Course subject: Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE)

Fundamental optimization techniques. Modelling. Shortest path. Network flow. Matching. Set packing, covering partitioning. Branch and bound. Cutting Planes, Dynamic programming. Search Heuristics. (Students will gain valuable background in optimization techniques that are applicable to a wide range of engineering problems. They will also gain experience using a state of the art optimizer, in solving an optimization problem of their own choice using techniques discussed in the course).

Theory of random variables, vectors and processes. Conditional probabilities and expectations. Convergence of sequences of random variables. Markov chains in discrete and continuous time. Poisson processes. Basic renewal processes. Stationary random processes, correlation, and power spectra. Emphasis on problem solving using probabilistic approaches.

This is an introductory course on algorithms at the graduate level. It assumes familiarity with basic data structures such as lists, queues, trees and graphs, and emphasizes creativity in the design of algorithms, and rigorous analysis. Correctness (soundness and completeness) and efficiency (with respect to average-, best- and worst-case time and space) properties are considered in the context of algorithms for classes of problems such as optimization and decision problems. The course also gives insights into when a problem may be intractable, and how we may deal with intractability.

This biomedical engineering core course focuses on topics related to the use of quantitative tools in biomedical engineering research studies. It will teach students how to conduct statistical analysis of biomedical data, design biomedical experiments that can offer statistical insight, and apply computational methods to solve problems in biomedical engineering. Educational emphasis will be placed on developing students' core competence in biostatistics and biomedical computing, so as to prepare them to pursue biomedical engineering investigations that are backed by quantitative reasoning and numerical insights.

Representation of bandpass signals and systems, modulation and demodulation for the additive white Gaussian noise channel, optimal demodulation for signals with random phase, noncoherent detection for binary and M-ary orthogonal signals, hard and soft decision decoding for linear codes, concatenated codes, performance of coded modulation systems, characterization of fading multipath channels, diversity techniques, performance of coded systems on fading channels, direct sequence and frequency hopped spread spectrum systems.

This course covers the fundamental concepts and methods, as well as state-of-the-art theories and technologies in the field of image processing and visual communications. Topics include fundamental digital image and video processing methods; image analysis and understanding; statistical image modeling and perception; and robustness, scalability and security issues in visual communications.

This course consists of three parts: Part 1 will be concerned with the definitions of entropies as information measures and the derivation of the rate distortion function of Gaussian sources, which will form the basis for performance comparison. Part 2 will discuss the derivations, design and performance of certain compression techniques, including dpcm/entropy coding, predictive coding, linear predictive coding (LPC), adaptive predictive coding (APC), vector quantization, and tree and trellis coding. Part 3 will consider applications of compression techniques to speech and image processing.

Syntax, semantics, and usage of the VHDL hardware description language. Modeling concurrency in VHDL, in other hardware description languages, and using other simulation techniques. Modeling, design, and implementation at the register-transfer level. Functional verification techniques. Timing analysis. Introduction to power analysis and optimization. Introduction to faults and testing.

Basics of semiconductor physics. Physical principles and operation of p-n junctions, metal/semidconductor contacts, MOS capacitors, MOS field-effect transistors, and related optoelectronic devices. Short-channel MOSFETs, modern MOSFETs, and future transistor technologies. Introduction to device simulators and SPICE models.

Physical source of solar radiation; direct & diffuse radiations; review of electronic materials; semiconductor concepts; optical absorption; generation and recombination processes in semiconductors; operating principles of photovoltaic devices; homo- and hetero- junction devices; equivalent circuits; quantum efficiency; current-voltage characteristics; Efficiency limits in photovoltaic devices; short circuit current and open circuit voltage losses; temperature effect; material-imposed limits; theoretical and practical limits; Photovoltaic device design and fabrication; silicon-based devices; gallium arsenide devices; thin film devices; device simulation; fabrication technologies; Advanced photovoltaic concepts; nano-structure and organic PV devices; System-level photovoltaics; module structure and design; back-end electronics; stand-alone and grid-interactive systems; photovoltaic hybrid systems.

The course gives an overview of organic electronic and optoelectronic devices. It begins with a review of electronic structure of single organic molecules as a guide to the electronic behaviour of organic aggregates.Various relevant material phenomena are reviewed; including topics from photophysics (absorption and emission of light, excited states, radiative and non-radiative transitions), intermolecular charge transport mechanisms (hopping, disorder), charge injection and transport models, and energy transfer processes. Their applications in light emitting devices, solar cells, thin film transistors, photodetector and imaging photoreceptors, etc. are discussed. Aspects related to device fabrication and patterning may also be addressed.

Design of MOS and bipolar analog integrated circuits at the transistor level, with an emphasis on the design of single-stage and multi-stage op amps. Related topics include biasing, compensation and noise will be covered. In addition, higher level analog and mixed analog/digital subsystems will be discussed, time permitting. Students enrolling in this course are expected to have a background equivalent to the material covered in ECE 242, formerly ECE 332.

Overview of basic physical processes in semiconductors and their interactions with thermal, radiant, mechanical, or chemical input signals. Review of microtransducer materials and technologies. Principles and operation of integrated thermal sensors (thermistors, thermopiles, active IC elements, pyroelectric devices), radiant sensors (optoelectronic, infrared and radiation sensors), magnetic sensors (Hall devices, magnetoresistors, magnetotransistors), (mu)mechanical sensors (piesoelectric and peizoresistive devices, flow sensors and resonant structures), chemical sensors (ion, gas and humidity sensors, CHEMFETs, biosensors, SAW devices), and micro-actuators ((mu)valves, (mu)pumps, (mu)motors). Overview or pertinent interface and modelling techniques.

Transistor-level design of circuits for wideband RF front-ends. An overview of 2G (GSM) and 3G (W-CDMA) standards and relevant radio architectures is presented, with key system specifications mapped onto circuit specifications. On-chip passive component design and simulation aimed at maximizing RF performance is discussed in detail. Circuit examples include: wideband preamplifiers and gain blocks, I-Q up/downconverters, voltage- and digitally-controlled oscillators (VCO/DCO), and power amplifier drivers. Design of circuit blocks for mm-wave frequency applications and RF testing, packaging and characterization are also discussed. Understanding of analog circuit design and semiconductor devices, and analog circuit simulation experience (e.g., SPICE) is required.

An introduction to the problems and algorithms that arise during the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) of digital circuits. Course emphasis is on the backend of the CAD flow such as algorithms for solving problems including: technology mapping, partitioning, floor-planning, clustering, placement, routing and physical synthesis.

Fundamentals of software requirement analysis, software development as an engineering activity, basic process models, software specifications, modularity, cohesion, coupling, encapsulation, information hiding, principles of object oriented design, software project management, quality assurance and control. Priniciples of Software Architecture: Fundamental software architecture styles, synchronous & as synchronous communication of software components. Languages for software design specification: UML (class diagrams, sequence diagrams, collaboration diagrams, state diagrams). Overview of verification and validation techniques. Maintenance, evolution and reengineering, configuration management. Software metrics, quality assurance, fundamental cost and effort prediction models. Trends in software engineering (e.g., model-driven development, agile approaches).

Introduces students to systematic testing of software systems. Software verification, reviews, metrics, quality assurance, and prediction of software reliability and availability. Students are expected to have programming experience with reading and writing code for large projects.

This course is concerned with the architecture, protocol and software aspects of mobile systems. The topics to be discussed include mobile communication and computing systems, supporting ad hoc networks, mobile network and transport layers, wireless application protocol, support for mobility, service advertisement and discovery in mobile systems, and emerging issues such as enviornment-aware software and low-power protocols and software.

Conventional approaches for tackling complex systems are usually implemented under the assumption of a good understanding of the process dynamics/functionalities and its operating environment. These techniques fail, however, to provide satisfactory results when applied to ill-defined processes (for which analytical and experimental modeling may not be easily obtained) that may operate in unpredictable and possibly noisy environment. Recent developments in the area of intelligent systems and soft computing have presented powerful alternatives for dealing with the behavior of this class of systems. This course outlines fundamentals of soft computing based design approaches using such tools as approximate reasoning, fuzzy inferencing, neural networks, evolutionary algorithms, and neuro-fuzzy systems. Fundamentals and advances on these procedures are outlined along with their potential applications to various real world applications in virtually most fields of engineering including pattern recognition, system planning, classification, power generation, intelligent transportation, systems and control, intelligent mechatronics, optimization, communication, robotics and manufacturing, to name a few.

Building large-scale and complex software systems from available parts with the goal of increasing return on investment, decreasing time to market, and assuring quality and reliability. The course covers the basic software component concepts, overview of advanced topics on software components and component-based software engineering from research and practice.

Discuss in detail the basic structure, functional characteristics and protection schemes of the main components that make up a powers system, in particular generators, transformers, transmission lines, cables, loads, HVDC and FACTS controllers. Understand the modelling and simulation of these components for detailed electromagnetic transients analyses, as well as phasor models for power flow and stability studies.

The course addresses all dimensions of Power Quality (PQ) issues including mitigation strategies. The focus is mainly on qualitative concepts and comprehensive coverage. The course introduces PQ definitions, limitations, related international standards and mathematical techniques for PQ analysis of power systems. Different identification, localization and classification techniques for PQ problems will be investigated. The various kinds of PQ problems and their effect on the load/system equipment will be looked at in detail. The mitigation strategies such as passive filtering, active and hybrid power filtering, static VAR compensation, DVR, UPQC, etc. will be investigated. Areas covered include voltage sags, interruptions, transients, flickers, harmonics and modeling and simulation of utility systems. The grounding imperfection as a major cause for PQ problems will be addressed in detail. Moreover, requirements and impact of distributed generation (DG) on network power quality will be studied in detail. Effect of DG on voltage regulation, relaying, losses, islanding and standards will be examined. Recommended Background: Basic understanding of modeling of power system elements and analysis techniques is required. Familiarity with a programming language and/or a simulation package such as EMTDC / PSCAD and MATLAB is desirable.

Power system protections schemes are designed primarily to minimize the duration of a fault as well as to minimize the number of customers affect by the fault. The scope of this course is to study the main elements and techniques for power system protection. The course is divided into two main parts; protective equipment and protective techniques. In the protective equipment; circuit breakers, relay, enclosures, fuses and isolating switches are discussed. Different protection techniques dedicated to protect feeders, transformers, generators and motors are discussed in the second part of the course. Recommended Background: Basic knowledge in power system engineering is required, basic knowledge in optimization techniques, statistics, and electric circuits.

The course deals in detail with power system operation and control in the deregulated electricity market environment. The topics include electricity market design and auction mechanisms, price formation, role of the independent system operator in pool versus bilateral markets, generation scheduling in deregulation, transmission pricing paradigms, congestion management, transmission rights, ancillary services procurement and pricing, and security management in deregulation. A highlight of the course is the country- specific information provided on various operational aspects of restructured power systems worldwide. Recommended Background: Basic understanding of power system engineering is required. Knowledge of mathematical programming is desirable.

This course deals with generation and measurement aspects of high voltages and industrial applications of high voltage engineering. The first part concentrates on generation of high voltage ac, dc and impluse voltages of both switching and lightning surges. Measurements techniques based on different types of potential dividers and spark gaps for ac, dc, and impulse measurements will be covered. The second part deals with generation and measurements of special types of high voltages needed for industrial applications. The course also covers non-destructive measurements like surface and internal discharges, capacitance and loss factor and some optical techniques. Recommended Background: Basic knowledge of circuit analysis and low voltage measurement techniques is required. Familiarity with electrical power system components is useful.

This course covers a wide range of topics in power electronics including: power semiconductor devices with emphasis on their operating characteristics, power converter topologies for ac-to-dc, dc-to-dc, dc-to-ac and ac-to-ac conversions, multi-converters and multi-level converters, control techniques in power converters, modeling of power converters, applications of power converters, converter design aspects (snubber circuits, gate/base-drive circuits, thermal management, series/parallel combinations of switches), and computer simulation of power electronic systems. Recommended Background: Basic understanding of circuit analysis and control theory is required. Familiarity with electric machinery and power systems is desirable.

FACTS controllers are studied in detail from the functional, structural and control points of view. The course concentrates on studying the most common thyristor-controlled FACTS controllers, in particular Static Var Compensators (SVC), Thyristor-Controlled Series Compensators (TCSC) and Thyristor Controlled Voltage and Phase Regulators (TCVR and TCPAR), and voltage-sourced converter controllers, specifically the Static Compensator (STATCOM), Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC) and the Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC). Detailed and approximate models for various control strategies and practical applications of these controllers are discussed. Recommended Background: Basic understanding of power electronic converters and power systems.

Extensive electricity utilization represents one of the hallmarks of a modern society. In this course, the basic cooncepts related to use of electric energy in various industrial applications and important issues related to such usage will be examined. The course also discusses issues related to economics of energy system usage and the concept of load management. The primary objective of the course is to provide students with the skills to understand the analytical methods and modern tools for solution of problems associated with utilization of electric energy in industrial sectors.

Grounding of power systems and equipment has great impact on system performance, system equipment integrity, safety of personnel as well as safety of the public at large. It acquires special relevance for distribution systems where grounding directly affects the reliability of supply to the customer, survivability of end-use equipment and safety of individuals. The main objectives of this course are - a) Discuss in detail the basic safety issues for low, medium and high voltage systems, b) Designing a reliable grounding system, c) Discuss the safety management and organizational structure and the human factor that affect electric safety.

Vast urbanization and increasing pressure to meet high demand in power delivery have resulted in a significant growth in underground cable network. In addtiion, underground cables being a critical asset group, any outages due to their failure will result in considerable service delivery and economic impact on the operation of distribution networks. Understand the basic dielectric theory, material properties and design details of underground cables and their accessories. Understand typical failure modes and their early detection of underground cable and their accessories. Discuss in detail various off-line and on-line diagnostic tests for condition monitoring of underground cables.

This course is intended to embrace power electronic aspects together with the broader issues of the systems of energy processing for emerging technologies. Within this framework, topics include performance, selection and optimization of power semiconductor devices including thyristors, GTOs, triacs, BJTs, MOSFETs, IGBTs and MCTs; classification, circuits and performance of converting circuits including rectifiers, inverters, choppers and cycloconverters; control and protection of conversion circuits; requirements and constraints of energy processing systems such as variable speed drives, high energy battery installations, transportation, solar and wind generators and industrial processes.

This course deals with the new emerging technology in high voltage engineering. It is divided into five parts. The first part of the course in a review of the basic fundamentals of high voltage engineering. The second part deals with the new techniques in partial discharge measurements. The third part of the course deals with measurements of charge distribution in solid dielectric. The fourth part of the course discusses the optical fiber based monitoring techniques of the high voltage high power equipment. The last part of the course deals with the application of high voltage engineering in power systems.

This course covers topics related to sustainable and clean energy resources; distributed generation and utility interfacing. The following topics are covered: Wind power generators; construction; operation theory, modeling and analysis. Wind turbine interfacing techniques with the grid. Photovoltaic energy sources; construction, modeling, loading characteristics and interfacing requirements. Fuel cells; types, construction, modeling and characteristics, operation theory and interfacing requirement. Distributed generation concept; Barriers to DG interfacing; Reactive power control applications using the DG interfacing; Ancillary services supplied by DG. System protection requirements with DG.

Selected topics from theory of solid insulation breakdown. Conduction process in insulating liquids. Hydro dynamic processes. Theories of breakdown due to gaseous inclusion, moisture inclusion and particle contamination. Kinetic theory of gases. Breakdown mechanism in uniform electric fields. Corona and breakdown in non-uniform electric fields. Compressed gas insulation.

Overview of optical properties of semiconductors and elements of plane wave propagation, theory and design of light emitting diodes, laser diodes, and detectors, optical spectra and transitions, spontaneous and stimulated emission, population inversion, carrier and optical confinements in heterostructures, quantum-well lasers, optoelectronic detectors, bandgap engineered graded structures, staircase type or superlattice structures for detectors, detailed quantum efficiency calculations and detector noise considerations, Introduction to monolithic integrated circuits.

This course introduces the fundamental concepts and the most recent achievements in physical realization of quantum information devices and systems in three platforms; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), quantum photonics, and superconducting electric circuits.

Analysis of two-dimensional linear systems, Scalar diffraction theory, Fourier transforming properties of lenses, Frequency analysis of optical imaging systems, Spatial filtering and optical information processing, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) - data processing, Wavefront-reconstruction.

Estimation theory, linear and nonlinear regression, numerical techniques for parameter estimation for static and dynamic models, the Kalman filter and extensions, stochastic approximation, empirical dynamic models - especially for linear sampled data systems with stochastic inputs.

Equilibrium points, linearization; second order systems; contraction mapping principle; existence and uniqueness of solutions to nonlinear differential equations; periodic solutions; Lyapunov stability; the Lure problem; introduction to input-output stability, introduction to nonlinear control techniques.

This course will help you understand the foundational principles of FPGA architecture, the compilation and CAD process for modern FPGAs, high-level synthesis with OpenCL, communication overlay fabrics, and design strategies and patterns for computational acceleration. In particular, we will explore topics of contemporary interest such as machine learning that can influence both (1) how we design FPGAs, and (2) how they can be accelerated using FPGAs.

This course covers the system level design of integrated circuits for wireless transceivers. Specific mixed analog/digital circuits such as: mixers, A/D and D/A converters (Nyquist rate and oversampled) for IF digitizing as well as switched capacitor filters for IF and baseband processing will be studied. Related Background: Basic knowledge of Analog Integrated Circuits.

The separation of models from the simulation engine. The interaction of models and the simulation engine. Basics of a simulation engine. Mathematical tools for modeling. Modeling using modern Analog Hardware Description Languages (AHDLs). AHDL applications to: large circuit simulation, efficient model development/verification, specialized simulators.

Principles of distributed computing; architectures and middleware; servers, processes, and virtualization; upper-layer network protocols, inter-process communication and remote procedure calling; concurrency, synchronization and distributed algorithms; dependable distributed systems and fault tolerance.

Models for concurrent programming; data programming; data parallel models for SIMD and MIMD computers; explicit, semiautomatic, and automatic approaches; data parallel compilers; software engineering issues such as program and data partitioning; task mapping and scheduling, concurrent program design, testing and debugging of concurrent programs, performance tuning, etc. Related Background: Basic exposure to programmin using C or Fortran, previous graduate or undergraduate course in operating system or concurrent programming would be helpful.

This course covers the concepts and theory required to understand, design, program, and analyze safety-critical software-intensive real-time systems (and how you get the most out of your deadline-constrained life). The course specifically covers the following topics: challenges and problems of modern embedded software, building blocks of embedded systems, software modeling and design, UML, UML/MARTE, the scheduled model, the synchronous model, worst-case execution time analysis, real-time scheduling theory, interrupt handling for real-time systems, safety analysis and argumentation, and system performance measurement and evaluation.

This course addresses all the dimensions of Power Quality (PQ) issues including mitigation strategies. The focus is mainly on qualitative concepts and comprehensive coverage. This course introduces PQ definitions, limitations, related international standards and mathematical techniques for PQ analysis of Power Systems. Different identification, localization and classification techniques for PQ problems will be investigated. The various kinds of PQ problems and their effects on load/system equipment will be looked at in detail. Mitigation strategies like passive filtering, active and hybrid power filtering, static VAT compensation, DVR, UPQC, etc. will be investigated. Areas covered include voltage sags, interruptions, transients, flickers, harmonics and modeling and simulation of utility systems. Grounding imperfection as a major cause for PQ problems will be addressed in detail. Moreover, the requirements and impacts of distributed generation (DG) on network power quality will be studies in detail. Effects of DG on voltage regulation, relaying losses, islanding and standards will be examined. Background Required - Basic understanding of modeling of power system elements and analysis techniques. Familiarity wit a programming language and/or a simulation package such as EMTDC/PSCAD and MATLAB is desirable.

This course provides an overview of the fundamentals and the recent research in the field of humanoid robotics. The course covers kinematics and dynamics, postural stability, control, gait and trajectory generation and inertial parameter estimation. Additional advanced topics in learning, human-robot interaction, manipulation and grasping are introduced.