Microwave Educational Program: An Industry-University Alliance

Attracting high quality students to study microwave engineering has been difficult in recent years because the glamour fields of computer engineering and computer science have attracted many students away from the more traditional disciplines of electrical engineering. At the same time, the need for microwave engineers in both the commuications and aerospace industries has increased as the role of microwave technology has become more important in these businesses. This paper provides a model for an educational program which can be developed in a specialized area to quickly alleviate the shortage of a critical engineering skill in a timely and effective manner. It further describes the synergistic growth in microwave research and the catalyzation of microwave industry interaction which have occurred at the University of Massachusetts. Moreover, it describes the recruiting benefits to the sponsoring organization, Raytheon Company, and to many of its local subcontractors due to the increased stimulation of undergraduate interest in microwave engineering manifested by a tripling over a two year period of the number of electrical engineering graduates having a concentration in microwaves.