as a full member in 2015. China’s interest in program accreditation had already established a relationship with IEEE and EA.
In December 2010, EA signed MOUs with three Chinese universities to provide an informal observer accreditation review of 1-2 engineering and computing programs at each institution. Two observer evaluations were conducted at the end of 2011. IEEE’s expertise in program evaluation was an important point of focus of the meetings that followed with the CEEAA, which proved to be informative and offered opportunities for IEEE. Prof. Sinha, Dr. Gorham and Dr. Ning Hua, Senior Director, IEEE Asia Operations, met with multiple CEEAA representatives. The main topics of discussion were to: 1) Review the status of program accreditation in China; 2) Review the contributions of the IEEE in program accreditation activities in China, since 2006; and 3) To explore future partnerships aligned with the emergence of CEEAA in 2012.
CAST, through the CEEAA, has the goal of joining the Washington Accord as a full member. Currently, less than 10% of academic programs in engineering, including computing disciplines, are accredited. Given the 10,000+ programs in China, CEEAA recognizes its challenge in training program evaluators (PEVs). CEEAA expressed an interest in working with IEEE towards a model to train program evaluators (PEVs). A “train the trainer” model is envisioned to include training in criteria, procedures and outcomes. A separate activity that was identified would be to connect CEEAA representatives with universities undergoing ABET accreditation, and with permission of relevant parties, to arrange for observers during 2-3 accreditation visits.
The meetings with CAST and CEEAA and were very encouraging and presented opportunities for EA to support activities in program accreditation. Prof. Sinha and Dr. Gorham returned from the trip with a number of actions for EA that are necessary to continue the dialogue, and to further realize the potential of these opportunities.
(L-R) Mr. Zhou Aijun, Deputy Secretary-
General of CEEAA with Saurabh Sinha.
10 IEEE EA Insight
Global Outlook: Africa
Educational Activities Events in Sub-Saharan Africa Submitted by: Doug Gorham, Managing Director, IEEE Educational Activities
In 2013 two IEEE Presidential delegation visits occurred to several countries in sub-Saharan Africa to gather information focusing on: 1) the need for workforce development, and 2) engineering education as an important element in the development of a high-tech workforce critical to advancing Africa’s development.
These key areas were consistent discussion topics during meetings with representatives from government, industry, academia, NGOs and IEEE sections. As a result, one area that emerged as an opportunity for further work was education.
In 2014, EAB agreed to focus on: 1) organizing and conducting, with the help and guidance of local volunteers, a Teacher In-Service Program (TISP) training workshop for volunteers from several sub-Saharan countries; and 2) developing and delivering a workshop focused on engineering education in Kenya with the help and guidance of local university volunteers. As a result, three events were planned and delivered by EAB with the help and guidance of local IEEE volunteers:
On 23-24 October 2014, approximately 58 volunteers from 4 countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Uganda) attended a TISP training workshop in Nairobi, Kenya. This workshop focused on working with the local schools and Ministries of Education to provide hands-on, application-based professional development for pre-university teachers, and offered suggestions on how to organize such a program at the section level. One speaker, Stephen Mogoba, was from the Kenya Ministry of Education. During his speech, he invited the Kenya Section to
Kenya TISP Workshop Delegates gathered
at the Intercontinental Hotel Nairobi in October 2014.
IEEE EA Insight 11
partner with the Ministry of Education to provide professional development for teachers across Kenya.
On 25 October, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, a half-day TISP workshop was organized for local primary and secondary teachers in Nairobi. Sixty-eight (68) teachers attended this special training workshop. At the conclusion of the workshop, representatives from the Kenya Ministry of Education requested that the Kenya Section develop and deliver a training workshop for local teachers in January 2015.
IEEE EA also organized and hosted a full day workshop entitled “Charting the Future of Engineering Education in Kenya.” More than 100 attendees participated, including representatives from academia, government, industry, and students. One significant area of concern that emerged was the need for clarity as to who has responsibility for engineering and computing program accreditation in Kenya.
As an immediate next step, EAB has reached out to a vice chancellor to begin organizing a small group of vice chancellors, deans, or department heads, along with representatives from the local Section, to explore how to improve the relationship between the two bodies currently responsible for program accreditation (CUE and EBK). This may result in the formulation of a memorandum of understanding between the parties involved.
The opportunities to build engineering capacity in sub-Saharan Africa are broader than workforce development and engineering education. There exists a possibility for IEEE to impact multiple aspects of the engineering ecosystem in sub-Saharan Africa. This signals a global growth opportunity for IEEE.
The IEEE Engineering Education Workshop in Kenya
featured a Faculty Development and Professional
Advancement panel discussion. (L-R) Prof. Meoli Kashorda,
Prof. Michael Lightner, Prof. Saurabh Sinha, and Prof.
Robert Gateru.
Participating educators examine TISP workshop designs.
Primary and secondary school teachers participated in
Saturday morning TISP session.
12 IEEE EA Insight
S.K. Ramesh Submitted by: S. K. Ramesh, Ph.D., Dean, College of Engineering and Computer
Science & Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering California State University, Northridge
30 days and 43,303 miles. Welcome to the world of S. K. Ramesh, who serves as the Chair of
the 2014 IEEE Pre-University Education Coordinating
Committee (PECC) and between his travels as the
Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer
Science at California State University Northridge.
Ramesh loves his work on IEEE EAB and wears
several hats, including serving on the IEEE-HKN
Board of Governors and as one of the three IEEE
Representatives on the ABET Board of Directors. By
his own admission, this past summer was quite the
experience as he traversed the skies from India to
Los Angeles and Amsterdam and Peru to support
various EA initiatives ranging from an accreditation
summit in Peru, to Sections Congress in Amsterdam.
Apparently he was on vacation in India for ten days
but couldn’t refuse the offer to speak to a group of
students, including several IEEE student members
working with the Solarillion Foundation in his hometown of Chennai, India on opportunities to
serve the community in the areas of Renewable Energy, Sustainability, and Global Humanitarian
Technology. Ramesh credits the IEEE for inspiring him to pursue graduate studies and was one
of the founding members of the IEEE Student branch at his alma mater in India in 1978 – now
the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli (NITT). After graduate school at Southern
Illinois University, he began his academic career at California State University, Sacramento
where he served as department chair for a dozen years until his move to California State
University, Northridge as Dean in 2006. His areas of interest are optical communications and
analog integrated circuit design, and he is passionate about engineering education and
attracting a diverse group of students to our profession. Under his leadership, the college has
almost doubled in enrollment and serves over 4,500 students in 5 departments spanning a
range of undergraduate and graduate programs in engineering.
Among the programs that he has helped develop and launch at Cal State Northridge is a unique
interdisciplinary Master’s degree program in Assistive Technology Engineering. This program
brings together engineers and life scientists to work collaboratively to develop devices and
processes to help persons with various disabilities including physical, visual, cognitive, and
hearing impairments. Students from the program have developed a brain controlled interface
for a wheel chair using off the shelf technology to provide a user the ability to control the
movement of their wheel chair with their thoughts! Sounds like science fiction? Check out
http://blogs.csun.edu/atcsun/featured-video/engineering-research-video-mind-
controlledwheelchair/.
Ramesh at alumni event celebrating AIMS2 program graduates
(www.ecs.csun.edu/aims2). Photo courtesy Armando-Tellez.
Volunteer Spotlight
Ramesh cares deeply about enhancing
opportunities for women and underrepresented
minorities in our profession, and leads a five
year, $ 5.5 Million U.S. Department of
Education grant program entitled “AIMS2”
which stands for “Attract, Inspire, Mentor, and
Support Students.” Presently in its fourth year,
this program has served over 180 students to
date www.ecs.csun.edu/aims2, and was
recently honored with national recognition by
the Excelencia Foundation in Washington, DC
for enhancing opportunities for latino/a
students in higher education. Their stories
remind him of the work that remains to be
done. In his current role as PECC Chair, he is
working to enhance signature programs such
as EPICS in IEEE, while strengthening the
renowned TISP program and building for the
future with a program aimed at Young
Learners. At another level, he understands the
important role that accreditation plays in
assuring the quality of our educational
programs and stimulating innovation. Ramesh
works closely with his colleagues on the ABET
Board of Directors to support our profession.
Ramesh and his wife Utpala, a biochemist,
are the proud parents of two boys – their
older son graduated with his BS EE degree
this summer and works for Northrop
Grumman as a Systems Engineer, and a
younger son who is a senior in high school. In
their spare time they love to spend time with
Toby, their 3 year old Rottweiler-Bulldog mix,
when they are not watching their beloved St.
Louis Cardinals or Da Bears. Funny for
someone who grew up playing and watching
Cricket! No not the insect Ramesh says
Cricket is a lot like life. The game seems to be
meandering along and all of a sudden
something happens that changes the entire
complexion of the game. The life lesson
learned from Cricket is to be alert and pay
attention, but don’t forget to have fun and
enjoy the game while you are at it. What keeps this IEEE volunteer going? From his perspective
Engineering is all about serving society and he says that he is inspired by the students and
professionals whom he meets every day. Taking poetic license with the saying “To err is human,
to forgive is divine” , Ramesh was heard telling his graduates at the recent commencement
ceremonies “ To err is human, To Engineer is Divine, To Educate..Well that’s just sublime.”
IEEE EA Insight 13
Ramalatha Marimuthu (MGA representative on EAB) visits Ramesh and his colleague C.T. Lin at CSU Northridge in Feb 2014 to view the BCI
Wheelchair project. Ramalatha and Ramesh worked together to organize the first
International Conference on Intelligent Interactive Systems and Assistive
Technologies http://ieeekctsb.com/iisat13/ at Kumaraguru College in Coimbatore in August 2013. Photo credit – Martin Sweeney, Chair of
the Indo-American Assistive Technology Exchange (IAATE).
Ramesh and his wife Utpala at the Machu Picchu Summit on September 5th.
Photo taken by tour guide Darwin.
Professional Staff Profile: Burt Dicht
Project SPARC – Aiming for the Stars in High School Burt Dicht, Director, University Programs
In April of 1977, I spent 24.5 hours in an
Apollo capsule and orbited the Earth 16
times. For those of you who know me,
you are probably doing the math and
realized I was in high school at that time.
So no, I didn’t go into space. I was taking
part in an after-school program called
Project SPARC (Space Research Capsule.
. . now referred to as Space Research
Center). I was a member of the astronaut
corps and served as the Flight Engineer
on Flight 27.
Project SPARC was started by Robert
Montgomery Jr., a physics teacher at
Northeast High School (NEHS) in
Philadelphia back in 1962. The U.S. was
engaged in a space race with the Soviet
Union at that time and Mr. Montgomery’s intent was to expose high school students to the
science and engineering of space flight and interest them in pursuing careers in science,
engineering and medicine. It was a “STEM” program before the term even existed.
During the 60s, SPARC students constructed a capsule simulator behind the auditorium stage
and conducted space missions, the longest
being five days. SPARC even received the
ultimate recognition when NASA certified SPARC
as the only high school space program in the
country. SPARC’s success led to its expansion to
include a new wing, a complete mission control
room and an aerospace magnet school. Soon
students from all over the city were eligible to
enroll and learn about space biology, space
chemistry and space physics and take part in
space flights.
I was accepted into the aerospace magnet
school in 1974 and joined SPARC’s Medical
Group. The extraordinary thing about SPARC is
that the students do it all. During 10th and 11th
grades, I learned about human physiology, how
to take blood pressure and perform an EKG,
14 IEEE EA Insight
The Crew of Flight 27 (April 1977), Bruce Berkoff,
Burt in the middle and Rob Weber, now all engineers!
SPARC Mission Control in the 1970s.
became certified in CPR and First-
Aid, and participated in several
medical tests to assess the
performance of the SPARC
astronauts. In my senior year, I
was accepted into the astronaut
corps and was chosen to be part
of SPARC’s first space mission in
almost seven years. Who does
that in high school?
SPARC inspired me to choose
engineering as a career. I had the
great privilege to work in the
aerospace industry, first at
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center as
an intern, then as a practicing
engineer at Rockwell’s Space
Transportation Systems Division
and Northrop’s Aircraft Division.
SPARC got me there and motivated me to inspire future students.
Now as a member of the Educational Activities (EA) professional staff, I serve as the Director of
University Programs and oversee IEEE’s accreditation efforts. I am also responsible for the
development and implementation of programs for faculty and students that are aimed at
improving academic learning and the educational experience. While STEM is not part of my
direct job responsibilities, I do support EA’s pre-university programs. But I had no idea things
would come full-circle and I would be involved in saving the STEM program that inspired me.
In December 2013, I learned the Philadelphia School District, facing a severe budget deficit, cut
all after-school programs, including Project SPARC. SPARC was being shut down after more
than 50 years of operation. My classmates and I were very upset and we decided to act. With
the help of other alumni from the Class of 77, I led a crowd funding effort on social media using
GoFundMe and Facebook. In 6 weeks we raised $20,000, which was enough to allow SPARC to
operate for the rest of the academic term.
To ensure SPARC’s long-term future, we created the NEHS Project SPARC Boosters in order to
develop a sustained funding mechanism. For me, there was nothing more rewarding than
seeing SPARC’s senior students complete their final space mission in May, and knowing that
because of this effort, future students will get to experience Project SPARC just like I did.
Today, more 110 students are part of SPARC.
To learn more go to: http://www.nehssparcboosters.org/
Or send an email to [email protected] or [email protected].
Have an idea for a EA volunteer or
professional staff profile?
Please email [email protected]!
IEEE EA Insight 15
Burt Dicht receiving a Certificate of Appreciation from the
SPARC Student Leaders (May 2014).
16 IEEE EA Insight
University Programs: What’s New?
A New Mini-MBA for Engineering and Technology Management!
Submitted by: Burt Dicht, Director, University Programs
IEEE and Rutgers University, through the Rutgers
Business School (RBS), recently signed an
agreement to develop and offer the Mini-MBA™:
Engineering and Technology. This collaboration
between IEEE and the RBS is focused on providing
engineers and other technical professionals with an
opportunity to integrate their technical skills with
business acumen. The RBS has pioneered the
concept of Mini-MBAs, typically a five day intensive
workshop, designed to provide the key concepts,
tools, and techniques that are required to succeed
in today’s challenging business environment.
RBS Mini-MBAs have been developed for dentists,
bio-pharma professionals, entrepreneurs and
healthcare professionals, among others. The
objective of the Engineering and Technology
Management Mini-MBA is about providing the
technical professional with a deep understanding of
what the business really needs. The more an
engineer can expand his or her expertise to include knowledge of business operations, the more
valuable that engineer will be to the organization.
The EA professional staff spent many hours with the RBS staff, reviewing the modules and
developing a curriculum that would be both attractive and valuable to IEEE members as well as
other engineering practitioners. The curriculum includes many of the module topics typical of
other Mini-MBAs such as: Business Strategy; Intellectual Property Strategy; Successful
Negotiation and Global Economics. The difference is that each module incorporates real world
examples applicable to the technical professional. Modules focused on the needs of technical
professionals like Business Ventures and Innovation and Managing New Product Development
were also integrated into the curriculum. A special feature of the program is that the faculty
were specifically vetted and selected; as many are engineers or have experience working at or
with technical companies.
The first session will take place from 8–12 December 2014 at the Heldrich Hotel in New
Brunswick, NJ. The promotional effort was started in October and there is space for 30
participants. With the first session planning completed, IEEE and the RBS are exploring
expansion of the Mini-MBA program to include sessions in 2015, and a potential on-line
component. To learn more about the Mini-MBA, visit http://www.business.rutgers.edu/executive
-education/programs/mini-mba-engineering-technology-management.
Doug Gorham, Managing Director IEEE
Educational Activities and Joe Schaffer,
Associate Dean, Executive
Education at Rutgers Business School,
signing the agreement for the Mini-MBA:
Engineering and Technology
Management initiative in July 2014.
University Programs Perspective
Global Virtual Mini-Conference on Early Career Faculty Development: Effective Teaching
Submitted by: Burt Dicht, Director, University Programs
Getting Your Faculty Career off to a Good Start. Course Climate. Student Engagement. Lesson Plans. Course Level Assessment. These are several of the topics covered in the most recent IEEE Global Virtual Mini-Conference on Early Career Faculty Development (ECFD) that focused on Effective Teaching. The mini conference was held on 18 September and made use of a virtual platform that enabled participants to view the conference in real-time or on-demand.
From the start of the mini-conference at 0900 on 18 September, thru 23:59 on 21 September, almost 400 faculty members viewed the sessions. Faculty representing more than 175 educational institutions from 40 countries participated. 98 faculty members had less than 1 year of experience, 147 faculty members had 1-5 years of experience, and 60 faculty members had 6-10 years of experience.
The ECFD Project was started by Educational Activities and the University Resources Committee in 2013 as part of a seed grant. Under the direction of the Faculty & Departments Committee (FDC) and led by Chair Dr. Stephen Williams, the ECFD Project’s key objective is to develop a sustainable portfolio of products and services to assist ECF with professional development aimed at enhancing their effectiveness as faculty members. The mini-conference concept was proposed as part of the pilot effort and three were planned.
The first was held on 15 November 2013 with a theme of “Launching a Successful Faculty Career.” More than 250 ECF, representing 20 countries and more than 100 educational institutions participated.
Each mini-conference leverages the expertise of Educational Activities’ pool of subject matter experts and volunteers. The topic areas reflect the needs identified by ECF in a recent assessment survey.
The final mini-conference in the pilot series is scheduled for 12 December. The focus of this conference is on Conducting a Research Program. The Research mini-conference will feature a series of instructional sessions as well as informational panels.
You can learn more about the ECFD program at http://tinyurl.com/IEEEECFD and you can register and view the previous two mini conferences at http://tinyurl.com/ECFDvirtual. For more information, email [email protected].
IEEE EA Insight 17
Screen shot of the virtual conference instructional session on
Course Level Assessment conducted by Dr. Melani
18 IEEE EA Insight
Accreditation News
IEEE and ICACIT Host the First Summit of Latin American Accrediting Agencies
Submitted by: Burt Dicht, Director, University Programs Fifteen representatives from accrediting agencies and engineering associations met on 3 September 2014 in Lima, Peru to discuss and develop a roadmap for establishing mutual recognition agreements among the accrediting agencies in Latin America. This first summit, organized by the IEEE EAB, the Committee on Global Accreditation Activities (CGAA), and ICACIT (Instituto de Calidad y Acreditación de Programas de Computación, Ingeniería y Tecnología), the accrediting agency in Peru, was an important step in promoting and enhancing engineering, computer and engineering technology education in Latin America.
A Mutual Recognition Agreement is formed when two or more accrediting agencies agree to provide equal recognition to all programs accredited by each of the agencies who are parties to the agreement. They are important because engineering graduates of a country that is party to the agreement are considered to have reached a level a competency that will enable them to practice in another country that is also a party to the agreement. MRAs aid in the mobility of engineers, and IEEE supports and facilitates the establishment of these agreements.
Accrediting agency and engineering association representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain, Mexico, Panama, Peru and the U.S. participated and heard from a range of speakers discussing different aspects of mutual recognition. Among the speakers was Eng. Daniel Morano, Advisor to the Secretariat of University Policies in Argentina. Eng. Morano described the ARCU-SUR system. Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia and Venezuela participate in this system, which was started in 2006, and focuses on careers in agronomy, engineering and medicine. In another session, Dr. Hu Hanrahan, Chair of the Washington Accord, explained how graduate attributes are used to assess the competency of engineering graduates and aid in their mobility to practice in other countries. Dr. Hahrahan highlighted the fact that programs accredited by agencies that make up the agreement need not be equal, but globally achieve the same results, or as it is called in the agreement, “demonstrate substantial equivalence.
Other sessions included presentations from Eng. Luis Eduardo Zedillo, the Director General of COPAES – Mexico, who focused on the best practices for mutual recognition agreements and Dr. Enrique Alvarez Rodrich, ICACIT President, who used ICACIT as a case study for how Latin American accrediting agencies can become part of global recognition agreements. Following the presentations, speakers participated in panel sessions to answer questions from the audience.
Latin American Accreditation
Body Summit Representatives
Dr, Joberto S. B.
Martins, IEEE CGAA
Member, welcomes
the delegates to the
Region 9 Accreditation
Body Summit.
IEEE EA Insight 19
The final session was an open forum designed to discuss the steps for fostering mutual recognition agreements and the challenges involved.
Issues discussed included:
The Path to Take: A New Agreement or Join an Existing Agreement
The Roadmap to Mutual Recognition Agreements in Latin America
IEEE’s Role in Fostering Mutual Recognition Agreements
This first summit proved to be successful in bringing together these important stakeholders and establishing the relationships for continuing the process. All of the representatives attending pledged support and welcome the involvement of IEEE as a facilitator. Prof. Teófilo Ramos, Past CGAA Chair and Past Vice President of the Educational Activities Board, and Prof. Joberto Martins, a current CGAA member, are working to document the results of the summit and to prepare a document describing the next steps to keep this process moving forward. The CGAA will be working closely with ICACIT as this effort moves forward.
Dr. Hu Hanrahan, President - Washington
Accord and Dr. Enrique Alvarez Rodrich,
President - ICACIT, respond to questions
during a panel session.
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Key Dates/Events
28 October: IEEE-HKN Founders Day 18-24 November: IEEE Board Series, NJ,
USA 22 November: EAB Awards Ceremony, NJ,
USA 8-12 December: Mini MBA Pilot Program,
NJ, USA 11 December: Standards Education
Committee Meeting 12-15 March 2015: IEEE EAB Mini Series,
NJ, USA 20-21 March 2015: IEEE-HKN Student
Leadership Conference
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20 IEEE EA Insight
