Message from the Chair

“...[I]t's incredibly satisfying -- to face some important problem and find a solution that works.”
- Jack Kilby, electrical engineer, inventor of the integrated circuit and Nobel Prize winner

Welcome to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Maryland. From innovations in biomedical devices to the latest communications and computing gear, we are developing the next version of modern life. Without the benefits that the field of electrical and computer engineering has brought us, life would indeed be, in the words of Thomas Hobbs, “nasty, brutish and short.”

Patrick O'Shea, Chair

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland offers one of the strongest education and research programs in the nation. The year 2008 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (1908-2008) here on the College Park campus. For a century, our vibrant department has established a tradition of excellence in research and education innovation, and I see a future that is even brighter. Led by over 65 faculty members and many more research staff, our programs cover a wide spectrum in two broad areas:

• Information Sciences and Systems and
• Electronic Sciences and Devices.

Our location near Washington, D.C. offers unique opportunities for students to engage in research at national and government laboratories, including NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Institutes of Health, and the Army and Navy Research Laboratories.

Our faculty research is supported by annual expenditures of over $37 million. Our level of research expenditures places the department among the very top electrical and computer engineering departments in the nation, a reputation that is supported by national rankings.

Our close affiliation with a number of research institutes such as the Institute for Systems Research, the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, the Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, the Institute for Physical Science and Technology, the Maryland Energy Research Center, and the Maryland NanoCenter provides our students and researchers the opportunity for team-oriented, cross-disciplinary research and access to state-of-the-art laboratories.

With approximately 700 undergraduates and more than 500 graduate students, we are the largest and most prestigious academic department within the A. James Clark School of Engineering, the fastest rising engineering school in the country. Our alumni find themselves in high demand for positions in some of the top corporate, government and education institutions and continue to make significant contributions to the field.

I invite you to learn more about our department and the exciting experiences that await you here at Maryland.

Patrick O'Shea
Professor and Chair

Also see:
An Interview with the Chair
A Message from the Dean
Message from the President

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