Challenges in Engineering Education Discussed at DesignCon 2007 as Dr. Leah Jamieson Serves Keynote Address

CHICAGO – January 24, 2007 – The International Engineering Consortium (IEC) presents Dr. Leah Jamieson, John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering at the College of Engineering at Purdue University and 2007 IEEE President, as a keynote speaker at DesignCon 2007, which takes place this January 29 through February 1 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California.

IEC President John Janowiak stated, "DesignCon aims at bringing the semiconductor industry together to discuss the latest challenges and issues in design engineering so that the industry can ponder solutions together. A vital part of making that happen is securing industry leaders from both academia and business to talk to the industry. Dr. Jamieson is no exception, and we are honored to have her address DesignCon attendees in Santa Clara."

Dr. Jamieson will discuss global and technological trends driving change in the semiconductor industry, which is ultimately driving change in engineering education as well. She will discuss how she has prepared Purdue students for careers where traits such as innovation and flexibility are as crucial as math, science, and traditional engineering fundamentals.

Dr. Jamieson will talk about what role professional societies play in the educational landscape and what unexpected opportunities might result from moving beyond the traditional scope of thinking. Dr. Jamieson will stress that the industry needs nothing short of a revolution in current thinking to properly prepare students for 21st-century careers.

"The 21st century is one of the most challenging and rewarding periods for students, educators and professionals," Dr. Jamieson said. "We are meeting those challenges by working side by side with industry to prepare students by giving them the fundamentals in math, science and engineering and also fostering traits such as innovation, teamwork and an interdisciplinary approach to research."

In 1976, Dr. Jamieson joined Purdue, where she is Ransburg Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering. She was director of the Graduate Program in Electrical Engineering from 1990–94, director of Graduate Admissions from 1994–96, interim head of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2002, and associate dean of Engineering for Undergraduate Education from 2004–06. She is co-founder and past director of Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS), an engineering design program that operates in a service-learning context. This month she became IEEE president and CEO.

Dr. Jamieson's research interests include speech analysis and recognition; the design and analysis of parallel processing algorithms; and the application of parallel processing to the areas of digital speech, image, and signal processing. She has written more than 160 journal and conference papers. She is a fellow of the IEEE and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.

She received her B.S. in mathematics from MIT and her Ph.D. from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Princeton University.

The Wednesday keynote address is open to the entire industry. Industry professionals can obtain complimentary access to all keynote addresses, major sessions, and the exhibition with a complimentary exhibits pass available at www.designcon.com/2007/registration. The exhibits pass is also available on-site at DesignCon in the Santa Clara Convention Center.

For complete information, visit www.designcon.com/2007 or contact Lisa Reyes at lreyes@iec.org or +1-312-559-3325.

About Purdue University
Purdue's College of Engineering is made up of 12 academic programs: aeronautics and astronautics, agricultural and biological, biomedical, chemical, civil, construction engineering and management, electrical and computer, engineering education, industrial, materials, mechanical, and nuclear. More than 6,400 undergraduate students and nearly 2,500 graduate students are enrolled in Purdue engineering programs. In its most recent rankings, U.S. News and World Report magazine named Purdue as having the No. 8 undergraduate and No. 6 graduate engineering programs in the country, and many of Purdue's programs were ranked in the top 10 nationally. Visit http://engineering.purdue.edu/engr.

About DesignCon
DesignCon serves as the premier event for practicing engineers in the electrical design and semiconductor communities. Broadening the scope to address business as well as technical issues of the industry, DesignCon 2006 hosted 125 exhibiting companies and drew more than 5,000 industry professionals to register. This year's DesignCon will host more than 300 industry experts to speak in more than 100 educational tutorials, plenary panels, paper presentations, and sessions at DesignCon. Complementing the conference, more than 125 exhibitors are expected to take the floor exhibiting the latest technological developments. Visit www.designcon.com/2007.

About the IEC
A nonprofit organization, the IEC is dedicated to catalyzing technology and business progress worldwide in a range of high-technology industries and their university communities. Since 1944, the IEC has provided high-quality educational opportunities for industry professionals, academics, and students.

In conjunction with industry-leading companies, the IEC has developed an extensive, free, on-line educational program. The IEC conducts industry-university programs that have a substantial impact on curricula. It also conducts research and develops publications, conferences, and technological exhibits that address major opportunities and challenges of the information age.

More than 70 leading high-technology universities are IEC affiliates, and the IEC handles the affairs of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association and Eta Kappa Nu, the honor society for electrical and computer engineers. The IEC also manages the activities of the Enterprise Communications Consortium. Visit www.iec.org.