Summary

Designing biomedical instruments, such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machines; collecting, processing and analyzing biomedical signals; develop biomedical devices, such as pace makers.

The following are some of the areas included in the biomedical specialty:

1. Medical Imaging - This includes MRI machines, CAT scanners, new types of imaging for breast cancer detection.
2. Neural and Brain Interfaces - Artificial retinas for the blind, Cochlear implants for the deaf, and prosthetic limbs controlled directly by the mind are examples of neural interfaces.
3. Micro-electromechanical (MEMs) Systems - Micro-fluidic MEMs systems may soon lead to a revolution in the design of new drugs for treating diseases. Micro-fluidic systems may be able to generate and test thousands of new compounds per hour in the search for new drugs.

Summary

Designing telecommunication systems such as next generation cell phone systems; developing wireless networks for various applications, such wireless sensor networks, vehicular networks, and unmanned aerial vehicle networks.

The following are some of the areas included in the communications specialty:

1. Wireless Communications - This includes cell phones, smartphones, and wireless internet.
2. Optical Communications - Optical fibers, thinner than a human hair, form the backbone of the internet.
3. Design of Internet Routers - Routers are the hardware and software that direct internet signals to the correct destinations.
4. Design of Internet Protocols - Protocols are the automated procedures and algorithms, implemented in computers, that make the internet possible.
5. Radio and Television - Waves in the air, produced by antennas, received by antennas, and then interpreted by electronics to produce everyday entertainment.

Communications Research at the University of Arkansas

The following Electrical Engineering faculty are doing communications research:

• Jingxian Wu has research interests which cover the broad scope of wireless information networks, including cooperative communications, distributed space-time-frequency coding, network information theory, cross-layer optimization, distributed communication and computing systems, wireless sensor networks, multicarrier communications, performance analysis,
• Dale Thompson is doing research on telecommunications network design, wireless networks, and performance evaluation of computer networks. He is a professor in the Computer Science Computer Engineering Department who is an adjunct professor in Electrical Engineering.

Courses for the Communications Specialty Area

Recommended Undergraduate Elective Courses
MATH 3083	Linear Algebra
ELEG 4623	Communication Systems
CENG 3753	Data Communication Systems (Internet Protocols)
ELEG 4603	Deterministic Digital Signal Processing System Design

Additional Graduate and Undergraduate Courses
ELEG 4683	Introduction to Image Processing
ELEG 4713	Electromagnetic Transmission
ELEG 4723	Introduction to RF and Microwave Design
ELEG 5113	Stochastic Digital Signal Processing System Design
ELEG 5173L	Digital Signal Processing Laboratory
ELEG 5183L	DSP Digital Communications Laboratory
ELEG 5193L	Advanced DSP Processors Laboratory
ELEG 5543	Communication Networks for Motion/Industrial Control
ELEG 5603	Wireless Data Communications
ELEG 5613	Introduction to Telecommunications
ELEG 5623	Information Theory
ELEG 5633	Detection and Estimation
ELEG 5643	Computer Communications Networks
ELEG 5663	Communication Theory
ELEG 5683	Image Processing
ELEG 5693	Wireless Communications
ELEG 5713	Antennas and Radiation
ELEG 5723	Advanced Microwave Design
ELEG 5753	Satellite Communications and Navigation Systems

Summary

Designing integrated circuits (ICs) for computers and other digital systems, such as cell phones, space shuttle controllers, industrial automation systems, etc.

The following are some of the devices that contain digital or computer circuitry:

1. Stand Alone Computers - Workstations, P.C.s and Apple Computers, tablet and pocket P.C.s, supercomputers, and server farms - such as those maintained by Google.
2. Embedded Computers - These are small computers embedded in other equipment. Examples include the computers and computer chips embedded in entertainment devices like televisions and IPods, the computers embedded in video games, DVR's such as TIVO which are essentially computers, computers in medical equipment such as MRI's and CAT scanners, computers in car engines and in airplane navigation equipment, computers in GPS devices, computers in factory equipment that control and monitor the equipment, computers in cell phones.
3. Most Other Electronic Devices - A digital television contains mostly digital circuitry. A CD or DVD player contains mostly digital circuitry. Most of the circuitry in factory equipment is digital. Most of the circuitry in a cell phone is digital, although crucial parts are analog. Almost everything relating to the internet is a combination of special purpose digital circuitry and computers. Home appliances are controlled by digital circuitry. Nearly everything electronic has a digital component.

Digital and Computer Research at the University of Arkansas

The following Electrical Engineering faculty are doing research in the digital and computer areas.

• Jingxian Wu does research in microprocessors and embedded systems, especially with applications in communications.
• Jia Di and Pat Parkerson design digital integrated circuit chips. They are professors in the Computer Science and Computer Engineering Department and adjunct professors in Electrical Engineering.

Courses for the Computers and Digital Circuit Design Specialty Area

Essential and Recommended Undergraduate Elective Courses
Essential
ELEG 4914/5914	Advanced Digital Design
ELEG 4983	Computer Architecture
Recommended
ELEG 4233/5923	Introduction to Integrated Circuit Design
ELEG 4963	CPLD/FPGA Based System Design
ELEG 5253L	Integrated Circuit Design Laboratory I
ELEG 5263L	Integrated Circuit Design Laboratory II
CSCE 3953	System Synthesis and Modeling
CSCE 4114	Embedded Systems
CSCE 4233	Low Power Digital Systems
CSCE 5943	Computer Arithmetic Circuits
CSCE 5983	Application Specific Integrated Circuit Design

Additional Graduate and Undergraduate Courses
ELEG 5173L	Digital Signal Processing Laboratory
ELEG 5193L	Advanced DSP Processors Laboratory
CSCE 3313	Algorithms
CSCE 5033	Advanced Algorithms

Summary

A control system is a system of devices that manages, commands, directs, or regulates the behavior of other devices to achieve desired results. It can be used to control the operations of a wide range of systems in various scales, such as power grids, industrial automation system, autonomous driving, guided missiles, etc.

The following are some typical applications of control systems:

1. Airplane Autopilots - An airplane autopilot controls the plane's control surfaces to keep the plane flying steadily. Control systems may one day automatically land airplanes. Unmanned drones are controlled mainly by automatic control systems.
2. Stability Control in Automobiles - Stability control circuitry controls the brakes on all four wheels of a car in such a way that the car is prevented from spinning out of control on sharp curves and turns. It uses single wheel braking to help the car go where the driver wants it to go without spinning out of control.
3. Image Stabilization - Image stabilization in a video camera controls the motion of a tiny mirror in the camera so that it compensates for jitter in the hands holding the camera. Image stabilization in a camera looking down on a football game from a blimp compensates for the motion of the blimp in the wind.
4. Autofocusing of Cameras - The autofocus circuitry in a camera controls the motion of the lense to bring the image into sharp focus.
5. Position Control in Robotics and other Industrial Equipment - The positions of tools and grippers in industrial equipment must often be precisely controlled.
6. Chemical Plants - Automatic control systems control such variables as temperature and flow rate in chemical plants to achieve optimum performance.

Control Systems Research at the University of Arkansas

The following Electrical Engineering faculty are doing control systems research. Details on their research and their labs can be seen by clicking on their names.

• Juan Balda does research in power systems and motion control.
• Roy McCann specializes in control systems. His research interests include decentralized and embedded control systems, sensor networks, transportation systems and automotive electronics, electric machine controls, and power electronic drives.

Courses for the Control Systems Specialty Area

Recommended Undergraduate Elective Courses
MATH 3083	Linear Algebra
ELEG 4403	Control Systems
ELEG 4463L	Control Systems Lab
ELEG 5653	Artificial Neural Networks

Additional Graduate and Undergraduate Courses
ELEG 5113	Stochastic Digital Signal Processing System Design
ELEG 5153	Real-Time Data Acquisition Systems
ELEG 5413	Stochastic Control Systems
ELEG 5423	Optimal Control Systems
ELEG 5433	Digital Control Systems
ELEG 5443	Nonlinear Analysis and Control
ELEG 5453	Adaptive Filtering and Control
ELEG 5473	Intelligent Transportation Systems

Summary

Analyzing, modifying, and synthesizing signals such as sound, images by using statistical methods or artificial intelligence. It has wide range of applications such as image processing, cancer detection, power grid cybersecurity, audio signal synthesis, etc.

Applications of pattern recognition and artificial intelligence include the following:

1. Reading Print and Handwriting - For sorting mail, reading amounts on checks, reading and processing documents, or interpreting for the blind.
2. Speech Recognition - For vocal control of computers and text entry in computers, especially small portable computers with limited keyboards.
3. Biotechnology - Finding genes and control patterns in DNA, finding similarities in genes and in proteins, and finding genetic patterns of cancers.
4. Robotics - Efficient effective control of robot arms, vision for robots, autonomous or semi-autonomous robots that need little supervision or bipedal humanoid robots that can walk and run safely and efficiently.
5. Aids for the Handicapped - Readers for the blind, guides for the blind, or items that intuitively automate the necessities of life.
6. Autonomous Vehicles - For carrying supplies in military convoys, for space exploration, or for safer highways.
7. Airplane Autopilots - Automatic takeoff and landing, even semi-autonomous pilot-less drones.
8. Better Factory Automation - Machines that can operate with less human supervision, machines with vision and some intelligence that can deal with variability better than current machinery, and real-time machine inspection for product flaws.
9. Anti-Terrorism - Recognizing terrorists, recognizing bombs, and any other weapons.
10. Internet Search Engines - Search engine companies are trying to create search engines that understand to some extent the documents they are cataloging, and respond to natural language queries instead of just looking for keywords.
11. Internet Routers - Internet routers use artificial intelligence for routing messages.
12. Understanding How the Human Brain Works - Studying ways to produce machine intelligence often sheds light on how the human brain works. Many advances in psychology, neurobiology, and artificial intelligence have resulted from applying knowledge from one of these fields to another.

Research in Pattern Recognition and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Arkansas

The following Electrical Engineering faculty are interested in pattern recognition or artificial intelligence:

• Randy Brown has done research for the U.S. Postal Service on machine recognition of addresses for mail sorting. His current interests include machine vision, reinforcement learning, artificial neural networks, and application of insights from neurobiology to pattern recognition and artificial intelligence.
• Magda El-Shenawee has applied simulated evolution methods to the pattern recognition problem of microwave imaging breast tumors.

Courses for the Pattern Recognition and Artificial Intelligence Specialty Areas

Recommended Undergraduate Elective Courses
MATH 3083	Linear Algebra - Take as a Math/Science Elective
CSCE 2143	Data Structures
CSCE 4613	Artificial Intelligence
ELEG 5653	Artificial Neural Networks
ELEG 4403	Control Systems

Additional Graduate and Undergraduate Courses
CSCE 3313	Algorithms
ELEG 5443	Nonlinear Systems Analysis and Control
ELEG 5453	Adaptive Filtering and Control
ELEG 5473	Intelligent Transportation Systems

Summary

The design and production of enclosures for electronic devices ranging from individual semiconductor devices up to complete systems such as a mainframe computer.

The High-Density Electronics Center (HiDEC) at the University of Arkansas is devoted to research in electronic packaging. 

Courses for the Electronic Packaging Specialty Area

Recommended Undergraduate Elective Courses
ELEG 4203	Semiconductor Devices
ELEG 4233	Introduction to Integrated Circuit Design

Additional Graduate and Undergraduate Courses
ELEG 5273	Electronic Packaging
ELEG 6273	Advanced Electronic Packaging
ELEG 5213	Integrated Circuit Fabrication
ELEG 5293L	Integrated Circuit Fabrication Laboratory
ELEG 5253L	Integrated Circuit Design Lab I
ELEG 5263L	Integrated Circuit Design Lab II

Designing and fabricating microscopic electronic and photonic devices on the scale of micrometer or nanometers. It is one of the most in-demand field of electronics because of the ever-increasing demand for inexpensive and lightweight equipment.

Micro-Electronics/Photonics (MicroEP) is a joint program between Electrical Engineering and the Physics Department. As the name suggests, this program emphasizes microelectronics and optical electronics. It also has a fairly strong emphasis on engineering management. MicroEP offers an undergraduate minor, and at the graduate level it offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.

Micro-Electronics/Photonics Undergraduate Minor

The undergraduate minor in microEP primarily targets students in a science or engineering program who are planning to exit the educational process after completion of the B.S. degree and seek employment in semiconductor or nanoscale manufacturing industries. A secondary target would be preparing students for graduate coursework in this area, either in a departmental program or the microEP graduate program.

Typical technology-based careers that would be supported by this minor would include micro/nanofabrication, advanced materials preparation and analysis; device design and fabrication integration; and microsensor design and fabrication. The knowledge areas that the students will be asked to master include micro and nanoscale materials, processing, and devices in a focus area matching the students’ career goals; as well as principles of engineering management in a technological environment. For more information on MicroEP, visit the Micro-Electronics/Photonics web site.

Micro-Electronics/Photonics Graduate Degrees

MS MicroEP students are required to take a course curriculum that includes twenty-one class hours of technical courses, six hours on business aspects of high tech research commercialization, and six hours of research thesis.

PhD microEP students must take a mix of courses covering the following four areas of concentration:

• Photonics
• Microelectronics
• Materials and Processing
• Management of Technology

The student must complete thirty hours of courses beyond the MS degree, and must develop deep level knowledge of one of the areas of concentration through his or her coursework and eighteen hours of dissertation.

The current program divides the student's studies between applied courses in Physics, microelectronic concepts/manufacturing courses in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, and practical materials related classes in Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, and Chemical Engineering. It is expected that at least half of the classroom hours will be taken in 5000 level courses.

Although MicroEP is associated with both the Electrical Engineering Department and the Physics Department, a MicroEP degree is distinct from either an Electrical Engineering or a Physics Degree. Micro-Electronics/Photonics is a separate department from Electrical Engineering and Physics.

Electrical Engineering Faculty who Participate in the MicroEP Program

The following Electrical Engineering faculty are also faculty in the Micro-Electronics/Photonics program

• Juan Balda
• Magda El-Shenawee
• Omar Manasreh
• Alan Mantooth
• Hameed Naseem

More Information on Micro-Electronics/Photonics

For more information on MicroEP, visit the Micro-Electronics/Photonics web site.

Summary

A power system is a network of electrical components used to supply (generate), transmit, and consume electric power. This includes systems with conventional and renewable energy sources, such as solar, water, and wind.

The following are some of the areas included in the power systems specialty:

1. Design of Power Distribution Networks - Electrical engineers in the power area design the power distribution system that connects homes and factories to power plants. Much work is being done currently on decreasing the frequency of blackouts.
2. Design of Power Electronic Interfaces - Power engineers design the circuitry that controls high power semiconductor devices of all kinds. The electronic circuitry in windmills and solar farms used for renewable energy has a large impact on performance, as does the circuitry in electric cars.
3. Design of Motors and Generators - Power engineers design the motors and generators used in homes and in industry. The motors and generators in an electric or hybrid car are a key part of the vehicle.

Research in Power Systems at the University of Arkansas

The following Electrical Engineering faculty are doing research in the electric energy systems area. Details on their research and their labs can be found by clicking on their names.

• Juan Balda does research in motor drives, power electronics, electric power quality, and electric power distribution systems.
• Alan Mantooth is doing research on the application of silicon carbide semiconductors in power distribution networks.
• Roy McCann is doing research on decentralized and embedded control systems, sensor networks, transportation systems and automotive electronics, electric machine controls and power electronic drives.

Courses for the Power Systems Area

Recommended Undergraduate Elective Courses
ELEG 4503	Electric Power Distribution Systems
ELEG 4513	Power System Analysis
ELEG 4323	Switch Mode Power conversion

Additional Graduate and Undergraduate Courses
ELEG 4403	Control Systems
ELEG 4413	Advanced Control Systems
ELEG 4463	Control Systems Lab
ELEG 5313	Power Semiconductor Devices
ELEG 5523	Electric Power Quality
ELEG 5533	Power Electronics and Motor Drives

Summary

Developing devices and systems for radio frequency (RF), microwave, and Terahertz applications, such as antennas, biomedical imaging, radars, space and environment sensing, telecommunications, etc.

Some of these applications include:

1. Radar - Radar is used for tracking aircraft and missiles. Airborne radar is used for mapping the earth and locating natural resources. Whether radar tracks storms and provides storm warnings.
2. Cell Phones and Wireless Internet - Cell phones and wireless internet operate using microwaves. The designers of this equipment must design circuitry that produces, detects, and manipulates microwaves.
3. Antennas - Specialists in electromagnetic fields and waves are the people who design antennas.
4. Medical Imaging - Work is being done on using microwaves to detect breast cancer.

Research on RF and Microwaves at the University of Arkansas

The following Electrical Engineering faculty are doing research on RF and microwaves. Details on their research can be found by clicking on their names and on the Electromagnetics Group link.

• Samir El-Ghazaly does research on High Frequency and high-speed systems; Microwave and RF Circuits; Wireless Communication Systems; Circuits and Devices; Reconfigurable Antennas; Microwave-Optical Interactions; Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Semiconductor Devices and Passive Components; MEMS in RF Circuits; Analysis of Microwave Transmission Lines; Semiconductor Device Simulations; Ultra-Short Pulse Propagation; Electromagnetics; Wave-Device Interactions; and Numerical Techniques Applied to Microwave Integrated Circuits.
• Magda El-Shenawee does research on breast-cancer detection, microwave imaging, buried object detection, rough-surface-scattering, Computational electromagnetics, and RF microwave modeling.

Courses for the RF and Microwaves Specialty Area

Recommended Undergraduate Elective Courses
MATH 3353	Numerical Metthods in Analysis
MATH 3423	Advanced Applied Mathematics
ELEG 4713	Electromagnetic Transmission
ELEG 4723	Introduction to RF and Microwave Design

Additional Graduate and Undergraduate Courses
ELEG 4713	Electromagnetic Transmission
ELEG 4723	Introduction to RF and Microwave Design
ELEG 5713	Antennas and Radiation
ELEG 5723	Advanced Microwave Design
ELEG 5733	Remote Sensing Systems
ELEG 5743	Radar Systems
ELEG 5753	Satellite Communications and Navigation Systems
ELEG 5763	Advanced Electromagnetic Scattering and Transmission

Summary

An integrated circuit (IC) is a small chip consisting of a large number of microscopic semiconductor devices. It is used in almost all modern electronic systems, such as computers, cell phones, appliances, instruments, land/air/space vehicles, etc.

The following two specialties are the main subdivisions within integrated circuit design:

1. Processing - A process engineer studies physics, chemistry, and material science. The process engineer designs the physical and chemical processes that are used to create a semiconductor device or integrated circuit. His work is mostly applied to physics and chemistry. The process engineers are the men and women who are responsible for the transistors and wires on chips becoming smaller every year so that more circuitry can be put on a chip each year. It is their work that drives Moore's Law.
2. Chip Design - A chip designer designs and lays out the circuitry on an integrated circuit chip. The physical and chemical processes used are given to him by process engineers, and he or she designs the circuitry on the chip and does the physical layout. In most cases, the circuitry of a chip containing tens or hundreds of millions of transistors is designed by teams of engineers working together. The circuitry is too complex for any one man or woman to do it all.

Research on Semiconductor Devices and Integrated Circuits at the University of Arkansas

The following Electrical Engineering faculty are doing research on semiconductor devices and integrated circuits at the University of Arkansas. Details on their research and their labs can be seen by clicking on their names.

• Alan Mantooth is doing research on semiconductor device and circuit modeling and on chip design.
• Hameed Naseem is doing research on semiconductor processes.

Courses for the Semiconductor Devices and Integrated Circuits Specialty Areas

Recommended Undergraduate Elective Courses
ELEG 4203	Semiconductor Devices
ELEG 4233	Introduction to Integrated Circuit Design
ELEG 4243	Analog Integrated Circuits

Additional Graduate and Undergraduate Courses
ELEG 4223	Design and Fabrication of Solar Cells
ELEG 5213	Integrated Circuit Fabrication Technology
ELEG 5233	Solid-State Electronics
ELEG 5253L	Integrated Circuit Design Laboratory I
ELEG 5263L	Integrated Circuit Design Laboratory II
ELEG 5293L	Integrated Circuits Fabrication Laboratory
ELEG 5313	Power Semiconductor Devices
ELEG 5323	Semiconductor Nanostructures I
ELEG 5333	Semiconductor Nanostructures II
ELEG 6213	Semiconductor Surfaces
ELEG 6233	Solid State Electronics II