Different Strategies for Preparing Students to Tackle the RF Engineering Challenges of Tomorrow: a Panel Discussion

Different Strategies for Preparing Students to Tackle the RF Engineering Challenges of Tomorrow: a Panel Discussion

Speakers: moderator and panelists

Introduction – extended summary of the panel message

Look around. Our world is becoming increasingly more connected. Ten years ago, using a phone for streaming live video or conducting business operations was limited and nearly unimaginable. Looking into the future ten years from now promises new technologies and capabilities that will in turn further revolutionize everything we know now about communications. The 5G revolution is emerging and promises unprecedented advances in terms of frequency coverage, data rates, numbers of simultaneous users, spectral efficiency, and reduced latency. Beyond 5G, new wireless-enabled applications for Internet of things, smart home and building technologies, and integrated health platforms are quickly emerging as well. 5G technologies and beyond, create challenging requirements such as higher data throughput, faster data communication speeds, higher levels of semiconductor integration, less power consumption and perfect accuracy of each signal. These constraints are pushing the design boundaries on the organizations that create the electronics and the communications and networking innovations that we rely on every day. Companies are increasingly required to innovate at faster and faster rates with time-to-market pressures and the need for productivity gains. Universities have an opportunity to produce students who are industry-ready knowledgeable of the engineering design tools and processes used by industry, that allows them to start contributing faster and bring greater value to their new organizations. The demand for new engineers ready to “jump in” and tackle some of these RF technology breakthroughs is only increasing. The Keysight RF Industry Ready Certification Program serves as a collaboration between industry and universities to produce and recognize industry-ready engineers. This allows industry to hire with confidence knowing that the productivity of the new employee is assured from day one. More than 40 universities around the globe have adopted and use this Program in their curriculum. The panel will share different strategies they have created at their universities to embed hands-on engagement activities using Keysight solutions. This represents a new concept of an industry-university partnership. One unique aspect about the Keysight RF Industry-Ready Certification Program is that students who obtain the certification can opt-in to being included in the Keysight database. This allows employers to verify a particular standard of skills obtained during the course, and provides confidence that a new employee is ready to go. Participating doctoral student Thomas Zirkle exclaimed, “Receiving the Keysight RF/MW Industry-Ready Student Certificate is an added benefit to my time here at Notre Dame, a seal of approval that demonstrates my skill and specific hands-on experience with these technologies and cutting-edge equipment. It is a true mark of distinction that will help open doors of opportunity.” Colorado School of Mines Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Payam Nayeri, who is also director of the Microwave and RF Laboratory was quoted, “Students awarded the certification demonstrate their achievements in the knowledge and usage of Keysight EEsof EDA [Electronic Design Automation] software and instrumentation. These students will immediately be able to deliver faster results at a higher level to our industry partners and, ultimately, their employers.” What follows are some details outlining how five different universities integrate industry standard tools in to their curricula and utilize this Program to ensure their students are industry ready. Their students are able to begin contributing immediately having had experience using industry standard tools to advance RF technology as it becomes more and more ubiquitous. They are prepared to work in and with RF technology, which has been referred to as the magic behind our increasingly connected world. We will be discussing each of these implementations and key learnings during the panel discussion.