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College of Engineering awarded approximately $1M for electrical engineering program
DENTON (UNT), Texas -- The National Science Foundation has awarded the University of North Texas College of Engineering $998,688 to establish an innovative electrical engineering curriculum. Titled "A Design- and Project-Oriented Innovative Electrical Engineering Program," the curriculum establishes modern approaches to teaching the discipline to undergraduates. Approval for the program is currently pending with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The award allows for collaboration with industries in the North Texas region and with Texas Woman's University. Female and minority students at TWU may complete their electrical engineering degrees at UNT and receive a $6,000 scholarship as part of the program. While traditional programs in electrical engineering emphasize standardized teaching and specialty disciplines, UNT's electrical engineering curriculum will combine knowledge about how people think, learn and teach with hands-on industrial projects and a business context. Using this new approach for teaching and evaluating the effectiveness of electrical engineering courses, the curriculum will engage students in higher-level thinking and self-reflective learning within an experience-based environment. Starting at the freshman level, students will acquire real-world knowledge and skills combined with project-oriented industrial experiences. Additional project-oriented courses will be added each semester. Instructors recruited from North Texas industries will help to "team-teach" project-oriented courses with UNT faculty. Professors Oscar Garcia, Murali Varanasi, Kathy Swigger, Reza Mirshams and Jon Young are co-principal investigators in this competitive NSF award. Dr. Varanasi, chair of UNT's electrical engineering program said such industry-university collaborations are helping students integrate theory, practice and business sense. "This combination of classroom studies and real-world experience ensures that the engineering curriculum continues to be relevant, competitive, global and directed toward future technological developments," Varanasi said. Dr. Garcia, founding Dean of the College of Engineering said the curriculum emphasizes team-building, industry best practices and entrepreneurship education. "The benefits of this innovative approach enhances communication skills and promotes critical thinking and problem solving," Garcia said. "All of these attributes will prepare an engineering workforce that's important for the economic future of Texas." For more information about the program, contact Dr. Varanasi at (940) 891-6700.
UNT News Service Phone Number: (940) 565-2108
Contact: Cathy Cashio (940) 565-4644
Email: news_service@unt.edu
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