Letter from the Chair
Welcome to the Western Michigan University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. It is difficult to think of a professional field that has had a greater impact on our modern technological society than electrical and computer engineering. Every facet of modern life depends on solutions provided by electrical and computer engineers. Indeed, electrical and computer engineering either directly or indirectly contributed to the greatest engineering achievements of the twentieth century as tabulated by the National Academy of Engineering (http://www.greatachievements.org/). Life without electrical and computer engineering is a life without refrigeration, agricultural mechanization, telephones, air conditioning, automobiles, aircraft, radio, television, computers, satellites, health technologies, nuclear technologies, and the internet. We are proud to contribute to this heritage by offering our students an outstanding learning experience at all levels of study.
We have developed excellent undergraduate (Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering) and graduate programs (Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Master of Science in Computer Engineering) in the exciting field of electrical and computer engineering. We have also recently introduced a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Our programs feature dedicated and accessible faculty, small class sizes, and a strong emphasis on hands-on learning.
Our ABET accredited undergraduate programs are centered on extensive laboratory work. All of our graduates must complete a two semester long senior design capstone experience. Most of these projects are supported by industry, including Stryker Interventional Pain, Texas Instruments, and Whirlpool Corporation. We have active student chapters of national organizations within our department and college, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., the electrical engineering honor society Eta Kappa Nu, and the national engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi. Our students have gone on to exciting academic and professional careers in business, engineering, medicine, and law.
Our graduate programs draw on the extensive and varied backgrounds of our faculty that includes conducting research and providing consulting services in areas as diverse as medical imaging, power systems, nonlinear circuits and systems, simulation and modeling, advanced sensors, radio frequency identification techniques, intelligent systems, and engineering education. Faculty research has been funded by agencies including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Defense. This research provides unique opportunities for our undergraduates and graduates to put theory into practice.
Western Michigan University was recently recognized as being one of the top 100 public universities by U.S. News & World Report and as one of the Best Midwestern Colleges by the Princeton Review. Kalamazoo is a vibrant community that has been recently in the news for providing its public high school graduates with college tuition for public universities within Michigan. We are a short trip from Detroit and Chicago.
Please plan on visiting us in our beautiful new engineering facilities within the Business and Technology Research Park. We hope to hear from you soon.
John Gesink
Professor and Chair
