ECE 496 - Senior Research Project

Summer 2021

TitleRubricSectionCRNTypeHoursTimesDaysLocationInstructor
Senior Research ProjectECE496036245IND2 -    
Senior Research ProjectECE496AC36091IND2 -    Andreas C Cangellaris
Senior Research ProjectECE496ACB36840IND2 -    Ann Catrina Coleman
Senior Research ProjectECE496ACS36157IND2 -    Andrew Singer
Senior Research ProjectECE496ADG36101IND2 -    Alejandro Dominguez-Garcia
Senior Research ProjectECE496AGS36087IND2 -     Alexander Schwing
Senior Research ProjectECE496ALV36139IND2 -    Juan Alvarez
Senior Research ProjectECE496AM39032IND2 -    Andrew Miller
Senior Research ProjectECE496BH36108IND2 -    Bruce Hajek
Senior Research ProjectECE496BL36111IND2 -    Bo Li
Senior Research ProjectECE496BTC36099IND2 -    Brian T Cunningham
Senior Research ProjectECE496BWW36164IND2 -    Benjamin W Wah
Senior Research ProjectECE496CB38233IND2 -    Can Bayram
Senior Research ProjectECE496CP36148IND2 -    Constantine Polychronopoulos
Senior Research ProjectECE496DC36093IND2 -    Deming Chen
Senior Research ProjectECE496DJ36117IND2 -    Douglas L Jones
Senior Research ProjectECE496DL36131IND2 -    Daniel M Liberzon
Senior Research ProjectECE496DMN36143IND2 -     David M. Nicol
Senior Research ProjectECE496EK36121IND2 -    Erhan Kudeki
Senior Research ProjectECE496ER36152IND2 -    Elyse Rosenbaum
Senior Research ProjectECE496FK36118IND2 -    Farzad Kamalabadi
Senior Research ProjectECE496GAO39034IND2 -    Liang Gao
Senior Research ProjectECE496GG36107IND2 -    George Gross
Senior Research ProjectECE496GLL36132IND2 -    Gang Logan Liu
Senior Research ProjectECE496GP36150IND2 -    Gabriel Popescu
Senior Research ProjectECE496HAH39035IND2 -    Haitham Al-Hassanieh
Senior Research ProjectECE496IOA39036IND2 -    Idoia Ochoa
Senior Research ProjectECE496IR36137IND2 -    Raluca Ilie
Senior Research ProjectECE496JA36082IND2 -    Jont Allen
Senior Research ProjectECE496JB36086IND2 -     Jennifer Bernhard
Senior Research ProjectECE496JD36842IND2 -     John Dallesasse
Senior Research ProjectECE496JGE36102IND2 -    J. Gary Eden
Senior Research ProjectECE496JJ36116IND2 -    Jianming Jin
Senior Research ProjectECE496JJC36097IND2 -    James J Coleman
Senior Research ProjectECE496JJM36138IND2 -    Jonathan Makela
Senior Research ProjectECE496JPL36125IND2 -    Jean-Pierre Leburton
Senior Research ProjectECE496JSA36155IND2 -    Jose E Schutt-Aine
Senior Research ProjectECE496JWL36136IND2 -    Joseph W Lyding
Senior Research ProjectECE496KC36095IND2 -    Kent D Choquette
Senior Research ProjectECE496KJ36115IND2 -    Kanti Jain
Senior Research ProjectECE496KK36119IND2 -    Kyekyoon Kim
Senior Research ProjectECE496LLG36106IND2 -    Lynford L Goddard
Senior Research ProjectECE496LW38232IND2 -    Lara Waldrop
Senior Research ProjectECE496MB38234IND2 -     Michael Bailey
Senior Research ProjectECE496MDW36165IND2 -    Martin D F Wong
Senior Research ProjectECE496MF36103IND2 -    Milton Feng
Senior Research ProjectECE496MG36105IND2 -    Matthew Gilbert
Senior Research ProjectECE496MHJ36109IND2 -     Mark Hasegawa-Johnson
Senior Research ProjectECE496ML36133IND2 -    Michael Loui
Senior Research ProjectECE496MND36100IND2 -    Minh N Do
Senior Research ProjectECE496MO36145IND2 -    Michael L Oelze
Senior Research ProjectECE496MTB36083IND2 -    Tamer Basar
Senior Research ProjectECE496NA36081IND2 -    Narendra Ahuja
Senior Research ProjectECE496NB36089IND2 -    Nikita Borisov
Senior Research ProjectECE496NHV36160IND2 -    Nitin H Vaidya
Senior Research ProjectECE496NRS36156IND2 -    Naresh R Shanbhag
Senior Research ProjectECE496OM36140IND2 -    Olgica Milenkovic
Senior Research ProjectECE496PM36142IND2 -    Pierre Moulin
Senior Research ProjectECE496PRK36122IND2 -    Panganamala R Kumar
Senior Research ProjectECE496PS36158IND2 -    Paris Smaragdis
Senior Research ProjectECE496PSC36092IND2 -     P. Scott Carney
Senior Research ProjectECE496PTK36120IND2 -    Philip T Krein
Senior Research ProjectECE496PV36163IND2 -    Pramod Viswanath
Senior Research ProjectECE496PWS36154IND2 -    Peter Sauer
Senior Research ProjectECE496RB36096IND2 -    Rohit Bhargava
Senior Research ProjectECE496RK36123IND2 -    Rakesh Kumar
Senior Research ProjectECE496RKI36114IND2 -    Ravishankar K Iyer
Senior Research ProjectECE496RRC36149IND2 -    Romit Roy Choudhury
Senior Research ProjectECE496RS36159IND2 -    Rayadurgam Srikant
Senior Research ProjectECE496RVB36085IND2 -    Rashid Bashir
Senior Research ProjectECE496SAB36088IND2 -    Stephen Boppart
Senior Research ProjectECE496SB38986IND2 -    Subhonmesh Bose
Senior Research ProjectECE496SEL36126IND2 -    Stephen E Levinson
Senior Research ProjectECE496SG36079IND2 -    Songbin Gong
Senior Research ProjectECE496SH36112IND2 -     Seth Hutchinson
Senior Research ProjectECE496SJF36104IND2 -    Steven J Franke
Senior Research ProjectECE496SJP36147IND2 -    Sanjay Patel
Senior Research ProjectECE496SM36141IND2 -    Sayan Mitra
Senior Research ProjectECE496SP37245IND2 -    Sung-Jin Park
Senior Research ProjectECE496SSL36135IND2 -     Steven Lumetta
Senior Research ProjectECE496SV36161IND2 -    Shobha Vasudevan
Senior Research ProjectECE496TB36084IND2 -    Tangul Basar
Senior Research ProjectECE496TJO36146IND2 -    Thomas J Overbye
Senior Research ProjectECE496TK40154IND2 -    T Kesavadas
Senior Research ProjectECE496TPC36098IND2 -    Todd Prentice Coleman
Senior Research ProjectECE496UR36151IND2 -    Umberto Ravaioli
Senior Research ProjectECE496VG39031IND2 -    Viktor Gruev
Senior Research ProjectECE496VVV36162IND2 -    Venugopal V. Veeravalli
Senior Research ProjectECE496WCC36094IND2 -     Weng Chew
Senior Research ProjectECE496WDO36144IND2 -    Bill O'Brien, Jr.
Senior Research ProjectECE496WHS36153IND2 -    William H Sanders
Senior Research ProjectECE496WMH36113IND2 -    Wen-mei Hwu
Senior Research ProjectECE496WZ38231IND2 -    Wenjuan Zhu
Senior Research ProjectECE496XL36129IND2 -    Xiuling Li
Senior Research ProjectECE496YB36090IND2 -    Yoram Bresler
Senior Research ProjectECE496YCH36110IND2 -    Yih-Chun Hu
Senior Research ProjectECE496YL36134IND2 -    Yi Lu
Senior Research ProjectECE496YW37365IND2 -    Yihong Wu
Senior Research ProjectECE496ZPL36130IND2 -    Zhi-Pei Liang
Senior Research ProjectECE496ZZ39033IND2 -    Zhizhen Jane Zhao

Official Description

Individual research project under the guidance of a faculty member: for example, mathematical analysis, laboratory experiments, computer simulations, software development, circuit design, or device fabrication. Preparation of a written research proposal, including preliminary results. Course Information: 2 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. May be repeated. ECE 496 and ECE 499 taken in sequence fulfill the Advanced Composition Requirement. Prerequisite: RHET 105; consent of instructor. Class Schedule Information: This course is intended for Honors students and Chancellor Scholars. ECE 496 and ECE 499 are approved for General Education credit only as a sequence. Both courses must be completed to receive Advanced Composition credit.

Subject Area

  • Undergraduate Project, Seminar, and Thesis

Course Director

Description

Individual research project under the guidance of a faculty member: for example, mathematical analysis, laboratory experiments, computer simulations, software development, circuit design, or device fabrication. Preparation of a written research proposal, which includes preliminary results.

Notes

The grade for ECE 496 will be assigned upon completion of ECE 499. No graduate credit for this course.

Detailed Description and Outline

The grade for ECE 496 will be assigned upon completion of ECE 499. No graduate credit for this course.

Course Goals

ECE 496 is the first course of a two course sequence of Senior Project + Senior Thesis (ECE 499) taken by high-achieving EE and CE majors as an alternative to ECE 445 - Senior Design.

The purpose of ECE 496 is to begin and substantially complete an individual research project, under the supervision of a faculty advisor and in collaboration with research group members, that contributes significantly to the field of electrical and computer engineering. Since this is a capstone course (in tandem with ECE 499, Senior Thesis) bringing to bear all the skills and knowledge gained in the student's undergraduate career, it satisfies all the Student Outcomes 1-7 specified by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET):

ABET Programs Outcomes and Assessment. ECE 496 and 499 address the following:

1. Principles: an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics (1)

This is an important attribute of successful senior thesis projects undertaken in ECE496 and ECE 499. Senior theses developed under ECE 496/499 span the full breadth of EE and CE disciplines and focus on research problems closely related to the research activities of ECE faculty who advise the students taking ECE 496/499. Projects include varying mixes of modeling studies and simulations, laboratory work and/or device fabrication, and analyses of laboratory and/or simulation data using state-of-the-art methodologies and tools.

2. Design: an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors (2)

The major focus of the senior project is to have the student explore complex problems in branches of electrical and computer engineering and provide innovative solutions that require consideration of realistic constraints and engineering standards and build upon knowledge and skills acquired in earlier course work. Both laboratory work and measurements undertaken as a part of senior thesis projects, as well as associated modeling and simulation work and coding, involve the use of and comparisons of competing techniques and approaches, and the identification of best fitting solutions for problems under study.

3. Communication: an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences (3)

ECE 496 students complete three progress reports in weeks 9, 12, and 15, while ECE 499 students complete two additional progress reports before submitting a thesis at the end of the semester. The thesis draft completed by week 14 is checked by ECE Editorial Services for grammar, style, and format, and students make their final submission by week 16. Students present their research at the Undergraduate Research Symposium in the final weeks of the semester. ECE 496/499 meets the campus Advanced Composition (Comp II) requirement.

4. Professionalism: an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts (4)

Teamwork and professionalism are natural components of ECE 496/499 as the students interact with graduate students in research groups of faculty advisors who oversee the Senior Thesis projects. Group meetings attended by the students expose them to the dynamics of advanced engineering research environments where many issues related to ethics and professionalism come up.

5. Teamwork: an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives (5)

Again, students taking ECE 496/499 work within the research group environment of the advising faculty and work very closely with graduate students who guide them through their projects.

6. Analysis: an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions (6)

Analysis of complex engineering problems is an essential aspect of all ECE 496/499 thesis projects. This includes problem analysis prior to proposing solutions and designs to address the main thesis questions as well as the analysis of data and measurements used in testing the proposed designs and solutions.

7. Learning: an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies (7)

ECE 496/499 projects provide an opportunity for the students to learn advanced research concepts and tools which build upon the knowledge acquired in earlier courses taken in related areas of ECE. Beyond the application of knowledge acquired in courses, the Senior Thesis requires a student to acquire and apply new knowledge in their chosen research area, as needed, using appropriate learning strategies. The job of a thesis advisor includes the task of guiding a student in the search for new knowledge in the research literature, and in the learning and application of the knowledge necessary for completion of the Senior Thesis. Additionally, the student appreciates the role research in the production of new knowledge.

Instructional Objectives

By the time the student submits the topic proposal (week 3) they should:

  • Understand the adviser's research group and where the project fits within it (3,4,5,7)
  • Be able to offer a coherent idea of the need for and motivation behind the project (1,3,4,5,7)
  • Be able to roughly outline a realistic timeline for the project including necessary contributors and facilities (1,2,3,4,5,7)

By the time the student conducts the literature search (week 6) they should:

  • Have strong command of the need for and motivation behind the project (1,2,3,4,5,6,7)
  • Be thoroughly conversant in the published literature impinging on the project (1,3,4,7)
  • Have an enhanced appreciation for research ethics and for good scholarly habits such as writing well, presenting data effectively, and using sources properly (3,4,7)

By the time the student completes the three progress reports required in weeks 9, 12, and 15 they should have:

  • Completely or substantially finished the research work (1,2,4,5,7)
  • Effectively reported results, challenges, and future work to adviser and other research group members (3,4,5)
  • Clarified for themselves and others the significance of the project and its results such that the senior thesis (ECE 499) is ready to be written (1,2,3,4,5,6,7)
  • Developed both their technical/scientific and their scholarly/writing skills to a high level (1,2,3,4,5,6,7)

Last updated

9/4/2019by Erhan Kudeki