IEEE president will visit WPI

J. Thomas Cain, a University of Pittsburgh professor of electrical engineering who is the current president of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, will share his thoughts on the future of the electrical engineering profession, electrical engineering education, and the IEEE at the next meeting of the organization's Worcester section on Monday. Nov. 6, at 6:30 p.m. in Atwater Kent 116.

Cain, who received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 1970, has been a member of the university's EE department since 1966. His areas of interest include real-time systems, including control of nonlinear systems, and robot manipulators in particular. He was named an IEEE Fellow for his leadership and his contributions to computer science and engineering education and served in numerous leadership roles before becoming president. He is a former member of the board of directors of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and a former president of the Computing Science Accreditation Board.

"Historically, IEEE Region 1 has been home to major portions of the computer industry and defense electronics," says John A. Orr, head of the electrical and Computer Engineering Department. "Over the past decade the computer landscape has changed drastically, from the dominance of the minicomputer to the rise of the workstation and personal computer. More recently, the defense electronics industry has begun a drastic reorganization and downsizing. There is reason to believe that some structural changes may be occurring to the electrical engineering profession, for electrical engineering education, and for the IEEE."

An optional, on-campus dinner will follow the meeting; reservations are required. For more information call ext. 5273 or e-mail orr@ece.wpi.edu.



WPI Community Newspeak This Issue
Give feedback: newspeak@wpi.wpi.edu
Maintained by: Troy Thompson