History
In 1867 what was to become the University of Illinois was established as the Illinois Industrial University. The Polytechnic Department, later the College of Engineering, was one of the University's first six departments. The Department of Physics was established in 1889, and in 1891, the first courses in electrical engineering were offered in the first electrical laboratory. The first degrees in electrical engineering were awarded in 1893 and the Department of Electrical Engineering became the fifth department in the College of Engineering in 1898.
Milestone Achievements
Wah to head Illinois research collaboration in Singapore
- News
- October 22, 2008
Holonyak historical marker unveiled
- News
- November 14, 2007
- News
- May 23, 2008
Additional Archival Materials
Here you can find more detailed information on some of the individuals and innovations that have been part of the fabric of Illinois ECE.
- ECE Department Heads: Now and Then
- The Centennial History of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- A brief Biography of William L. Everitt, namesake of Everitt Lab
- ECE Hall of Fame
- Commentary on the Wullenweber Direction Finder
- Professor Emeritus George Swenson's Reminiscence
- Heinz von Foerster and the Biological Computer Laboratory
- Historical commentary on the land where Everitt sits
- Archive of "Antennas on the Web"
- Joseph Tykociner and the "Talking Film"
Interactive Historical Timeline
New PostChicago Innovation Exchange announces partnership with Engineering at Illinois
The University of Chicago’s new Chicago Innovation Exchange (CIE) announces its partnership with Illinois' College of Engineering.
The CIE, in collaboration with the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, unites Chicago Booth students and entrepreneurship with top-tier engineering talent and encourages the development and retention of start-ups in Illinois, both in Chicago and Urbana-Champaign.
Read more 2014ECE ILLINOIS opens new Electrical and Computer Engineering Building
After decades of discussion and planning, and three years of construction ECE ILLINOIS opens the doors of the new Electrical and Computer Engineering Building on the north side of the Illinois campus. The building is open for classes in August, and state and university officials dedicate it in October. The building is a new home for the department, which was located for more than six decades in Everitt Laboratory.
Read more 2014Popescu 3-D images live cells
Associate Professor Gabriel Popescu uses white-light diffraction tomography to capture 3-D images of cells with no dyes. This means the cells remain alive, allowing researchers to study them in three dimensions over time. As a result, researchers can observe how cells respond to specific drugs or treatments.
Read more 2014Feng demonstrates fastest U.S. error-free data transmission over fiber optic networks
Professor Milton Feng demonstrates fastest U.S. error-free data transmission over fiber optic networks, using laser devices called oxide VCSELs. They can carry data faster and in greater quantities than traditional electrical cables.
Read more 2013Liu's MoboSens group disrupts clean-water testing
Assistant Professor Gang Logan Liu and his research team develop MoboSens, a low-cost, smartphone-based sensor that allows users to test water quality. The nanotechnology-enabled platform encourages everyone to become “citizen scientists,” using the smartphone-compatible sensor to collect, post, and share data regarding stream water quality and drinking water safety on social media platforms, adding to the collective knowledge of an area’s water quality.
Read more 2013Cangellaris named dean of Engineering at Illinois, Sanders becomes ECE department head
ECE Department Head Andreas C. Cangellaris is chosen to be the next dean of the College of Engineering. Professor William H. Sanders is appointed to serve as interim department head of ECE ILLINOIS, a title that becomes permanent in 2014.
Read more 2013$30 million from STARnet establishes SONIC Center
The Semiconductor Technology Advanced Research network, or STARnet, provides Illinois $30 million in funding to create the Systems On Nanoscale Information fabriCs (SONIC) Center. Professor Naresh Shanbhag leads the center.
Funded by the Department of Defense and U.S. semiconductor and supplier companies as a public-private partnership, STARnet projects help maintain U.S. leadership in semiconductor technology vital to U.S. prosperity, security, and intelligence.
Read more 2013ECE ILLINOIS honors Holonyak with LED 50th Anniversary Symposium
ECE ILLINOIS hosts a two-day LED 50th Anniversary Symposium to commemorate the demonstration of the first visible light-emitting diode (LED) in 1962 by its inventor, ECE alumnus and Professor Nick Holonyak, Jr (BSEE ’50, MSEE ’51, PhD ’54).
The symposium includes more than 45 talks covering the history of the LED, as well as the future outlook for the device.
Read more 2012Bashir invents non-electronic biological machines
Professor Rashid Bashir and his research group demonstrate walking bio-bots, or non-electronic machines that harness the power of cells. The bots are made with only hydrogel, heart cells, and a 3-D printer. Bashir goes on to become the head of the Department of Bioengineering at Illinois in 2013.
Read more 2012Adesida named provost
ECE Professor and College of Engineering Dean Ilesanmi Adesida is named vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost of the Urbana campus. Adesida assumes the post held by Richard Wheeler on an interim basis since January 2010.
Read more 2012Illinois creates Parallel Computing Institute
The University of Illinois’s Coordinated Science Laboratory launches a new interdisciplinary institute that will provide the resources to enable breakthroughs in parallel computing. The new Parallel Computing Institute supports major computational challenges in science, engineering, health, and business, as well as other areas.
Read more 2012ECE breaks ground on new building
ECE ILLINOIS, with state and university officials, breaks ground on new Electrical and Computer Engineering Building on the north end of campus. The building is located on the same Quad as the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, the Coordinated Science Laboratory, and the Micro and Nanotechnology Lab, where many ECE faculty members and graduate students have offices and labs.
Read more 2011Nicol leads Information Trust Institute
Professor David M. Nicol is named director of the Information Trust Institute after participating in the institute's research since its founding in 2004.
Read more 2011Alumnus Day becomes IEEE's president-elect
ECE ILLINOIS alumnus Gordon Day (BSEE '66, MSEE '67, PhD '70) is named the 2011 president-elect of the IEEE, the largest professional technical society in the world. He went on to serve as IEEE president in 2012. Day previously served as president of the IEEE-USA national chapter, and president of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society.
Read more 2011Sanders becomes director of Coordinated Science Lab
Professor William H. Sanders becomes director of the Coordinated Science Laboratory (CSL), an interdisciplinary research facility that focuses on advancements in information technology, computing, control and communications.
Sanders, an expert in secure and dependable computing and security and dependability metrics and evaluation, has been acting director since 2008.
Read more 2010Holonyak, Feng's research leads to rewriting Kirchhoff's current law
Research using the transistor laser has led Professors Nick Holonyak Jr. and Milton Feng to rewrite Kirchhoff’s current law. The unique properties of the transistor laser required Holonyak, Feng and graduate student Han Wui reexamine and modify the law to account for photon particles as well as electrons, effectively expanding it from a current law to a current-energy law.
Read more 2010Illinois Board of Trustees approves ECE Building design
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees approves the design of the new ECE building, paving the way for its goal of being the first net-zero energy building of its kind.
Read more 2010U.S. Department of Energy grant establishes Trustworthy Cyber Infrastructure for the Power Grid
A $18.8 million U.S. Department of Energy grant allows Illinois to create an ambitious new research program called the Trustworthy Cyber Infrastructure for the Power Grid. Professor William H. Sanders serves as its director, and the program's goal is to support the ongoing development of a resilient, secure Smart Grid in the United States.
Read more 2009Illinois approves funding for ECE Building
Gov. Pat Quinn signs into law a collection of bills dubbed the “Illinois Jobs Now!” plan, which include funding to support the construction of a new Electrical and Computer Engineering Building. The state went on to pay for half of the $95 million project, with private donors and corporations supporting the other half.
Read more 2009Eden develops plasma transistor
Professor Gary Eden integrates a solid-state electron emitter and a microcavity plasma device to create a plasma transistor that can be used to make lighter, less expensive, and higher resolution flat-panel displays.
Read more 2009ADSC established in Singapore
The University establishes the Advanced Digital Sciences Center (ADSC) in Singapore. Ben Wah is selected as its first director.
Read more 2008Updated MNTL Lab dedicated
The updated Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory is dedicated. The $18 million project added lab, research, classroom, and meeting space.
Read more 2008SmithGroup signed to design new ECE Building
The University of Illinois signs an agreement with SmithGroupJJR to design the new Electrical and Computer Engineering Building. The new building will be built adjacent to the Beckman Institute at the north end of campus.
Read more January 2008Holonyak inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame
Nick Holonyak Jr. is chosen for his invention of the first practical light emitting diode and his work on transistor and laser electronics in his career of more than 55 years.
Read more January 2008Eden develops microcavity plasma lamps
Professor Gary Eden and his colleague, Sung-Jin Park, develop panels of microcavity plasma lamps that may prove to be useful for residential and commercial lighting and some biomedical applications, and that may surpass the efficiency of florescent lighting.
Read more 2007NSF announces Blue Waters
The National Science Foundation names Illinois as the location for the new petascale supercomputing system, known as Blue Waters. Blue Waters is scheduled for completion in 2011.
Read more 2007Illinois Wireless Wind Tunnel unveiled
The Illinois Wireless Wind Tunnel, located in the Electromagnetics Laboratory on the fourth floor of Everitt Lab, is unveiled. The tunnel will facilitate repeatable, scientific measurement of wireless communication systems.
Read more 2007CubeSat lost during launch
The University’s contribution to the CubeSat program, the Illinois Observing Nanosatellite (ION) is one of the 18 satellites affected when a Russian Dnepr rocket carrying the satellites into space fails on its launch attempt. The CubeSat program was created to facilitate launching opportunities for universities and as a learning opportunity for undergraduates.
Read more 2006Boppart works to cure cancer
Professor Stephen Boppart works to develop optical coherence tomography to detect, diagnose, and treat breast cancer. The technique would help to guide needle biopsies and identify tumor margins during surgery.
Read more 2006Trusted ILLIAC launched
The University launches the Trusted ILLIAC cluster. Trusted ILLIAC, designed and built by researchers at the Coordinated Science Laboratory and the Information Trust Institute, is set to include a 500-processor programmable hardware/software cluster. The goal of the project is to make high performance, large-scale computing trustworthy and secure.
Read more 2006MNTL begins renovation
The Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory begins a major renovation that will add nearly 50,000 square feet of space to the building and add room for offices for 25 faculty and about 200 students.
Read more 2005Holonyak and Feng advance research in lasers
ECE Professors Nick Holonyak Jr. and Milton Feng demonstrate the room-temperature operation of a heterojunction bipolar transistor laser, moving the device an important step closer to practical applications.
Read more 2005Overbye organizes SuperGrid workshop
The idea of a SuperGrid, or a high-capacity superconducting energy pipeline moves closer to reality after experts from industry, academia, and government attend a workshop on campus. Organized by Thomas Overbye, the workshop’s goal was to create a plan for what needs to be done to move the SuperGrid forward.
Read more 2004ITI established
The Information Trust Institute (ITI) is established, and Professor William H. Sanders is appointed its first director. ITI will bring together areas of Illinois engineering such as information protection, validation technologies, and security policy analysis, and it will also incorporate expertise from across campus in areas such as finance, economics, geography, and agriculture.
Read more 2004Holonyak and Feng develop LET
ECE Professors Nick Holonyak Jr. and Milton Feng develop a light-emitting transistor that could revolutionize the electronics industry. This transistor could make ultra-fast optoelectronics possible.
Read more 2004Department of Bioengineering approved
The new Department of Bioengineering is approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Bruce Wheeler serves as interim department head, and the department begins accepting students in fall 2004.
Read more 2003Engineering at Illinois hosts "Cyber Security: A Dialogue on Policy and Technology"
The College of Engineering hosts “Cyber Security: A Dialogue on Policy and Technology” at the Tech Museum in San Jose, California. The forum opens discussion between government, industry, and academia on the topic.
Read more 2003Holonyak receives Global Energy Prize
Professor Nick Holonyak Jr. receives the first Global Energy prize from Russian President Vladimir Putin for research in the area of energy and power engineering. In addition, he (along with two of his former students) receives the National Medal of Technology from President George W. Bush at a White House ceremony in recognition of their work in the development of light-emitting diode technology.
Read more 2003Lauterbur wins Nobel Prize
Paul C. Lauterbur, an affiliate member of ECE ILLINOIS, is awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Sir Peter Mansfield of the University of Nottingham in England for their discoveries in magnetic resonance imaging.
Read more 2003Plasma display inventors win Emmy
Three ECE alumni receive Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Donald Bitzer (BSEE ’55, MSEE ’56, PhD ’60), Gene Slottow (PhD ’64), and Robert Willson (PhD ’66) received the award for inventing the flat-panel plasma display, the forerunner of high-definition flat-panel television monitors.
Read more 2002Tucker's work affects ALMA radio telescope
John Tucker has a major impact on the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope. ALMA will be the largest and most powerful telescope of its kind and could not exist without Tucker’s theoretical work that incorporated quantum effects into the existing microwave theory in 1978.
Read more 2002Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology established
The Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology is established to integrate research about atoms and materials with research about devices and systems.
Read more 2001Blahut becomes department head
Richard Blahut becomes the head of ECE, succeeding Sung-Mo “Steve” Kang.
Read more 2001Kilby wins Nobel Prize
ECE alumnus Jack Kilby (BSEE ’47) receives the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the invention of the integrated circuit.
Read more 2000HP donates IC testing equipment
Hewlett-Packard Corporation donates a $500,000 integrated circuit (IC) tester, allowing students to have access to state-of-the-art facilities for design, fabrication, and testing of very large integration circuits. The company also donates a plasma etching reactor, valued at more than $2 million, for physical electronics research.
Read more 2000Faculty members research comets
Five ECE researchers are among the 19 scientists observing the biggest meteor storm of the century 25,000 feet above Okinawa, Japan. Flying in the National Science Foundation's Electra research aircraft, Professors Chet Gardner, George Papen, and Gary Swenson — along with post-doc Xinzhao Chu and graduate student Weilin Pan— conduct two experiments to learn more about what comets are made of and how they interact with the Earth's atmosphere.
Read more 1998IMPACT plays role in developing EPIC compiler
The Illinois IMPACT (Illinois Microarchitecture Project using Advanced Compiler Technology) research group, led by Professor Wen-mei Hwu, plays a key role in developing the Trimaran Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC) compiler, released to the academic community in August 1998. Trimaran supports state-of-the-art research in compiling for instruction-level parallel architectures.
Read more 1998Cyberfest celebrates HAL
Cyberfest '97 hails the arrival of HAL, the intelligent, smooth-talking computer who in the 1968 novel and film "2001: A Space Odyssey" was said to originate in Urbana in 1997.
Read more 1997DARPA funds HBT research
DARPA awards Professors Milton Feng and Greg Stillman $1 million to continue developing a new materials and processing technology for high-speed heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) devices. Their technology will ultimately be implemented in analog-to-digital converters for DARPA's digital radar receiver program, and it could someday lead to better performing and more reliable cellular phones and automobile collision avoidance systems.
Read more 1997Center for Computational Electromagnetics sets world record
Weng Cho Chew, Jiming Song, and Caicheng Lu of the Center for Computational Electromagnetics set a world record by calculating the radar cross section of an aircraft — a measure of how visible the aircraft is to radar — at a microwave frequency of 2 GHz.
Read more 1997DARPA grant supports cooling material research
In October, Illinois researchers, including Professor David Beebe, receive a $4 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop an innovative and unobtrusive way of keeping military personnel cool in hot environments. The three-year grant enables researchers to develop a cooling material that will be made from a distributed system of light-weight, ultra-efficient mesoscopic coolers.
Read more 1997Motorola, Engineering at Illinois establish Motorola Center for Communications
On October 3, Motorola and the College of Engineering announce the establishment of a new research center that will investigate technologies relevant to the telecommunications industry. The Motorola Center for Communications will fund projects at Illinois in areas such as electromagnetics, antenna systems, Internet information traffic, communication theory, and spread-spectrum systems.
Read more 1997Faculty members found PowerWorld
Professors George Gross, Tom Overbye, and Pete Sauer and alumnus Mark Laufenberg (BSEE '92, MSEE '93, PhD '97) found PowerWorld, Inc., which produces the PowerWorld Simulator software program. This Windows-based program simulates the operation of a multiregion power system over a specified period of time, usually from several hours to several days.
Read more 1996Lyding, Hess discover silicon microchip process
Professors Joseph Lyding and Karl Hess announce their discovery of a new processing technique that dramatically strengthens and prolongs the life of silicon microchips.
Read more 1996Sloan Center for Asynchronous Learning Environments founded
The University of Illinois receives a $2.1 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to establish a center expected to profoundly affect how students are taught. The Sloan Center for Asynchronous Learning Environments will focus on how faculty can use computers and electronic communication to supplement traditional classroom instruction. Professor Timothy Trick will serve as director of the Sloan Center, and Professor Burks Oakley II will serve as associate director.
Read more 1995Holonyak wins Japan Prize
Professor Nick Holonyak Jr. receives the prestigious Japan Prize in the field of materials processing technologies.
Read more 1995Center for Computational Electromagnetics established
The Department of Defense awards Illinois $6.25 million to establish the Center for Computational Electromagnetics, directed by Professor Weng Cho Chew, to develop a new knowledge base to help scientists solve electromagnetic problems of unprecedented size and complexity.
Read more 1995Grainger Engineering Library opens
Grainger Engineering Library Information Center, the largest and most sophisticated engineering library in the world, opens to University of Illinois students and the public.
Read more 1994MRI Lab established at Beckman
The Magnetic Resonance Engineering Laboratory is established in the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. The new lab is directed by Professor Richard Magin.
Read more 1994Mosaic developed at NCSA
Mosaic, the first graphical browser for the World Wide Web, is developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.
Read more 1993Computer and Systems Research Laboratory completed
Construction is completed on the Computer and Systems Research Laboratory, which houses the Coordinated Science Laboratory and Center for Supercomputing Research and Development.
Read more 1992
Electromagnetics Laboratory upgrades instruments
The Electromagnetics Laboratory begins upgrading its instruments to provide higher frequency capability. New communications services and other electromagnetic systems are making new demands on the frequency spectrum.
Read more 1991
Center for Supercomputing Research and Development demonstrate work
Staff in the Center for Supercomputing Research and Development demonstrate the Xylem operating system, Cedar Fortran compiler, and Cedar numerical library operating on a 32-processor, four-cluster system.
Read more 1990
Cedar 1 powers up
Cedar 1, a parallel supercomputer system consisting of four clusters of four processors each, is powered up in the Center for Supercomputing Research and Development.
Read more 1989Beckman Institute opens
The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology is opened, devoted to basic research in biological intelligence, human-computer intelligent interaction, and molecular electronic nanostructures. The Institute has been established with a $40 million gift from Arnold O. Beckman and state matching funds.
Read more 1989Microelectronics Laboratory completed
Construction is completed on the Microelectronics Laboratory, with 8,000 square feet of class 100 and class 1,000 clean-room space equipped with facilities for nanolithography, growth of artificially structured materials (MBE and MOCVD), materials characterization, and high-speed electrical and optical device measurements.
Read more 1989Electro-Optic Systems Laboratory creates, photographs artificial laser guide star
Personnel in the Electro-Optic Systems Laboratory are the first to successfully create and photograph an artificial laser guide star at Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii.
Read more 1987
Engineering Research Center for Compound Semiconductor Microelectronics established
The Engineering Research Center for Compound Semiconductor Microelectronics is established under the leadership of Professor Gregory Stillman. The NSF-supported center builds on the work begun at Illinois by John Bardeen and advanced by Professor Nick Holonyak Jr.
Read more 1986
NCSA established
NSF establishes the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at Illinois.
Read more 1985Van Valkenburg becomes dean
Professor Mac Van Valkenburg becomes dean of the College of Engineering, overseeing a period of spectacular growth in the College.
Read more 1984Center for Supercomputing Research and Development founded
The Center for Supercomputing Research and Development (CSRD) is founded to advance the state of supercomputing and to demonstrate the practicality of high-performance parallel computation across a wide range of applications.
Read more 19841984
The Department of Electrical Engineering becomes the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Read more 1984Mittra establishes Electromagnetic Communication Laboratory
Professor Raj Mittra establishes the Electromagnetic Communication Laboratory. Research in the laboratory focuses on scattering from arrays of resistive strips and other conducting shapes, coupling in multiconductor lines as applied to high-speed data transmission, scattering from discontinuities in strip transmission lines, and improvement of the performance of reflector antennas, particularly the huge ones based in space.
Read more 1984Mac Van Valkenburg named first Grainger Professor of Electrical Engineering
Mac Van Valkenburg is named the first Grainger Professor of Electrical Engineering. Established by the Grainger Foundation, this is the first endowed chair in the College of Engineering.
Read more 1982
Mayes develops ANSERLIN antenna
Professor Paul Mayes and his students investigate ways to enhance the bandwidth of low-profile antennas, and as a result develop the annular sector, radiating line (ANSERLIN) antenna. ANSERLIN is a simple, nonresonant, circularly polarized element; its bandwidth is limited by pattern, rather than impedance, variation. Visit the Illinois Historic Archive of Antennas on the Web.
Read more 1980sPower Affiliates Program established
The Power Affiliates Program is established to promote relations between the Power Laboratory and industrial partners.
Read more 1979Swenson becomes department head
George W. Swenson Jr. becomes department head after Edward C. Jordan retires.
Read more 1979Electro-Optic Systems Laboratory formed
The Electro-Optic Systems Laboratory is formed under the direction of Professor Chester S. Gardner. Early on, one of the world's first sodium lidar systems is developed in the lab for study of upper atmosphere chemistry and dynamics. Over the years, several powerful and sophisticated lidar systems will be developed in the lab and deployed around the world, including sites in Norway, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Australia.
Read more Mid-1970sLaser radar system measures atomic sodium vapor
A team of personnel from the Aeronomy Laboratory, Quantum Electronics Laboratory, and Electro-Optic Systems Laboratory combine to design and develop a laser radar system to measure the density-versus-altitude distribution of atomic sodium vapor between 80 and 100 km altitude.
Read more Mid-1970sCompE curriculum established
The computer engineering curriculum is established within the department.
Read more 1973Antenna Laboratory becomes Electromagnetics Laboratory.
To reflect its broadening scope of activities, the Antenna Laboratory is changed to the Electromagnetics Laboratory.
Read more 1973Bardeen wins second Nobel Prize
Electrical engineering and physics Professor John Bardeen receives his second Nobel Prize in physics, this time for co-developing the theory of superconductivity with J. Robert Schrieffer and Leon Cooper. Bardeen had won his first Nobel in 1956 for co-inventing the transistor.
Read more 1972Mayes develops monopole-slot element
Professor Paul Mayes and his students develop the monopole-slot element, apply it to frequency-scanning and frequency-independent arrays and, as a single element, for mobile reception in cellular radio systems. Visit the Illinois Historic Archive of Antennas on the Web.
Read more 1970sLo develops cavity-model theory
Y. T. Lo and co-workers develop a widely used "cavity-model" theory for microstrip patch antennas. Lo serves two terms as IEEE distinguished lecturer on this subject.
Read more 1970sLo studies aberration-corrected artificial dielectric lenses
Professor Y. T. Lo and his student William F. Richards conduct a study of aberration-corrected artificial dielectric lenses. Several companies have fabricated such lenses, but none has performed properly. The theoretical study finally provides the explanation that artificial dielectrics made of periodic scatterers inherently have the adverse properties of anisotropy, birefringence, and dispersion. Lo develops a series of optical demonstrations (he calls them "Polart") to show his students the strange behavior of electromagnetic waves in such media.
Read more 1970sRadio telescope at the Vermilion River Observatory completed
Construction is completed on the 120-foot radio telescope at the Vermilion River Observatory in eastern Illinois. The telescope project, directed by Professor George Swenson Jr., is the result of a cooperative program by the astronomy and electrical engineering departments of the University of Illinois.
Read more 1970Cho develops molecular beam epitaxy
Alumnus Alfred Cho (BSEE '60, MSEE '61, PhD '68) and John Arthur develop molecular beam epitaxy while working at Bell Labs.
Read more Late 1960sElectrical engineering/computer science curriculum unveiled
An electrical engineering/computer science curriculum is established within the department. It will be replaced in 1973 by the computer engineering curriculum.
Read more 1969Electrical engineering alumni association established at Illinois
The electrical engineering alumni association, called E2A2, is founded as the 20th constituent organization of the University of Illinois Alumni Association. The association is now known as the ECE Alumni Association.
Read more 1967Von Foerster studies music and computers
Heinz Von Foerster organizes a highly creative session on computers in music. The papers presented in this pioneering session are later published in the book Music by Computers, edited by Von Foerster and James Beauchamp.
Read more 1966Ionosphere Radio Laboratory opens
The Ionosphere Radio Laboratory (later to be renamed Wave Propagation Laboratory) is established, one of the first labs in the world to set up a number of stations to monitor satellite radio transmissions. The stations are first set up on campus and in surrounding towns. At different times, stations have been maintained outside of Illinois from Canada to Brazil.
Read more 1966EE creates first departmental industrial affiliates program
The first departmental industrial affiliates program is launched in the physical electronics area. The program results in close ties and working relationships between faculty and their industrial counterparts. Other affiliate programs in the department will be modeled after this one.
Read more 1966Lo formulates horn antenna theory
Professor Y. T. Lo and his student M. Al-Hakkak, are among the first to formulate a complete and rigorous theory for horn antennas that use a special type of waveguide to produce perfect circularly polarized waves. These antennas will be widely used as feeds for large reflector antennas in space communications. Visit the Illinois Historic Archive of Antennas on the Web.
Read more 1960sWittig discovers CO system
Curt Wittig of the Electrophysics Laboratory discovers the world's second chemical laser, the CO system.
Read more 1960sSah receives grant for semiconductor-related equipment for undergrads
Chih-Teng Sah receives an NSF grant to purchase equipment for an undergraduate laboratory to accompany lectures specifically on semiconductor materials and solid-state devices. The lab will evolve into today's Integrated Circuit Fabrication Laboratory for ECE 444.
Read more 1965Electrical Engineering Building remodeled
A third floor is added to the Electrical Engineering Building (later to be renamed Everitt Laboratory).
Read more 1965Plasma display invented
Professors Donald L. Bitzer (BSEE '55, MSEE '56, PhD '60) and H. Gene Slottow (PhD '64), along with student Robert Willson (PhD '66), invent the plasma display panel.
Read more 1964CS @ Illinois founded
The Digital Computer Laboratory is reorganized as the Department of Computer Science.
Read more 1964Mac Van Valkenburg organizes Allerton Conference
Mac Van Valkenburg organizes the first Allerton Conference on Circuits and Systems, known today as the Allerton Conference on Communication, Control, and Computing.
Read more 1963Coleman begins research on gaseous molecular lasers
Paul Coleman launches a program in the Electrophysics Laboratory on gaseous molecular lasers. The program will last until 1980 and will make several contributions to various lasers.
Read more 1963Holonyak joins EE faculty
Alumnus Nick Holonyak Jr. (BSEE ’50, MSEE ’51, PhD ’54) returns to Illinois as a faculty member after working in industry at Bell Labs and General Electric. Holonyak brings III-V materials synthesis and epitaxial crystal growth to the department, along with heterostructure and optoelectronics research.
Read more 1963Holonyak invents first visible LED
Nick Holonyak Jr. (BSEE ’50, MSEE ’51, PhD ’54) invents the first visible light-emitting diode at General Electric. Holonyak goes on to become one of ECE ILLINOIS’ most prestigious faculty members.
Read more 1962Swenson's beacon transmitters launched
Nora Alice I and II, beacon transmitters developed under the direction of George Swenson, are launched with NASA's Discoverer satellites, which are among the earliest satellites to be launched by the U.S. in its response to the Soviet Sputnik launches. The transmitters, built quickly on a shoestring budget using hardware-store materials, will provide valuable data for atmospheric studies.
Read more Early 1960sAeronomy Laboratory established
The Aeronomy Laboratory is established by Sid Bowhill and collaborates with the Coordinated Science Laboratory in designing and developing a scientific rocket program sponsored by NASA.
Read more Early 1960sComputer-Based Education Research Laboratory opens
The Computer-Based Education Research Laboratory is established. Here, Chalmers Sherwin and Donald Bitzer will develop PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations), the world's first time-shared computer-based education system. A tradition of innovation in computer-aided instruction at Illinois started with PLATO, which has since evolved into NovaNET.
Read more 1960Enderby demonstrates coherent Cherenhov radiation
Charles Enderby, a student in the Electrophysics Laboratory, demonstrates coherent Cherenhov radiation in his PhD thesis, setting a power high-frequency record that will stand for 20 years.
Read more Late 1950sCSL created
The Control Systems Laboratory is reorganized into the Coordinated Science Laboratory, an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental graduate research center. In the coming years, CSL will establish an international reputation for fundamental contributions to control theory, fault-tolerant computing, computational theory, and communications. Research in CSL will lead to the electric vacuum gyroscope, plasma display panel, combat surveillance radar, improved synthetic aperture radar, and acoustic charge transport for storing information in analog form.
Read more 1959Tykociner studies zetetics
Electrical engineering professor Joseph Tykociner, who in 1922 had developed the technology for recording sound on film, publishes his first book on "zetetics," which he defines as "the science of research."
Read more 1959Von Foerster establishes BCL
Heinz Von Foerster establishes the Biological Computer Laboratory (BCL) for the study of biological systems to help find a way to build more powerful computer systems. Concepts that will enjoy popularity in the 1990s — connectionism and parallelism in computer architecture or iteration and recursion in mathematics — are now central objects of study at BCL. Most likely, the first parallel computers are built and exhibited here. BCL is one of the first educational institutions teaching cybernetics.
Read more 1958Kilby invents integrated circuit
ECE alumnus Jack Kilby (BSEE '47) invents the integrated circuit while working at Texas Instruments in Dallas.
Read more 1958Lo introduces method of moments technique
Professor Yuen T. Lo introduces the "method of moments" mathematical technique for electromagnetic analysis in a course taught in the department. A few years later, the method will become an immediate success when Lo publishes a paper about it in Proceedings of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Read more 1958-59Researchers track Sputnik I
Using a receiver on the roof of the Electrical Engineering Building, Illinois researchers begin tracking signals from the Soviet satellite Sputnik I.
Read more 1957Swenson joins faculty
George W. Swenson Jr. joins the electrical engineering and astronomy faculties and begins designing a 400-foot-wide radio telescope to be located near Danville, Ill., which will support a decade of productive research.
Read more 1956Bardeen wins first Nobel Prize
John Bardeen receives his first Nobel Prize in physics for co-inventing the transistor in 1947 with colleagues W. H. Brattain and W. Shockley at Bell Laboratories. He will win another in 1972 for co-developing the theory of superconductivity with J. Robert Schrieffer and Leon Cooper.
Read more 1956Quantum Hall effect discovered
Original studies undertaken at Illinois by John Bardeen, John R. Schrieffer, and a chain of European postdoctoral students will lead to the discovery in Europe of the quantum Hall effect.
Read more 1950sFour-bit prototype transistorized computer constructed
A four-bit prototype transistorized computer is constructed in the Digital Computer Laboratory.
Read more 1955Van Valkenburg publishes Network Analysis
The first edition of Network Analysis, by Mac Van Valkenburg, is published in the same year that Van Valkenburg joins the electrical engineering faculty at Illinois. The popular textbook will revolutionize the teaching of circuit theory, going through several editions and being translated into many languages. Van Valkenburg will later serve as acting head of the department and dean of the College of Engineering, building a reputation as one of the great engineering educators of the century.
Read more 1955Researchers construct Wullenweber array
The large-aperture radio direction finding system, or Wullenweber array, is constructed at the Bondville Road Field Station. Operating at a frequency from 4 to 16 MHz, the array uses 120 antennas and is 1000 feet in diameter.
Read more 1955Holonyak earns doctorate
Nick Holonyak, Jr receives his PhD from Illinois (he had received his BSEE here in 1951 and MSEE in 1952) after two years studying in the laboratory of John Bardeen. Holonyak will go on to work at Bell Labs where, with John Moll, he will make the first diffused silicon transistors and switches, metalized silicon, and generally develop the technology behind the rise of Silicon Valley and today's chips. Then, after serving in the Army, Holonyak will develop the red light-emitting diode while at General Electric. He will return to Illinois as a faculty member in 1963.
Read more 1954Rumsey heads Antenna Laboratory
Jordan selects Vic Rumsey to direct the Antenna Laboratory, where researchers will develop the log-periodic antenna. Paul Mayes and Robert Carrel will develop the log-periodic resonant-V array, which will become a popular antenna for television reception.
Read more 1954Jordan becomes department head
Edward C. Jordan becomes head of the department, serving until 1979. In a quarter century as head, Jordan will attract the most talented engineers and educators in the world to Illinois.
Read more 1954ILLIAC becomes operational
ILLIAC, the first computer built and owned entirely by an educational institution, becomes operational. It is used by Lajaren Hiller, director of the Experimental Music Studios, to compose and play the Illiac Suite, the first computer-composed composition.
Read more 1952Control Systems Laboratory established
The Coordinated Science Laboratory (originally called the Control Systems Laboratory) is established to conduct military research in coherent and noncoherent Doppler radar, radar-based and computer-controlled air traffic surveillance and control, and other areas.
Read more 1951Coleman joins faculty
Paul D. Coleman joins the faculty and, with student Murray D. Sirkis, begins setting up the Electrophysics Laboratory. The initial research program for the new lab is to study the interaction of relativistic electron beams with various coupling structures.
Read more 1951Bardeen joins faculty
John Bardeen leaves Bell Labs to join the faculties of electrical engineering and physics at Illinois. Bardeen undertakes a range of investigations involving the contact, junction, transistor, surface, impurity diffusion, and bulk behavior of germanium.
Read more 1951Digital Computer Laboratory created
The Digital Computer Laboratory is established and staffed primarily by faculty in electrical engineering and physics. The U. S. Army and University of Illinois jointly fund the construction of two computers, ORDVAC and ILLIAC.
Read more 1950Goldstein establishes Gaseous Electronics Laboratory
Professor Ladislaw Goldstein, trained in the laboratory of Marie Curie at the University of Paris, comes to Illinois and establishes the Gaseous Electronics Laboratory, now known as the Laboratory for Optical Physics and Engineering. Initially, the focus of the laboratory is on the fundamental processes in partially ionized gases, with special attention to those operative in the ionosphere. Later, attention will turn to controlled fusion, quantum aspects of gaseous electronics, and gas lasers.
Read more 1950Fry creates BRL
William Fry joins the department and establishes the Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, where the propagation properties of ultrasound are studied and measuring methods and instruments are developed for diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical purposes.
Read more Late 1940sEveritt becomes dean
William L. Everitt concludes his term as department head and becomes dean of the College of Engineering, which he will lead to international prominence. John D. Ryder becomes head of the department.
Read more 1949Von Foerster joins faculty
Heinz Von Foerster joins the department and is named director of the Tube Laboratory. Later, his research interests will shift to cybernetics and he will found the Biological Computer Laboratory.
Read more 1949EE opens new building
The Department of Electrical Engineering moves to the newly constructed Electrical Engineering Building (later renamed Everitt Laboratory). Read more about the land where Everitt Lab sits.
Read more 1949Bardeen co-invents transistor
John Bardeen co-invents the transistor at Bell Laboratories with W. H. Brattain and W. Shockley. Bardeen will later join the electrical engineering and physics faculties at Illinois, where he will co-develop the theory of superconductivity.
Read more 1947Everitt succeeds Paine
Ellery B. Paine retires after 31 years as head of electrical engineering and is replaced by William L. Everitt. Under Everitt's direction, the department will be transformed to include all aspects of research and instruction encompassed in the broad spectrum of subjects related to electrical engineering.
Everitt is well known for his many contributions to the field. Everitt came to the University of Illinois with influence, power, and respect. Because of those qualities and the fact he’d worked in Washington, D.C., in close contact with other well-respected engineers, he was able to recruit other top researchers to come to Illinois and join the electrical engineering department.
Read more 1944Armed Services contracts with Illinois to train recruits in EE
The United States Armed Services contracts with the university to train recruits on an accelerated basis. Most of this training focuses on subjects related to electrical engineering.
Read more 1941EE creates facilities for studying illumination
The Electrical Engineering Annex is remodeled to provide space for illumination courses. A large photometric laboratory is constructed in the basement, and a classroom seating 40 students, a spectrophotometry laboratory, and a staff office are provided on the main floor. These facilities for instruction in the field of illumination are considered the finest in the nation.
Read more 1934Everitt publishes textbook
The first edition of Communication Engineering, by William L. Everitt, is published. The popular textbook, based largely on Everitt's own research while he is at Ohio State University, attracts graduate students from all around the world.
Read more 1932High voltage laboratory opens
The south end of the old Boiler House (renamed Electrical Engineering Annex) is transformed into a high voltage laboratory containing a huge Tesla coil and associated apparatus. This laboratory is under the direction of Professor Joseph Tykociner.
Read more 1932Joseph Tykociner establishes Tube Laboratory
Joseph Tykociner establishes the Tube Laboratory and eventually obtains a government contract for research on microwave tubes.
Read more 1930sEE creates Electrical Engineering Research Laboratory
A connecting structure is built across the Boneyard to join the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Building and Applied Mechanics Laboratory. The latter building has been vacated by the Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, which moves to the newly constructed Talbot Laboratory. Electrical engineering now occupies both the older buildings which, along with the connecting structure, form the Electrical Engineering Research Laboratory.
Read more 1929Tykociner demonstrates sound on film
Professor Joseph Tykociner makes the first public demonstration of sound on film at a meeting of the Urbana chapter of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.
Read more 1922Tykociner joins research faculty
Joseph Tykociner becomes one of the first research professors in electrical engineering at Illinois.
Read more 1918Paine becomes department head
Ellery Burton Paine begins his 31-year tenure as head of the Department of Electrical Engineering.
Read more 1913EE moves into Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Building
The east wing of the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Building is remodeled to contain two large lecture rooms, two classrooms, and a high-voltage laboratory. Department of Electrical Engineering offices, graduate study room, and library move in to the third floor of the building.
Read more 1910Berg joins as department head
Ernest Julius Berg, an engineer with General Electric Company and a lecturer at Union College, Schenectady, New York, is employed as head of electrical engineering. He's enticed to come to Illinois when several large Illinois corporations agreed to supplement his university salary by giving him retainer fees as a consulting engineer. Berg remains as head until June 1913, when he resigns and returns to his former positions with General Electric Company and with Union College.
Read more 1909Brooks becomes department head
Morgan Brooks, from the University of Nebraska, is hired by the University of Illinois as professor of electrical engineering and head of the department. He serves as department head until 1909 and remains as professor of electrical engineering until his retirement in 1929.
Read more 1901Aldrich leads EE department
William Sleeper Aldrich, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of West Virginia, is employed as professor of electrical engineering and head of the Department of Electrical Engineering, succeeding William Esty.
Read more 1899Esty becomes head of independent EE department
After a brief separation and reunification in 1895-96, physics and electrical engineering are permanently separated because of the increase in degrees granted in electrical engineering. William Esty becomes head of electrical engineering.
Read more 1898Illinois builds Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Building
The university allocates $40,000 for construction of the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Building on the east side of Burrill Avenue just north of the Boneyard. The Electrical Dynamo Laboratory will occupy the entire main floor of the new building, which will be shared by the mechanical and electrical engineering departments.
Read more 18971895
In November 1895, the administration of physics and electrical engineering are separated temporarily. Bernard V. Swenson becomes the first head of electrical engineering. Ten months later, with the arrival of Albert Pruden Carmon in September 1896 from Stanford University as head of physics, the electrical engineering courses are again placed under the administration of the Department of Physics.
Read more 1895Department moves into Engineering Hall
The Department of Physics and its electrical classrooms move from the Main Building (University Hall) to the newly constructed Engineering Hall.
Read more 1894ECE ILLINOIS established
The first electrical laboratory is constructed under the direction of Samuel Wesley Stratton, head of physics. The first courses in electrical engineering are offered here; therefore, 1891 is recognized as the date for establishment of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (originally called the Department of Electrical Engineering).
According to the Illinois Technograph, laboratory work during this period "includes simple problems in electrical measurements, which are designed to acquaint the student with therms and the use of electrical apparatus. Later on, students in advanced classes take up testing of primary and secondary batteries, cable testing designing of electrical machinery, installation of light and power plants, the transmission of power by electricity and, lastly, photometry."
Initially, the prime mover of the laboratory is a 10-hp "grasshopper" Atkinson gas engine; however, with the advent of incandescent lighting, a 60-hp "Ideal" high-speed steam engine is later installed to provide the first unit of the original University Hall power plant.
Read more 1891Department of Physics founded
The Department of Physics is established.
Samuel Wesley Stratton, who later becomes president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is placed in charge. Stratton recognizes the potential of electricity and related phenomena and supported that newly developing field of technology. Under his direction, the first electrical laboratory is constructed in 1891, and the first courses in electrical engineering are offered. In 1892, Stratton resigns to accept a position in the Department of Physics at the newly established University of Chicago.
Read more 1889University offers electrical training
The 1878-79 university catalog boasts that the equipment in the Physical Laboratory includes "a collection of apparatus from the most celebrated European and American makers, costing over $5,000 and illustrating the subjects of mechanics, pneumatics, optics, heat and electricity."
Read more 1878Physical Laboratory established
The first Physical Laboratory is established in the newly completed Main Building, later to be named University Hall.
Read more 1873Illinois Industrial University founded
Illinois Industrial University is established by an act of the Illinois legislature. The Polytechnic Department offers training in the physical laws of light, sound, electricity, and magnetism.
Read more 1867