KlipschSpeaker

Spring 1998 Alumni News

Vol. 2, No. 2 news-q982

Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

New Mexico State University

his is the second issue of our second year

of the KlipschSpeaker. This issue

describes the legacy of Prof Brown and

Klipsch School development, discusses

new trends in control systems education and

research, and provides a discussion of "outcomes

assessment" in the graduate program.

THE LEGACY OF PROF BROWN

Harold A. "Prof" Brown died on January 2, 1998 at

the age of 90. More experienced alumni remember

him as a professor in the Electrical Engineering

Department. Newer alumni remember him as the

"Brown" in Thomas and Brown Hall. Prof Brown

received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical

Engineering in 1931 and a Master of Science in

Electrical Engineering in 1932 from Oklahoma A&M

College. He joined the staff at New Mexico A&M

College (NMSU) in 1937 and served as department

head from 1955 to 1968. One of his major

contributions to NMSU was the design of the

electrical and computer engineering building,

completed in 1971 and named for Dean Thomas and

Prof Brown, who both retired at the same time.

Prof Brown's legacy is not only through his electrical

engineering teaching and administration, but also

through financial support for students. In 1964, Prof

owned several acres of land along Espina Street

which the University wanted for married student

housing. He traded the land to NMSU in return for

one resident tuition scholarship to be given each

semester to a deserving junior or senior engineering

student. The Robert Livingston Brown Scholarship, in

honor of Prof Brown's father, started in the fall

semester of 1964 and will end with the fall 1998

semester thirty-four years of student support.

Prof Brown's will bequests his entire estate for the

endowment of the PROFESSOR HAROLD BROWN

SCHOLARSHIP IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING.

Preference is to be given to financially needy

undergraduates who are U.S. citizens with a GPA of

2.8 or above. Settlement of his estate is expected to

provide an endowment in the range of $750,000,

resulting in about $40,000 per year for scholarship

support of Klipsch School students. Harold Brown's

legacy will exist in perpetuity.

KLIPSCH SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT

You alumni are wonderful. You've listened to

our pleas for gift and endowment support to

enable the Klipsch School to continue to strive

for excellence and have responded generously.

Alumni giving is up and we have started the

endowments for the KLIPSCH SCHOOL

ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT and the

KLIPSCH SCHOOL COMMUNICATIONS AND

SIGNAL PROCESSING CHAIR. On behalf of

the Klipsch School students and faculty, we

sincerely thank you for your support. The

administrative system always seems to have

large delays from the time you send your gift to

the Foundation until we receive notification.

Please do not feel slighted or unappreciated. Dr.

Jordan will personally thank you for your support.

KLIPSCH SCHOOL ENROLLMENT

As mentioned in the Winter 1988 Alumni News,

the Klipsch School enrollment is about 417

under-graduates and we are now experiencing

increased enrollment in our junior level classes.

We are now seeing a surge in freshman and

transfer enrollment. Compared with one year

ago the College of Engineering freshman

applications are up 35%, freshman admissions

are up 33.6%, transfer applications are up 25%,

and transfer admissions are up 14%. The

Klipsch School's numbers always run higher

than the college's in all of these categories.

In 1986, the nationwide electrical engineering

enrollment was about 122,000. In 1996, it was

about 58,000. Even though enrollment is

starting to climb, the demand will far outpace the

supply for many years. Electrical and computer

engineering students presently enrolled and

students considering college careers in electrical

and computer engineering will receive numerous

outstanding job offers upon graduation for many

years to come.

OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT FOR

THE GRADUATE PROGRAM

As we mentioned in the last issue of the

KlipschSpeaker, the North Central Accreditation

Commission on Institutions of Higher Education

(NCA) will be on the NMSU campus during April

6 - 8, for its decennial evaluation of

undergraduate and graduate programs and

"outcomes assessment" is a major part of the

evaluation. We discussed the undergraduate

program in the last issue. Here, we discuss the

graduate program. As with the undergraduate

program, our MS and PhD graduates should

possess the following attributes:

1) The ability for critical thinking.

2) A thorough grounding in fundamental analytical

problem solving.

3) A love of lifelong learning.

4) Superior communication ability.

5) Self-confidence to solve unknown problems.

During the past year, Jay Jordan has developed

the outcomes assessment for the Klipsch School

graduate program. The following is an excerpt

from the graduate portion of the Klipsch School

Outcomes Assessment of Student Academic

Achievement.

Klipsch School Goal. The goal of the Klipsch

School is the national recognition of a quality

graduate program that provides an excellent

education at the masters and doctoral levels that

enables students to be productive leaders in

technology and society. Through a balanced

program of basic and applied research, the

Klipsch School advanced degree graduate is

provided with in-depth technical expertise

coupled with training in teaming and leading

engineering research and development.

Master's Degree

Outcomes. The Master of Science in Electrical

Engineering is a research degree that prepares

a student for doctoral studies and a leadership

role in industry. Students are strongly

encouraged to undertake a master's thesis or

master's technical report as part of their MSEE

program. A master's thesis or technical report

provides a research environment that allows the

student to demonstrate the ability to read,

understand, and creatively apply experimental

and/or analytical concepts. The master's thesis

is usually a complete document; whereas, a

master's technical report may be more narrow in

scope and present one part of a larger research

project.

Student Learning Assessment Standard and

Its Measurement(s). 1) The candidate is

required to undergo an oral examination at the

end of the master's program and is examined by

several Klipsch School faculty, one or more out-

of-department professors, and an out-of-

department professor representing the dean of

the graduate school. The successful completion

rate will meet or exceed national averages. 2)

The student is encouraged to seek publication of

his work described in his master's thesis or

technical report. Fifty percent of Klipsch School

thesis or technical report students will publish

their results in either conference proceedings or

peer reviewed journals.

Program Assessment Standard and Its

Measurement(s). 1) North Central Accreditation

Commission on Institutions of Higher Education

(NCA) review and accreditation of program. 2)

Annual review by the Electrical and Computer

Engineering Academy Industrial Advisory Group

(ECEA/IAG).

Doctoral Degree

Outcomes. The PhD in Electrical Engineering is

a research degree that prepares a student for a

leadership role in academia and industrial

research and development. A doctoral

dissertation is required. The dissertation topic

provides a research vehicle for either

experimental and/or analytical investigation that

has sufficient depth to allow the investigator to

demonstrate independent and original work. A

distinguishing feature of the doctoral research is

the recognition of the state-of-the-art as well as

research style in the research field. The doctoral

research must establish a perspective on how the

results fit into the existing body of knowledge.

The doctoral dissertation also provides evidence

of independent research leading to some original

results, conclusions, or applications. The

dissertation must show through references to

published articles that the results and conclusions

are original. Original results or conclusions

represent the extension of knowledge or new

methods for applying known theories.

Even though students may and generally do

receive considerable help in selecting the

direction of dissertation research, each student

must demonstrate the ability to perform and

communicate independent research, leading to

new results or a significant extension of the body

of knowledge. On completion of the dissertation,

the student is expected to be capable of

formulating, conducting, and directing research

and development programs in industry, federal

laboratories, and academia.

Student Learning Assessment Standard and

Its Measurement(s). 1) Before being admitted to

the PhD program, the candidate must pass a

standardized qualifier exam administered by the

Klipsch School. This exam establishes the

candidate's broad skill level and knowledge in

electrical and computer engineering. Of the

students attempting the examination, 80% will be

successful. 2) Near the end of the student's

course work, the candidate is required to

undergo a comprehensive written and oral exam

which measures the candidate's mastery of

specific knowledge and facility in the chosen

research area. Ninety-five percent of the

students taking the comprehensive exam will be

successful. For the oral portion of the

examination, the candidate is examined by

Klipsch School faculty, one or more out-of-

department faculty, and an out-of-department

professor representing the dean of the graduate

school. 3) Finally, the candidate is required to

undergo a final oral examination which is a

defense of the dissertation research. At the final

examination, the candidate is examined by

Klipsch School faculty, one or more out-of-

department faculty, and out-of-department

professor representing the dean of the graduate

school, and, if appropriate, one or more PhD

experts in the field of research from industry or

federal laboratories. 4) The dissertation

research is expected to result in one or more

published papers in peer reviewed journals.

Seventy-five percent of the students will be

successful in publishing papers in peer reviewed

journals.

Program Assessment Standard and Its

Measurement(s). 1) NCA review and

accreditation of program. 2) Annual review by

the ECEA/IAG.

NEW TRENDS IN CONTROL SYSTEMS

EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

What do you remember about your control

systems courses in the Klipsch School? Laplace

transforms, z-transforms, state-space, transfer

functions? Root-locus, Bode plots, gain and

phase margin, right-half plane, left-half plane,

damping, stability, observability, controllability?

Wiener filters, Kalman filters, nonlinear control,

optimal control? How much design experience

did you have? Did you have, and use software

tools? Have you any experience with expert

systems, knowledge-based systems, and fuzzy

systems? Things are changing rapidly in control

system education and research. Klipsch School

Assistant Professor Robert Paz and Associate

Professor Ram Prasad are at the forefront.

Present and future ABET accreditation standards

require significant design experiences. Moreover,

these requirements emphasize the need for

significant use of computers and embedded

microcontrollers in controlling complex systems.

This is a formidable task for many educators in

the area of control systems. While the field itself

provides a rich array of potential design projects,

a manageable approach for such projects has not

previously been available in the literature. The

textbook, Computer Controlled Systems, by

Robert Paz, was written with these objectives in

mind. The writing of this textbook has been a

significant project for Bob, requiring four years of

solid effort to complete. Many of the reviews

have been positive, as the niche for this type of

textbook is becoming more pronounced. This

text was accepted by John Wiley & Sons Inc.,

and is currently in the pre-printing stage. A

significant design aspect is reflected in the text.

The design techniques naturally lend themselves

to the computer and embedded microcontoller

control of complex systems. This textbook

contains many design techniques ranging from

state-of-the-art techniques to classical methods.

In addition, it includes practical design examples

and "unsolved" design problems on which

students may test their knowledge. Many design

algorithms are presented for computational

solutions to design problems. These algorithms

are made available to the students in the

CTOOLS computer aided design software.

The CTOOLS graphical user interface (GUI) has

also been introduced into the control design

curriculum. This is an entire toolkit of functions,

GUI, design tools, and simulation tools used

within the MATLAB operating environment. This

toolkit allows the student in control systems to

design and test a great variety of control designs

in a simple, straight-forward way. The software

allows a controller to be designed using a

technique selected by the student. The package

then performs a simulation on the hybrid system.

Parameters for the controllers may be "tweaked"

by pushing a button or repositioning a slider, and

the new design simulated for evaluation. Factors

affecting the performance of the system may

also be varied such as noises, tracking signals,

sampling period, initial conditions, etc. The user

is thus provided general-purpose, "high-tech"

tools for designing and testing controller designs.

Such tools have not previously been available.

Their usefulness, however, is illustrated in the

fact that they are beginning to appear in the

marketplace.

CTOOLS is useful for the student who is learning

control design as well as the experienced

designer who wishes to quickly design and test

a control for a particular system. This introduces

a new paradigm in the control design process

and is actually an accompaniment to Professor

Paz' text Computer Controlled Systems. The

usefulness of the software is not just of

pedagogical value, but has also been found to

be of industrial value.

Did you know the future control system research

and education is "soft?" In February, Nadipuram

(Ram) R. Prasad of the Klipsch Scool and

Professor Hung T. Nguyen of the Department of

Mathematical Sciences submitted a pre-proposal

to the National Science Foundation for the

establishment of The Rio Grande Center for Soft

Computing (RIGSOFT). The mission of

RIGSOFT is to conduct research, develop a

strong educational curriculum, and promote

knowledge transfer among faculty, students,

government, and industry in the new technology

for reasoning under uncertainty, namely, "Soft

Computing." The principal constituents of soft

computing are fuzzy logic, artificial neural

networks , genetic algorithms, and evolutionary

computing. Collectively, the constituents of soft

computing are viewed as complementary rather

than competitive. These techniques aim at

providing some form of "machine intelligence"

that can mimic human expertise in decision

making. The primary motivation for using soft

computing is to exploit the tolerance for

imprecision, uncertainty, and partial truth, and as

a consequence achieve a high degree of

tractability and robustness, and provide low cost

solutions for complex problems. Soft computing

has applications in such important fields as data

fusion, image processing, control systems,

energy systems, and many other areas of

engineering, biological, and physical sciences.

RIGSOFT will foster a rich environment for both

fundamental and applied research in soft

computing. The research team will consist of

faculty, students, and researchers from NMSU,

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and

the New Mexico Institute of Mining and

Technology (NMIMT). In addition, researchers

from government, namely, Los Alamos National

Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, US Army

White Sands Missile Range, and several industry

partners will collaborate in new and on-going

research projects.

A strong academic curriculum will be developed

to streamline education in soft computing

technology. RIGSOFT will provide a hands-on

environment for students to develop strong

laboratory skills. The educational program will

span undergraduate through PhD level students

and postdoctoral fellows. An active program of

seminars and workshops will be developed. This

will be achieved through visiting scholars from

other institutions as well as faculty from

RIGSOFT. Results of these activities will be

integrated into existing programs for distance

learning and will be used to enhance the

educational training of pre-college students.

Knowledge transfer will be achieved by

interaction with researchers from various

affiliated educational and industrial institutions,

and national laboratories. Dissemination of

knowledge through publications in peer-

reviewed journals and participation in domestic

and international symposiums will be a

requirement for RIGSOFT faculty as well as part

of the students' academic activities to ensure the

highest quality of education and research.

RIGSOFT will host international symposiums to

attract researchers from all over the world as

part of the knowledge transfer objectives.

FACULTY/ STAFF HIGHLIGHTS

In February, Pat Hynes, Associate Director of the

Klipsch School's New Mexico Space Grant

Consortium completed her requirements for the

PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies. Her research

integrated management techniques in the field of

organizational behavior to analyze stress

associated with role ambiguity and role conflict

experienced by engineering professors at

NMSU, UNM, and New Mexico Tech. Among

other things, her research showed that

engineering professors have created their own

skills for coping with role ambiguity and role

conflict stress. Also, mentoring is important

when a professor is first on the job and when the

job description changes.

Bill Smith recently joined the Klipsch School as

our Computer and Networking Engineer. Bill

brings extensive network management

experience to the job. He is also currently

completing an undergraduate degree in

management.

KLIPSCH SCHOOL NOTES

We now have the KlipschSpeaker on our web

site. Locate http://www.ece.nmsu.edu/alumni/

alumni. html, select KlipschSpeaker and bring up

the issue you want.

Part of the process of starting the quarterly

KlipschSpeaker is the development of an

accurate, up-to-date alumni database. We get

our mailing labels from the NMSU Alumni

Association, but we know there are Klipsch

School alumni who are not members of the

NMSU Alumni Association. We want to put these

alumni in a Klipsch School database, but we don't

know how to find them. Please send us

addresses of alumni not receiving the

KlipschSpeaker.

We can also provide the KlipschSpeaker as an

attachment to an E-mail message for those

alumni who prefer electronic service. This may

be especially attractive to foreign alumni. If you

want E-mail delivery, send your name and email

address to jtaylor@nmsu.edu. Indicate any

special requirements. Since this may take

several attempts to get it right, we'll keep mailing

the KlipschSpeaker in the conventional way until

you tell us that the E-mail method is successful.

If you haven't already, please check the Klipsch

School's web page at http://www.ece.nmsu.edu.

Our web page tells about the Klipsch School

students, faculty, programs, and research. Look

us up. The NMSU web page address is

http://www.nmsu.edu. You can get to our web

page from NMSU's or directly at the address

above. The University has a calendar of events

web page at http://www.nmsu.

edu/general/calendar. If you want to get in touch

with us, obtain additional information, or tell us

something about you or other alumni, contact the

Klipsch School Head, Dr. Jay Jordan at 505-646-

3115 or E-mail to jjordan@nmsu. edu, or Dr.

Javin Taylor, Associate Head and

KlipschSpeaker editor at 505-646-1239 or E-mail

to jtaylor@ nmsu.edu. Or use the Klipsch School

fax number, 505-646-1435.

KlipschSpeaker

Spring 1998 Alumni News

Vol. 2, No. 2 news-q982

Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

New Mexico State University

Las Cruces, NM 88003