This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Northeast Indiana is home to several major defense/aerospace contractors and a number of smaller suppliers that collectively have the potential to hire thousands of new and replacement workers in the next five years. To support this growth it is important to educate new master's-level professionals with broad skills in systems-engineering and a strong background in wireless technology. This Science Master's Program at Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) is addressing this need.
The integration of systems engineering and wireless technology is a novel aspect of this program. The curriculum is designed so that students develop both depth in the area of wireless technology and breadth in systems engineering. In addition to traditional courses, students participate in internships with local companies, perform research and produce a thesis, and manage an undergraduate student design team. The activities in the program are supported by an innovative graduate seminar series.
This program has developed a unique, integrated graduate curriculum and is providing students with research experiences, internships, and management experiences. These support additional learning through peer interactions and project-based learning. Graduates of the program will have a high-degree of workforce readiness and unique expertise. This project will ultimately strengthen the defense industry in northeast Indiana, which is of strategic importance to the state and the entire nation.
Northeast Indiana is home to several major defense/aerospace contractors and a number of smaller suppliers. Many of these companies design, develop, and manufacture ground command, control, and communication (C3) systems. These companies seek employees with a systems-engineering mindset and a strong background in wireless technology. The Master of Science in Engineering Program (MSE): Concentration in Wireless Technology and Systems Engineering at Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) addresses this need. The grant from the National Science Foundation has been essential to the launching and the sustainability of this program. The integration of systems engineering and wireless technology is a novel aspect of our MSE program. The curriculum is designed so that students develop depth in the area of wireless technology and breadth via systems engineering. In addition to traditional courses, students are eligible to participate in an internship with a local company, perform research and produce a thesis. Characteristics of the program include (1) a unique, integrated graduate curriculum and (2) meaningful research, internship, and management experiences which promote peer and project-based learning. Graduates of the program will have a high-degree of workforce readiness and unique knowledge base. This program will ultimately strengthen the regional defense C3 industry which is of strategic importance to the state and the entire nation. IPFW and the Department of Engineering have assembled the following components to ensure a successful program in systems engineering and wireless technology, A flexible, graduate degree program A highly-qualified team of active researchers Centers of Excellence in Systems Engineering and Wireless Technology State-of-the-art laboratories furnished with equipment funded by the Lilly Endowment Under the auspices of this NSF grant five students were admitted in the fall of 2010, three students in the fall of 2011 and one student in the fall of 2012. One student left the program after one semester to take a full-time employment (2010). A second student completed his course work but left the program without completing his thesis (2012). The major outcomes of this NSF supported program include: Five of the nine students funded have graduated, i.e. completed their course work and finished their theses. Four out of these five students are currently working in the industry. The remainder student is enrolled in the electrical engineering PhD program at the University of Notre Dame. Two students are scheduled to graduate in May of 2014. The majority of the students in this program have had summer internships or part time jobs at the local industry to enhance their professional development. The students have presented major findings of their research at the annual IPFW Engineering and Research conference which is attended by students, faculty members, and local industry representatives. Several students have made technical presentation of their work at national and international conferences. About ten students not funded by this NSF grant have benefited from the available curriculum and been able to concentrate on systems engineering and wireless technology. Five of these students have graduated with four working in the industry. The remainder student is currently enrolled in the electrical engineering PhD program at Purdue University, West Lafayette. The local industry has shown support for the sustainability of this graduate program in the form of funding for graduate students and infrastructure such a new modular classroom building for the center of Systems Engineering at IPFW. This facility and its associated hardware and software laboratory became fully operational in the fall of 2013. Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne has shown that it can offer a good quality Master of Science in Engineering program whose graduates are all employed in the industry or are enrolled in PhD programs at research I universities.
