What is Engineering?

Dr. Sandra Cruz-PolProfessor

Electrical & Computer Engineering University of Puerto Rico @

Mayaguez

What is Engineering? Making a Difference…

Solve all types of problems: New kinds of sport equipment to give

players extra edge while keeping safe from injury.

Develop sophisticated security equipment to keep nation safe

Creating new medical sensors for healthCreating new methods of communicationCreating more family time w/ smart

appliances

Engineers…

Use science, math and other knowledge to come up with solutions that are:

SafeEffective Energy efficientEconomicalEasy to use

Some Types of Engineers

Chemical Eng. – improved food, cosmetics, synthetic clothes

Environmental Eng. – recycling methods, ways to purify air, water, soil

Biomedical Eng. – design artificial limbs, medical machines

Mechanical Eng. – design cars, robotics, amusement rides.

Largest Engineering Colleges according to enrollment 1997-98

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000

Ohio State

University of Maryland

California State-Sacramento

University of Florida

California Polytechnic Institute

University of Texas-Austin

Iow a State

University of Michigan

***University of Puerto Rico

North Carolina State

Virginia Polytechnic Institute

Illinois-Urbana Champaign

Georgia Institute of Technology

Purdue

Texas A&M

Penn State

Largest Engineering Colleges

Undergraduate Engineering Hispanic Full-time Student Enrollment: Top 10 Institutions

4360

2444

12241072

713482 469 466 442 425

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

University ofPuerto Rico

Poly. Univ. ofPuerto Rico

FloridaIntl.Univ.

Univ. of TexasEl Paso

Texas A&M New MexicoState Univ.

Cal Poly-SanLuis Obispo

Cal Poly-Ponoma

CCNY(CityCollege-CUNY)

Univ. ofFlorida

Percentage of Women in Colleges with Highest Women in Engineering Enrollment

41%

33%

24% 24% 23% 23%21% 21% 21% 21%

05

1015202530354045

Today’s Situation in Grad School

In Engineering Schools women graduates comprise less than 10% of the students!

Possible causesDiscriminationHarassment IsolationLack of support

Yes, you’ll be different, so? Con: Have to work twice as good Pro: Your face will be easy to

remember

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Graduate Student Population in US

Male

Female

Sexual HarassmentAt Harvard 32% of the tenured female professors 49% of those without tenure, 41% of the female graduate students, 34% of the undergraduate women

reported having been sexually harassed by a person in authority at least once during their time at Harvard.

[Gross 1991], presents an account of the hostile environment for women at Stanford Medical School, which was recently called to attention by the resignation of a female neurosurgeon.

Discrimination: …Breaking Stereotypes

Both men and women are sometimes in fault. Most discrimination is done unconciously!

Create awareness, in a polite way (jokes?) Don’t leave the Discrimination Radar ON Networking with Co-workers, Mingle;

football, golf, parties … Appearances ARE important

loose the Hello Kitty folders! dress up appropriately for work and researchWomen language

Find a mentor and an advisor

Equality

Look at these photos, what do you see?

Socializing with Co-workers

Discussions with topics of interest to most men, such as sports and cars, topics which women are often uninformed about or uninterested in. Music, news.

The resulting inability to participate in discussions can make it difficult for women to bond socially, and often leads women to feel outright alienated... “ This is exactly what happened to me at each T.A.--faculty meeting“ says new faculty member at U.S. university.

Family Priorities; Married status

Make sure spouse understands children are responsibility of both, your work should also be a

priority for him.

Two cases to avoid: Non-cooperative husband “Self-slaved” wife (yes, it

happens)

Equality

IQ + Moperandi = Success

People skills: Know how to play the game

Integrate: networking is importantNetwork with supporting societies

(SWE, WEP, MEP,…)Get to work!

be disciplined, make a scheduleMarried status helps Set time for recreation too!

Myth: Why is the Ocean Blue?

FALSE: The ocean is blue because the sky reflection on its surface.

TRUE: Water is blue.frequency spectra

But you need a huge amount of it to really see its color.

Look at a swimming pool as it gets deeper; even on cloudy days. http://ece.uprm.edu/~pol/OceanBlue.html

Myth #2

FALSE: Thomas Edison, greatest contributor to Electricity.

TRUE: Nikola Tesla – greatest contributor to Electricity.

Invented ac motor, perfected dc motor, invented radio transmission, designed Niagara Falls generator, distribution systems, fluorescence lamps, remote control, wireless, logic circuits, 3 phasic and many others.

Electrical Engineering

UPRM has 5 sub-areas

Electrical Engineering

Power - electricity distribution systems, electronics for control circuits for generation, transmission and usage of electric power.

Electronics - Digital systems, computer architecture

Control Systems - robotics, automation for manufacturing process

Electrical Engineering (cont…)

Communications Digital Signal Processing,

pattern recognition, image processing

Electromagnetics Microwaves, optics, antennas,wireless.radars

Image Processing

Electromagnetics

Applications: Communications Design of microwave circuits

and antennas

Remote SensingRadars and radiometers used to study nature and other objects

More Applications

Propagation E.g. Ionosphere, short band

Frequency Spectrum Rays, X-rays, UV, IR,

Medicine Treat cancer microwaves

Hyperthermia Laser (eyes)

Communication Radio, TV, Telephony

Different Clouds types

Field Measurements

Study of Rain at OK, 2001

Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA)

Earth curvature effects prevent 72% of the troposphere below 1 km from being observed

CliMMate LabCLoud Microwave Measurements of ATmospheric Events

http://ece.uprm.edu/climmate

Where to find this material?

http://casa.ece.uprm.edu/http://ece.uprm.edu/~pol/outreach