Nation’s First Wireless Degree at 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 be part of the wireless revolution.
The new degree program is part of a larger initiative – called the Information Technology Peak of Excellence - centered in the college of engineering. This effort is designed to capitalize and expand on existing strengths with the goal of moving Auburn engineering into a leadership position across all phases of information technology - from the gathering of information to the communication of that information to analysis and decision making and finally to response. 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 Ginn College of Engineering. “We worked closely with the wireless industry to ensure that the program addressed the full spectrum of industry needs,” explains Benefield. “Our hope is that we’ve created a degree that will be exciting and challenging for 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 (ECE) and Computer Science and Software Engineering (SWE) – and offers three areas of specialization: hardware, software and network.
The new program 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 in the senior year, students will be able to select areas of wireless specialization and will be exposed to cutting-edge research.
Founded in 1974, the Alabama Microelectronics Science and Technology Center (AMSTC) focuses on device technology. Emphasis at the NSF Center for Advanced Vehicle Electronics is on electronics manufacturing. The Center for Innovations in Mobile, Pervasive, and Agile Computing (IMPACT) specializes in software.
Simaan To Head Wireless Center
The newest center – the Wireless Engineering Research and Education Center (WEREC) - founded in 2001 will concentrate in the area of applications and systems. This center will be headed by National Academy of Engineering member Dr. Marwan Simaan who, this summer, will join the Auburn faculty as the Samuel Ginn Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Simaan is currently the Bell of PA/Bell Atlantic Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and served as chair of the department from 1991 to 1998.
A True Team Effort
According to Benefield, the college’s IT effort has been made possible by a 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 program as well as the efforts of the college’s Wireless Engineering Advisory Council, made up of industry representatives, were also key to advancing the program.
