Reclaiming ECE Disciplines: Bioengineering

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Reclaiming ECE DisciplinesBioengineering

• Jonathan Rose
• University of Toronto

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ECE is Too Broad to Teach it All

• Five years ago we did a massive re-design of
  curriculum based on this premise
• As the sub-disciplines have expanded
• Curriculum has two distinct phases
• First 2 years, where the basics are taught
• Fixed, with essentially no choice
• Basics Maths, EM, Electric Circuits, Software ,
  Design, Digital Hardware, Embedded Systems,
  Electronics, Signals Systems
• Years 3 and 4
• Full choice, with depth, breadth elective
  constraints

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Huge Flexibility in Years 3 and 4

• Divide ECE into 6 areas
• Choose 4 kernel courses for breadth across 4
  areas
• Choose 4 more courses 2 in each of 2 areas for
  depth
• In addition, many other kinds of electives
• With these choices, can fit various kinds of
  minors from Engineering and Arts Science
• Two engineering minors
• Bioengineering
• Sustainable Energy

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Toronto Curriculum Example Layout
Compl Studies
AREA CORE
SCI/MAT Elective
3F
TECH Elective
AREA CORE
3S
Compl Studies
Econ Entrepr
AREA CORE
AREA CORE
DEPTH
Design Project
4F
Compl Studies
TECH Elective
DEPTH
DEPTH
FREE Elective
4S
Compl Studies
TECH Elective
DEPTH
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Third- and Fourth-Year Courses (Areas 1 - 4)
ECE 318 Fundamentals of Optics
ECE 335 Introduction to Electronic Devices
ECE 320 Fields and Waves
ECE 315 Switch-Mode Energy Conversion
ECE 334 Digital Electronics
ECE 331 Analog Electronics
ECE 311 Dynamic Systems and Control
ECE 316 Communication Systems
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Third- and Fourth-Year Courses (Areas 5,6,
Sci/Math)
ECE 342 Computer Hardware
ECE 361 Computer Networks I
ECE 345 Algorithms Data Structures
ECE 344 Operating Systems
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Bioengineering Minor
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Bioengineering

• Can include medical-related things, but doesnt
  have to.
• Is available to all disciplines in Toronto
  Engineering
• Mechanical
• Industrial
• Civil
• Chemical
• Electrical
• Computer
• All departments offer courses

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Bioengineering Minor Curriculum

• Six 1-semester courses
• 2 core, 4 elective
• Core 1 Engineering Biology
• Core 2 Choice of
• Cellular and Molecular Biology
• Physiological Control Systems
• Four more courses from list on next 2 slides
• Can include capstone design project
• See http//www.bioengineering.utoronto.ca/

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List of Electives, Part 1
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List of Electives, Part 2
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Goal Competency Speak Bio Language

• Biomedical Engineering is too broad to teach in
  an undergraduate program
• Contains
• Biology
• Medicine
• Some kind of Engineering which?
• Far better Be an EE/CE with knowledge of biology
• Bring some basic competency to the table
• EE, CE, Mech, Chem
• Be able to speak the language to the doctor or
  biologist
• Contribute hardware, software, chemistry

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Labs

• One large material intensive lab added for basic
  engineering biology course

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Competition vs. Co-existence

• These broader topics Energy, Bio, Nano,
  Mechatronics
• Do belong in ECE and other disciplines
• Some students will prefer accessing these through
  ECE, some not.
• Key is to maintain a strong presence in these
  topics
• Flexibility will win out

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Successful?

• Graduating Engineering Class this Year 865
• Number taking bioengineering minor 65

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Flexibility is Compelling

• Our overall approach is program with many options
• Aka Minor, package, stream, certificate
• We market this flexibility very compelling
• High School students mostly dont have a clue
  what theyre interested in
• Same for First year students choosing which
  engineering to go into

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Recall Computer Engineering

• Rose to 2/3 of all ECE undergrads at Toronto in
  2001.
• Is now a 1/3.
• Will rise again, as tech bust fades in memory,
  and people realize that software is the language
  of innovation and automation
• Flexible curriculums permit this kind of ebb and
  flow
• Same for these four
• Energy, bio, nano, mecha

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Summary

• ECE Disciplines to broad to teach all
• Better to create flexible access to
  specializations
• Breadth and Flexibility big selling point now of
  ECE
• First page of our recruiting slides .

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Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Is at the Centre of the Key Issues of Our Time

• Microelectronics
• Computers
• Electrical Energy
• Software
• Mechatronics
• Biomedical
• Communications
• Photonics