Electrical Engineering

Electrical Engineering Concentration

Electrical engineering (EE) is a field that deals with the study of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism and their applications that serve humankind and society. Sub-disciplines in EE include power, controls, instrumentation, circuits, communications, computers, and many others. In today’s world, products designed by electrical engineers pervade every segment of life, from personal electronic devices, household appliances, and life-saving surgery robots to space exploration sensors. Many of these technologies have become indispensable.

Although electrical engineering has evolved for centuries since its first emergence in the 1700s, many “young” areas are gaining great momentum. For instance, wearable medical sensors and wireless communication technologies are revolutionizing the health industry, and renewable energy is expected to rescue the world from the crisis of unsustainable fossil fuel.

At ECU, the EE concentration is supported by a faculty team with background in key areas of current and emerging technology. EE concentration courses include state of the art content in digital circuits, microprocessors, AC circuits, signal and systems, power systems, and control system design. These courses are designed with an excellent combination of a sound theoretical base and hands-on skills, providing students with a solid foundation that can broaden their future career paths.


Faculty

Dr. Ricky Castles is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering. His research interests include mechatronics, human factors in design, cognitive ergonomics and human physical capabilities.

Dr. Sunghan Kim is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering. Dr. Kim’s research focus is to extract clinically useful information from various biomedical data for the betterment of modern medicine by applying advanced signal processing and data mining techniques. He is actively working with clinical collaborators from BSOM Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, and Vidant Rehabilitation Center. One of his current research projects is to study cognitive function changes in adolescent diabetes via event-related potentials. In this study, the effect of adolescent diabetes on the central nerve system is investigated by analyzing visually invoked event-related potentials. Also, in collaboration with Vidant Rehabilitation Center, he is testing a brain-computer interface system on locked-in syndrome subjects, whose brain activity is analyzed for automatic spelling.

Mr. Brent Reed is a Senior Teaching Instructor in the Department of Engineering. His teaching interests include general engineering and electrical engineering courses.

Dr. Jason Yao is a Professor in the Department of Engineering. His research interests are wireless/wearable medical sensors, sensor networks for home environments, telemedicine, and industrial process monitoring and control.

Dr. Zhen Zhu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering. His areas of interest include unmanned systems and autonomous operations, real-time imaging systems for medical applications, remote sensing and sensor integration, satellite navigation embedded systems, software radio and programmable hardware.


Careers

Career opportunities for electrical engineers exist in a wide range of business and industry, including product design, manufacturing, consulting engineering, sales, and research.

Visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics for more information on electrical engineering related career fields.


Professional Societies

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

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