Feature Article by Brian K. Shell

Editor’s Note: LTU electrical engineering alumnus Brian Shell is an engineer, author, artist, and musician. His personal websites include www.PassionHero.com and www.VIPGQ.com. His author page at Amazon.com is https://www.amazon.com/author/brianshell.

One: After graduating from Lawrence Tech in 1990 and getting an MSEE at The University of Michigan, I was hired by Hughes Aircraft in Los Angeles analyzing and designing satellite antennas… which is where I came to believe that an hourly wage doesn’t compare to getting some kind of percentage of the products you produce. Create something that goes viral and get a cut. It’s why I turned into an author and a musician.

Two: There’s one immortal rule I’ve often had to re-learn the hard way. It is that “the middle man always gets his cut.” Plan on it. It’s just the way the world works, and the more you prepare for it, the happier people will be around you. As my Lawrence Tech economics professor told me: “Bulls can win. Bears can win. But pigs always lose.”

Three: It’s only the conductor at the helm who can keep a train from coming down the tracks. If you stop believing something can be done or stop trying to do it, all momentum stops. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. As one writer told me, dare to suck.

Four: A Los Angeles Hollywood agent said the following: “If you have a Plan B… do that instead.” It’s the essence of having one foot in and one foot out. Luke warm efforts produce tepid results. If you try to row too many oars at once, you row yourself in a circle. Sometimes, reaching a destination requires sticking with one thing and making some sort of daily progress to see it manifest. Tavis Smiley says, “Fail Upwards.”

Five: The only truly happy people I know are those who are creative on a daily basis.

Six: Never let your life become a cul-de-sac. Never ask “what if?” No regrets – ever!

Seven: Always go for win-win relationships in everything you do. Karma does exist.

Eight: Until you succeed, everyone will think you’re crazy. Afterwards, they’ll say, “Oh, I knew you’d make it all along,” and they’ll usually want something from you too.

Nine: Once an engineer… always an engineer. One of the best things engineering teaches is to dot every I and cross every T. It’s a determined stick-to-it-ive-ness that often leads to the best achievements because you were too stubborn or stupid to know that you should have given up. Once you learn “the Trick” to it, it then becomes easy.

Ten: Hope, confidence, belief, and insanity can’t be measured with any scientific instrument, but people intuitively know when they exist in abundance… so smile!

Dr Michael Cloud has cowritten a new text entitled Advanced Engineering Analysis: The Calculus of Variations and Functional Analysis with Applications in Mechanics. The book, published by World Scientific Publishing Company in March 2012, was produced in conjunction with Leonid P Lebedev (a mathematician at the National University of Colombia) and Victor A Eremeyev (a mechanicist with Otto von Guericke University, Germany, and South Federal University, Russia). The book’s preface states that “The present text offers rigorous insight and will enable an engineer to communicate effectively with the mathematicians who develop models and methods for machine computation. It should prove useful to those who wish to employ modern mathematical methods with some depth of understanding.”

Article by Peg Pierce, Director of Career Services, LTU

Look out electrical and computer engineering job candidates, employers are hunting for you! Over the past 12 months Lawrence Tech students and graduates have been aggressively sought out for opportunities ranging from internships to full time experienced positions. The current inventory of job postings on CareerQuest, the interactive job database for Lawrence Technological University students and alumni features 336 active postings. A large portion ( almost 60%) are seeking electrical engineering and/or computer engineering expertise.

As the automotive industry rebounds, talent from colleges and universities are a prime source of recruitment. In addition to the direct hiring opportunities at each of the automotive manufacturers, Tier 1 and 2 companies are restocking as well. Companies such as Calsonic-Kensi, I-Cubed, Sanyo, Linamar/McLaren Performance Technologies, Continental Automotive Industries, Inteva Products are actively recruiting new graduates as well as reinvigorating their internship/co-op programs.

It is a great time to be involved in the automotive industry and be on the cutting edge of new and exciting projects. Companies are rethinking their entire approach to the engineering process and opportunities to research and develop new technologies and processes have never been greater. Current college students and recent graduates are seen as a pipeline to new and innovative ways of creating and integrating technology resources. As the baby boomer population edges up to retirement, new talent is needed to replace retiring employees and invigorate their workplaces. It’s not your parent’s job market any longer!

While the primary industry in Michigan is the automotive industry, an interesting phenomenon is playing out as many companies who have survived through the rough patch of the past few years stayed alive by diversifying their markets. So, in addition to the automotive market, many of the same companies who relied specifically on the automotive industry business in the past are now involved in other industry projects and are seeking candidates with diverse interests in other industry projects.
Employers are utilizing numerous modalities to reach and recruit new talent. In addition to posting positions on university career services websites, recruiters are actively attending engineering related seminars and networking events with the hopes of meeting and potential candidates for their open opportunities. Participation at career fairs are at an all time high. In fact, at the Fall 2011 Tech X 2 Career Fair for Lawrence Technological University and Oakland University, 90 employers participated with another 10 employers who were turned away due to lack of space. The Oakland Job Hub career fair, held in February of 2012 attracted 81 employers who were actively recruiting for open positions. Again a high percentage of the interest was for engineering talent. Alumni are being asked to contact their colleges and connect with current candidates to talk about their jobs and their companies.

Students and potential graduates need to be ready however to respond quickly and effectively to opportunities. Resumes need to be updated and polished to present the best possible picture of talents, technology expertise and current knowledge and skills. Students need to be prepared to sell themselves on the spot, so understanding and being able to articulate the unique and personal strengths and attributes is a critical skill. In addition, understanding how to research and identify the opportunities that make them a good “fit” for the opportunity is what makes the difference between looking and buying what you are selling.

The Office of Career Services has the expertise, the resources and the motivation to help students and alumni. Our Career opportunities can be accessed by clicking the Q on the student page of our career website: http://www.ltu.edu/career_services/students.asp. To maximize the results, students are encouraged to set up an appointment with a career advisor or participate in resume critique drop in sessions that are held throughout the Fall and Spring semesters.

While finding an internship/ co-op or career position does take a lot of hard work, students who work smart as well as hard are likely to yield the best results.

As published in Innovation Magazine

For nearly 26 million Americans living with diabetes, using a glucose meter to check their blood sugar levels – often several times a day – is as routine as brushing their teeth or taking a shower. Monitoring and tracking these levels and compiling the patient’s history are critical to the proper control of diabetes, but the glucose tests are intrusive and cumbersome. Up until now there has been no direct connection with physicians or other health-care professionals.

InteractiveMD, a “telehealth” company based in Boca Raton, Fla., wants to take this medical technology to the next level by developing a “smart” glucose monitor that can be plugged into virtually any mobile communication device to acquire, display, and transmit blood glucose levels.

A Lawrence Tech student team led by Umasankar Kandaswamy, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, is working with InteractiveMD to develop a working prototype. Launched in early February, the project’s first phase is slated for completion by early April.

“The future of diagnostic medicine hugely depends on reliable and simple devices that are both interoperable and interactive,” Kandaswamy said. “What we are trying to achieve is a device that provides maximum comfort and ease of use.”

The glucose meter is a solar-powered device, which means the user never has to worry about replacing its battery. Furthermore, because it uses an audio port to communicate with the smart phone, the user doesn’t need any special cord or base station to connect to a smart phone or tablet.

“One of the main missions of our various companies is to bring health-care access to the point where most people can get connected using a mobile device, such as an iPod, iPad, or any type of smart phone,” said Jesse Kessler, CEO of InteractiveM (www.interactivemd.com).

“The goal is to have a mobile diabetes application that can not only take tests throughout the day intermittently but can also store that data on a website to give the users and their physicians access to it,” he said. “This is taking it to a new level.”

The Lawrence Tech prototype is unique in that the monitor is small and easy to use, yet extraordinarily rich in features due to the marriage with a smart mobile device. Using the smart phone app, consumers will be able to choose options to track their activity, see how their day-to-day activity impacts their blood glucose level, and share the data with a medical professional. Consumers can also keep a log of their daily meals, workouts, and other activities.

“These details become very useful for getting the proper care from physicians,” Kandaswamy said. “Traditional diagnostic devices will give the user just one piece of information, but when we tie the diagnostic technology to the user’s smart phone, we get the whole enchilada.”

• Grew up in Livonia MI; graduated from Churchill High School.
• Has been married for over ten years and has a 7 year old son. His son has two stated career goals: Scientist or Engineer.
• Prior to returning to school in 2008, worked in the automotive industry.
• IEEE member since 2010, with additional group memberships in the Communication and Power societies.
• Member of HKN and an inductee in Tau Beta Pi this semester.
• Currently an intern at ITC Holdings in Novi, with previous experience at DTE.
• Has accepted an Associate Engineer position at ITC. Will assume this role upon graduation. Work will be with the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) group, which provides design and support for telecom, communications, cyber security and metering for all substations in ITC’s systems.
• Plans to take six months off from school and then enroll in a master’s program.
• In his spare time (what little there is) enjoys spending time with family, camping, playing baseball, and reading as much as possible.

Dr. Kandaswamy is looking for someone who can do app development for Android or iPhone for the “Smart Blood Glucose Meter” project. The pay is between $8-9 per hour for a five to six week period. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Kandaswamy (ukandaswa@ltu.edu) with your resume.

Dr Kun Hua and student Robert Reichel in the LTU Wireless Communication Lab.

Article by Dr Kun Hua

The Wireless Communication Lab is now available for undergraduate senior projects and graduate class projects involving Software Defined Radio.

I am using seed grant funding to develop an adaptive and robust software radio communication system with my undergraduate and graduate students. The aim is to generate an automotive embedded system to scan commercial radio stations and automatically select a station that is currently playing music, sports, a talk show, weather information, etc. This would allow users to skip commercials and listen to preferred content continuously without having to manually scan for stations. The system is designed to perform real time analysis of an audio stream through pattern recognition, data mining, nonlinear optimization, signal processing, and embedded techniques. Features and more advanced adaptation algorithms can be implemented at a later stage. In the future, with just one click, you will be able to listen to all live local games — Red Wings, Lions, Pistons, Wolverines, Spartans — whether you are driving along the coast of California or skiing in rural Colorado.

My name is Ryan Meganck. I began my career at Lawrence Tech in fall 2008 and am a dual major in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. On campus, I have been involved as the president of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Honor Society, Eta Kappa Nu (HKN), for the past two years. I have also worked as a First Year Mentor and have been elected to officer positions in the University Honor Society as well as Tau Beta Pi. I was recently accepted to Stanford University and will be pursuing a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering beginning Fall 2012.

Outside of the classroom, I have been a competitive tennis player nearly my whole life. I also enjoy golf, cycling, disc golf, and just about anything outdoors. I currently hold an engineering internship designing LED commercial lighting for ilumisys, a subsidiary of Altair Engineering in Troy, Michigan.

My experiences with Lawrence Tech over the past four years have been very positive. The small class sizes and direct engagement with the professors have helped me more effectively learn and retain the course material. The professors have been very approachable and willing to help with questions both related to and beyond the classroom.

Dr Nabil Grace, Engineering Dean

Article by Dr Lisa Anneberg

The annual Meet The Dean event was held on February 25, 2012. It was aimed at potential LTU students and their parents. Many faculty, program directors, and current students were on hand to answer questions, give tours, and give a special presentation. Room S100 was filled to capacity for the informational presentations on the ten engineering programs at LTU. Parents especially took the time to obtain additional information about the programs that Lawrence Tech offers and get an in-depth knowledge of the technologically advanced opportunities that are in your future at LTU. Everyone experienced the LTU campus and got to know our faculty and staff throughout the day’s festivities.

The keynote speaker was David W Wright, a healthcare industry pioneer and LTU alumnus.

The student senior projects featured included the very successful 2011 Hybrid Formula SAE competition team [they came in 11th!], the omni-directional wheelchair gyroscope based non-joystick transportation project, and the SAE Baja competition team.

Greetings!

My name is (“Prof.”) Ben Sweet. My primary professional experience is in software engineering for real-time embedded applications, mainly for automotive products. (We make the little “smart” boxes under the hood, behind the dashboard and door panels, and under the seats of your cars. If we do our jobs right you never know that they are there!)

I presently work at Autoliv Electronics in Southfield, Michigan. My title is Senior Algorithm Engineer. In this role, I work on a team that implements and integrates radar safety features, such as “Blind Spot Monitoring” and “Rear Cross Path Traffic Detection.” I am also involved in an organizational team to define a corporate standard and process for defining System Architectural Design.

Throughout my career as a practicing software engineer I have been involved in all aspects of the software/product development life-cycle in some way (some aspects more than others.) I have also held “management” roles (although I MUCH prefer the “engineering” roles!)

In the evening I am an adjunct instructor at LTU. I have been teaching here since 1994 – just over eighteen years at this writing. I teach primarily for the departments of Electrical Engineering (ECE), and Math & Computer Science (MCS.) I also advise Senior Project Teams, and offer specific guidance with respect to the software development aspects of projects that contain microcontrollers. (Do NOT just “code it up!” I would much rather offer guidance at the beginning of a project than watch a team flounder in endless “debugging” as the final project presentation approaches.) In addition, I serve as the LTU IEEE Student Branch Mentor. I have also developed and given seminars under my LLC, TEKNOWLEDGE.

I feel VERY strongly about the need to enhance (and perhaps even “re-architect” to some extent) the “Embedded” related courses (i.e.: the content of the various courses, their expected outcomes, and how they integrate together.) However I cannot do it alone. I would be interested in working with a team (perhaps consisting of both faculty and students – and perhaps from various colleges and departments) to address this very challenging prospect. Given the rate of change of the related technologies and the associated development tools, we cannot sit still without actually falling behind. In order to keep up with the pace of technology, the needs of the companies that hire our graduates, and with the programs provided by the competing educational institutions, we need to address this important (and perhaps somewhat invisible) area of technology. I am looking for the right team, opportunity, and impetus.

My education includes a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University, and a Master’s from Wayne State University in Electrical and Computer Control Systems. I consider myself a perpetual student; one that really likes “show and tell.” I am constantly trying to learn and apply new ideas, techniques, and technologies; I always learn a great deal from my students. (Note that “Electronics” and “Software” are rapidly evolving fields, so ALL practitioners must engage in “lifelong learning” to remain relevant; we are NEVER “done” with school!)

I am proud to say that three of my four children are presently attending LTU. (So if I am seen embracing a student in the hallway, it may not be that scandalous!) They are making their own individual and unique impressions in the LTU fabric.

I hope that our students enjoy their learning experiences here at LTU as much as have enjoyed teaching them.

• Grew up in Grosse Ile, Michigan. Ranked 4th in graduating class at Grosse Ile HS.
• Electrical Engineering major with Mathematics minor. Started Fall 2009, plans to finish Spring 2013.
• Member IEEE and HKN.
• Plans to earn MSECE from LTU.
• Currently holds two jobs on campus: North Housing Front Desk Receptionist, and Calculus Workshop Assistant / Grader.
• Interests include medical equipment design, intellectual property, the patent process, reading engineering literature, biking, the stock market, and entrepreneurialism.
• Random facts. “LTU was the only university to which I applied. My favorite color is grey. I really do not watch TV. When studying, I prefer to listen to heavy metal music. I can make high quality smoothies. I haven’t missed a day of school for eleven years straight. I’ve wanted to become an engineer since age eight.”

Dr Michael Cloud has published a paper entitled Automatic Error Analysis Using Intervals in the February 2012 issue of the IEEE Transactions on Education. The paper, co-written with Dr Edward Rothwell of Michigan State University, describes how a relatively new branch of mathematics known as Interval Analysis can aid engineering undergraduates in doing routine error calculations.

The field was founded by Dr Ramon E Moore, formerly of Ohio State University. Drs Moore and Cloud teamed up with Dr Baker Kearfott of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to write the book Introduction to Interval Analysis, published by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) in 2009.

Dr William (“Bill”) Kolasa is teaching his final set of courses for the ECE Department this semester.

Kolasa earned the PhD in physics from the University of Windsor in 1982. He joined LTU (then LIT, or Lawrence Institute of Technology) in 1986 after working as Group Leader for the General Dynamics Land Systems Division in Troy. Prior to that, he was Senior Engineer at the Bendix Engineering and Development Center in Southfield. His son Bill earned the BSME from LTU.

“Bill is an enthusiastic, animated lecturer: no one falls asleep during his lectures,” said professor and former department chair Dr Richard Johnston. “His contributions to the program will be deeply missed.”

“Dr Kolasa will be sorely missed by the students,” added ECE Technician Martha Thompson. “They really appreciate the care he puts into teaching.”

Melissa Grunow

Guest Article by Melissa Grunow, Director of Leadership Programs and First Year Experience

Lawrence Tech’s Leadership Curriculum provides leadership development and experiences to all undergraduates at every level of their academic programs. No other university in the nation can boast such a comprehensive program for all of its students. Committed to developing the leaders of tomorrow, Lawrence Tech views all students as leaders in the making. The Leadership Curriculum and supporting programs prepare students for the global marketplace by nurturing critical thinking, teamwork, and communication skills – all with the focus on becoming agents of positive change.

The coursework includes four courses. In the freshman year, students take University Seminar creating a success plan for their personal and academic goals as well as exploring citizenship through a group service project. The sophomore year course is Leadership Models and Practices, the flagship course where students begin exploring their own leadership style and philosophy by studying leadership theory and practice. In the junior year students begin more experience-based leadership education with Leadership Seminar Series in which they attend seminars and workshop to develop skills and engage in a self-directed leadership experience. In the senior year each student completes the Leadership Capstone in which s/he develops a leadership portfolio.

“The University Seminar course has opened my mind to so many extra-curricular activities that I never knew existed,” says freshman Electrical and Computer Engineering major Dominic Alkatib. “It taught me teamwork, responsibility, and most importantly leadership.” The Office of Leadership Programs and First Year Experience also provides many activities outside of the classroom for students to practice their leadership skills. These include service learning projects in the community, team projects and competitions, as well as opportunities to mentor other students as they begin their careers at Lawrence Tech. Engaging in these activities can help engineering students to develop the skill sets required of graduates entering the work force: the ability to identify and solve problems, to work with others, and to think critically and creatively. These opportunities give Lawrence Tech grads a reputation of hitting the ground running as they enter the work force. In addition to professional development, the leadership program also enhances personal development. Ahmad Arabi, a junior, stated that he learned from his involvement in courses and activities that “good leaders love what they do and work from their hearts. Not for money. Not for power.”

For more information about Leadership Programs, visit http://www.ltu.edu/leadership/.

Article by Dr Lisa Anneberg

Mathcounts is a national middle school math competition, and the Lawrence Tech ECE department has been a supporter, mentor, and organizer of one of the local regional competitions. National sponsors include 3M, Texas Instruments, the National Society of Professional Engineers, CNA, Raytheon, the US Department of Defense, Bezos Family Foundation, ConocoPhillips , Northrop Grumman Foundation, and ThinkFun, Inc.

Students compete in mathematics, and their prowess is outstanding!

Saturday, February 11, is the date of the Fairlane Mathcounts Competition. The location is Strong Middle School in Allen Park, located at 3303 Oakwood Blvd in Melvindale, MI. LTU’s ECE department is organizing and facilitating, and could always use more volunteers for the effort.

If you have further questions, email Lisa Anneberg at lanneberg@ltu.edu or check out the website for Mathcounts: www.mathcounts.org

Dr Michael Cloud’s section of Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering was addressed by a total of eighteen speakers during the Fall 2010 semester.

The speakers and their topics were as follows: Dr Phil Olivier, ECE Chair (Engineering Ethics); Ron Smith, Engineering Society of Detroit (Professional Registration); Gretchen Weiner, LTU Reference Librarian (Library Research); Ryan Meganck, Student President Eta Kappa Nu (Extracurricular Activities and Networking); Ronald Foster, ECE Faculty (Tesla Coil Project); Brian Podcervinski, ECE Upperclassman (Study Strategies); Beth Howell, Vice President of Operations ITC Holdings (Power and Energy Industry); Kimball Williams, IEEE Local Section Officer (Ethics and the IEEE); Jon Kade, LTU Alumnus (Personal Career Experiences), Dr Lisa Anneberg, ECE Faculty (Introduction to Labview); Don Reimer, ME Faculty (Entrepreneurialism); Dr Grant Gerhart, US ARMY TARDEC (Military/Government Careers); Ervin Larashi, Lead Engineer GM Global Antenna (Career of Recent LTU Graduate); Peg Pierce, LTU Career Services (Career Services at LTU); Jennifer Cunningham, LTU Career Services (Coop Opportunities at LTU); Dr Richard Johnston, ECE Faculty (Engineering Honor Societies); Steve Muller, ECE Student (Personal Coop Experience); Dr Kun Hua, ECE Faculty (Wireless Sensor Networks).

The ECE Department would like to thank all these individuals for their informative presentations.