Computer Engineering

Clarkson University » Electrical & Computer Engineering » Undergraduate Programs

Computers have arguably exerted more impact on how we live today than any other technological advance. They run our telephone systems, power grids, banking systems, and air travel systems. They are in each point of sale terminal, ATM and inventory control system. There are several computers in a car, a VCR, or CD player. In any hospital, you'll find computers used in patient records, controlling X-ray machines, CT scanners, and MRI machines.

Computer engineers work on hardware, software and the interface between the two. They bring together computer science, electrical engineering, math and science using computer-based tools and good problem-solving skills to design, build and maintain systems that contain or use computers.

What careers are possible?
Here are some examples:

Why Clarkson for engineering?

U.S. News & World Report ranks Clarkson in its 2006 Best Engineering Programs at schools whose highest degree is a Ph.D. The placement rate for our computer engineers is one of the nation's highest. Our graduates are sought both for their strong technical skills and their versatility. A Clarkson engineering education builds abilities in teamwork, management, communication and creative problem solving. Our graduates are accepted in the best advanced degree programs in the country, including our own. Among these are Duke, Georgia Tech, Michigan, MIT, and Stanford.

Teaching emphasized in a research environment
Clarkson combines two distinctive strengths that benefit students: Personalized teaching and high-powered research.

As a small, undergraduate-centered university, we focus on teaching. Our professors get to know students as individuals. On the other hand, these faculty members are also inspired explorers on the very frontiers of knowledge. They conduct world-class research in areas of vital importance — and involve undergraduates as well as graduate students in the process!

For students, it's the best of both worlds — you're taught by Ph.D.s who are noted for their research, but whose primary mission is undergraduate education.

Project-based learning
Clarkson takes a project-based approach to learning. Because you focus on the creative application of knowledge and skills to solve practical, real-world problems, you gain:

• a strong, hands-on foundation in the basics
• teamwork and leadership skills
• practice in creative problem solving
• techniques in research and analysis
• skills in applying what you know

And at all levels, you enjoy the individualized attention that only an undergraduatecentered school can provide.

Breadth and depth for specialization
Every computer engineering student builds a base of expertise in both hardware and software. You'll be well grounded in software design, with skills in object-oriented programming and use of software components. You'll also be confident in your areas of analog and digital circuits and systems, logic design, and processor interfacing. Your base of experience will span:

• high-level programming in languages like C/C++ and Perl as well as low level assembly language
• small-scale circuit design and use of VHDL to design larger digital systems that use programmable logic devices
• environments that are based on Windows as well as Unix

You'll build systems that have integrated hardware and software components. You'll also gain breadth in engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering.

Team design competitions
Clarkson students sharpen their skills in creative problem solving, collaboration, communication and leadership through 14 team competitions. These are organized through an umbrella program called SPEED
— Student Projects for Engineering Experience and Design.|

Clarkson's Solar Knights placed first in the Tour de Sol's Electrical Vehicle with Advanced-Battery Prototype Division in 2003. In March 2005, the FIRST Robotics Team was a finalist in the Finger Lakes Regional, and received first place for the Motorola Quality Award.

Clarkson computer engineering research areas
Professors work closely with industry and government on research that is exciting and critical in advancing the state of the art.

Current topics include:

• Computer networks
• Computational intelligence
• Biomedical signal processing
• Biometrics
• Rehabilitation engineering
• Robotics and control systems
• Multiagent systems
• Software engineering
• Intelligent tutoring
• Microelectronics
• Pattern recognition
• Video/image processing
  
  Undergraduate research
  Computer engineering majors participate in a wide range of research projects funded by government and corporate sources over the summer and during the academic year.

Recent student projects include:

• Automated tutoring for C++
• Multiple processors interacting in a Unix environment
• Multiagent system coordination testbed
• Object oriented design in basic circuits
• J2EE workload application development
• Voice-driven software development
• Autonomous robot

Facilities available to undergraduates

Our Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP) has over 70 labs with state-of-the-art equipment, and students often find themselves in these research labs. In lab facilities dedicated to undergraduate
instruction, each bench is fully equipped with modern instrumentation, digital data acquisition and analysis tools, and a computer connected to the campus network and the Internet. You can do experiments, design your systems, validate your designs, and build your apparatus right in the lab, with access to:

• Specialized instrumentation that facilitates diagnosis and debugging of digital hardware
• High-quality software development environments that foster use of modern software engineering tools
• Modern digital design tools, including VHDL design and simulation environments that let you use modern programmable logic devices and FPGAs
• A high-quality engineering computer and design laboratory that fosters group activity and team based learning
• Modern engineering workstations and design environments in which students learn both Unix and the Windows operating systems

Co-ops and internships
By working through Clarkson's Career Center, you can choose from a broad range of summer or semester-long employment opportunities in which you can gain professional experience while earning a salary.

Who hires Clarkson computer engineers?
For many years, Clarkson computer engineers have been eagerly sought by such large firms as IBM, Lockheed Martin, and Intel. As Internet and modern technology continue to revolutionize the way industry
operates, increasing opportunities are opening up in small firms, too.