WPI's Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department, located in the historical Atwater Kent Laboratories, is a community of world-class faculty and students conducting research on diverse subjects including machine learning, cryptography and information security, signal processing, autonomous vehicles, smart health, prosthetic control, analog and digital microelectronics, and wireless information networks. We have a strong tradition of making significant contributions to science and engineering, ranging from the invention of the negative feedback amplifier to laying the foundations of the first wireless local area networks.
Through our innovative Theory and Practice curriculum, hands-on laboratories, and project-based learning, the ECE Department continuously strives to develop the next generation of engineers who will develop new technologies and seek creative solutions to society’s most pressing problems. We pride ourselves on our culture of creative scholarship; faculty, students, and staff work closely together and encourage each other through challenges both in the classroom and in life.
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Patrick Schaumont, professor of electrical and computer engineering, was included in The Boston Globe regarding a story about COVID-19 contact tracing apps. The story explores the larger picture of contact tracing apps being developed nationally. Reporter Hiawatha Bray wrote: “WPI said it’s developed a way to track location and time, while still concealing the identity of the infected person.” (The WPI community can also access the story here.)
Patrick Schaumont, professor of electrical and computer engineering, was featured in a story on Spectrum News 1 discussing his research on a COVID-19 contact tracing app. “When you have been diagnosed as COVID-positive, you will have the ability to share your data with the health agency,” he says in the interview.
Professor Ted Clancy, a local prosthetics company, and an occupational therapist with limb absence have teamed up to develop wireless sensors to improve the performance of prosthetics for individuals with upper limb amputations. “This wireless sensor technology will have a major impact for individuals with limb absence and allow them to control their hand and wrist prostheses,” said Clancy, professor of electrical and computer engineering.
With self-driving cars promising to become part of our everyday lives, one MQP team took on the challenge of retrofitting a traditional vehicle to become a self-driving automobile. Under the supervision of ECE professor Alex Wyglinski, team members built a modular platform, using LIDAR, which uses lasers and sensors to measure distance, ultrasonic sensors, motors, and a high-performance computing module that can make any ground vehicle drive autonomously.
For Jiayi, WPI’s project based learning has allowed her to have unique, hands-on experiences that may not have been possible at other institutions
WPI has not only provided Chloe with life-changing, hands-on experiences, but it also helped her to grow and find her own voice in her field.
WPI has provided Mona with a life-long support system and invaluable hands-on experiences that has paved the way for her bright future.
