Chair, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (1987)
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The CSUS Optical Engineering Program |
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To EEE Faculty
To Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Background Information
S. K. Ramesh joined
the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at California
State University, Sacramento, in 1987, where he is now Professor
and Department Chair. He is responsible for developing the Optical
Engineering curriculum at CSUS and has received many awards for
outstanding teaching and curriculum development, including the
1992-93 Outstanding Teacher Award in the School of Engineering and Computer Science
at CSUS. Ramesh is a Senior Member of IEEE; President of the
CSUS SIGMA XI Club; and serves the IEEE at the University, Section,
Region and Society levels.
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Outstanding Teaching Award, California State University, School of Engineering, 1992-1993. Inaugural recipient of the award designed to affirm the primacy of teaching in the University.
Outstanding Faculty Award in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (l988-89,1989-90 and 1996-97)), Tau Beta Pi, CSUS.
Meritorious Performance and Professional Promise Award, Teaching Performance and Curriculum Development, CSUS, 1988.
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Developed the Optical Engineering curriculum at CSUS which includes three undergraduate courses in Optical Engineering and two graduate courses in Lasers and Fiber Optics. Established an Optical Engineering Laboratory with support from the NSF, the University and private industry. All courses have been offered at least once a year since their inception in 1988. Additional responsibilities include supervision of graduate thesis work and undergraduate research in Optical Engineering. Also taught courses in the Communications Engineering, Electronics Design and Circuits areas.
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EducationPh.D., Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, August l986.
Dissertation: Modeling and Simulation of Coherent Lightwave Communication Systems
M.S., Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, August l983.
Thesis: Multi-Key Cryptography
B.E., (Honors), University of Madras, India, May 1981.
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Class
Schedule and Office Hours
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The Optical Engineering Curriculum at CSUSINTRODUCTION
Engineering curricula are dynamic and have to strike a balance between many aspects including understanding of concepts, knowledge of facts, and acquisition of skills in analysis, design and communication. Simultaneously, the quality of engineering education needs to be evaluated and improved for our graduates to be competitive in the global arena. This paper examines the role of research in engineering education. A common theme in every engineer's education is the emphasis on problem solving and creativity. Research, especially at the undergraduate level, emphasizes the role of the engineer as a problem solver. The Optical Engineering curriculum at CSUS includes a strong research component. Our experiences suggest that undergraduate research has a major impact on the education of our students and should be actively pursued as we seek to revitalize the curriculum.
ENGINEERING EDUCATION AT CSUS
CSUS is the sixth largest of the 20campus California State University system. A comprehensive university with a multiethnic population of over 24,000 students, CSUS was founded in 1947. Bachelor's degrees are offered in 73 fields, and master's degrees in 57.
The School of Engineering and Computer Science, one of five schools within CSUS, has an enrollment of 1925 undergraduates and 501 graduates, taught by 83 fulltime faculty. The School has ABETaccredited undergraduate programs in civil engineering, electrical and electronic engineering (EEE), computer engineering, mechanical engineering, construction management, and mechanical engineering technology. The School also offers master's degree programs in civil engineering, EEE, mechanical engineering, and computer science. A modern, fiveyearold, 55,000square foot, fivestory building houses these programs. The School awarded 552 BS degrees and 175 MS degrees in 199293.
The EEE Department, with 19 fulltime faculty members, has 399 undergraduate and 94 graduate students. The programs in the EEE Department emphasize a practical approach to engineering with close facultystudent involvement. Lecture classes are limited to 30 students and all laboratory classes are taught by faculty members. There is a strong commitment to laboratory work: five laboratory courses are required for graduation and a mandatory senior design project requires a significant amount of additional independent work.
The Optical Engineering Curriculum
The Optical Engineering curriculum at CSUS consists of lecture and laboratory courses in Optical Engineering, Lasers, Fiber Optic Communications and ElectroOptics. A research term paper is required in all the lecture courses. Students follow IEEE standards and write a paper on a topic of their choice in Optical Engineering and make oral presentations to their peers at the end of the semester. The problems are unique and open ended and the whole exercise enables them to formulate and define a problem, research it thorougly, consider alternate approaches and arrive at an optimal solution.
Dedicated laboratory courses are critical to effective optical engineering instruction. A 1990 grant from the National Science Foundation under its Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement (ILI) Program for our project ("Laboratories in ElectroOptical Engineering and Fiber Optics at CSUS") permitted the implementation of two such courses. The University matched the ILI grant as the guidelines required, and generous equipment donations from companies such as the Grass Valley Group, Newport Corporation and ILX Lightwave Corporation provided additional support. Other companies, notably HewlettPackard, lent instrumentation (e.g., an HP 71400C Lightwave Signal Analyzer and an HP 8702 Lightwave Component Analyzer) for summer use.
The School of Engineering & Computer Science remodeled a room to suit the requirements of the NSF project and established a dedicated Optical Engineering Laboratory (ENGR 1108) that occupies over 700 square feet. We have on hand two optical benches, several low power helium neon lasers, a tunable helium neon laser, semiconductor lasers, photodetectors, four fiber optic kits, optical power meters, a Spiricon laser beam analyzer and a Burleigh spectrum analyzer. The laboratories provide engineering students with valuable experience in hands on engineering and team work. Collaborative projects encourage students to question and experiment and strengthen the learning process. Students from these classes have participated and won awards at research competitions sponsored by the CSU System and IEEE.
Lecture courses include EEE 165 Optical Engineering, an introductory undergraduatelevel course; and graduatelevel courses in Laser Electronics (EEE 215) and Fiber Optic Communications (EEE 267), also available to seniorlevel undergraduates. EEE 165 is a broad survey course that covers the generation, propagation and detection of light and provides an introduction to optical communication systems, integrated optical devices and optical instrumentation. Prerequisites include our junior level courses in electromagnetics and linear systems. Students in EEE 165 perform experiments on the polarization and modulation of an optical beam. EEE 215 covers the general characteristics and design of CW, Q switched and traveling wave lasers. Students in this course use an optical spectrum analyzer in conjunction with a laser beam analyzer (Spiricon LBA 100) to analyze the evolution of mode structures in lasers and observe changes to the beam profile. The beam analyzer allows the students to compare the observed profiles with theoretical elliptical and Gaussian profiles. The fundamentals of modern lightwave communication systems are presented in EEE 267. Students in this course measure basic parameters such as the numerical aperture and the attenuation of optical fibers and construct and evaluate the performance of a simple lightwave communication link.
The Research Term Paper and Presentation
The goal is to enable students to write a research term paper on a relevant topic in the area of Optical Engineering Design and present an oral report to the class at the end of the semester. The paper may represent original work (actual hands on design) or library research. The paper and presentation account for 25 % of the student's grade in the class.
For many undergraduate students this is their first experience in writing a technical research paper. Students are required to submit a one page proposal for their term paper by the end of the third week of the semester. In order to help them in their choice of a suitable topic for their paper and also to provide feedback at various stages of the preparation of the paper, they are required to turn in progress reports at specified times during the semester. These are not as formal as the final paper itself. However they are required to be typed and perhaps limited to about a page in length. Students are also encouraged to meet with the instructor individually and discuss the problems encountered during the research.
Students briefly describe the work in progress, identify specific problems that were encountered, discuss their current approach or methodology and list references (not more than 5 per progress report). At the end of the semester, student presentations are scheduled in a conference like setting. These presentations are critiqued and evaluated by their peers, guests from industry and the instructor. The critique sheets are distributed to the respective participants following the presentations and provide them with tips and encouragement for improvement when necessary.
Assessment and Impact on Students
In addition to mandatory end of term student evaluations, a mid-term evaluation is conducted to assess student reaction to the course and their expectations. Most of the undergraduate students respond positively and enthusiastically to the research paper requirement. Comments include "A lot of work... but well worth it," "I have found the research and speaking experience from your classes very valuable as an Electronics Engineer and particularly for preparation for continued study at the graduate level. Assignments of this type help students develop independence and allow in-depth focused study typically not required in undergraduate courses," "The presentations given in a professional symposium atmosphere, where engineers from industry are invited to attend, prepares the students for the professional engineering environment, often cliched as the "real world." I also use the same techniques to make presentations at my work," "Engineering is always changing; it is the instructors' duty as well as the students' to keep up with the technological advances. The research paper requirement in EEE 165 is a case in point." On the other hand, a few students found the requirements excessive, especially those who were not used to performing independent study. Typifying this group is the following comment from a student: " I really think the instructor required too much from the students. Taking one class from him is like taking two classes from normal instructors." Overall, the research component helps stimulate and sustain student interest in Optical Engineering and leads to improved teaching and learning.
The considerable student interest in optical engineering is evidenced by the quality of student research papers [1] - [4] and student design contest entries. Our students have won prizes and awards at contests sponsored by CSU and IEEE. In just the past two years, student Tim Jackson, placed first in the 1993 IEEE Central Area Region 6 Student Paper contest for his work on FSK modulation of 1300 nm semiconductor lasers; another first prize winner, Arpad Muranyi, will represent the Central Area at WESCON 94, with his paper, "The Effects of Clamping Diodes on Signal Integrity." Muranyi also took first place with "ISDN Digital Modem & LAN/WAN Router," in the 1994 IEEE Region 6 Central Area Student Design Contest. Optical engineering and fiber optic communications now occupy an important role in the electrical engineering curriculum-one which we feel is certain to increase.
The courses in the Optical Engineering Curriculum are offered at least once a year, either in the Fall or Spring semesters, and have a combined enrollment of about 60 undergraduate and graduate students. Approximately 12 students a year are engaged year-round in independent projects. Thirteen EEE students with an optical engineering specialty graduated in 199293 (9 BSEEE, 4 MSEEE); the l99394 estimate is 22 graduates (17 BSEEE, 5 MSEE).
Conclusion
As optical technology continues to grow to the point where devices built around light beams become virtually indispensable, so too will student interest in this area. The curriculum at CSUS has already attracted many students to optical engineering and has made them aware of the increasing potential of the field and the opportunities that are available in industry, R&D and academia. Our curriculum will be measurably altered by the research component, especially in the laboratory courses, to provide a much better balance of theory and applications.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This work was partially supported by the National Science Foundation through the Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement Program with grant # USE-9051859.
REFERENCES
[1] S. K. Ramesh and M. A. Wright, "A Novel Circuit Model of a Traveling Wave Optical Amplifier," Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, pp. 131, October 1989.
[2] S. K. Ramesh and Thomas D. Smith, "Design and Evaluation of Optical Switching Architectures," Proceedings of SPIE's OE/Aerospace Sensing Conference on Electro-Optics and Signal Processing, Vol. 1474, April 1991.
[3] S. K. Ramesh and Hung Phuong, "Spectrally Efficient Optical Communication Systems," Proceedings of the IEEE Pacific Rim Conference on Computers, Communications and Signal Processing, Vol. 1, pp. 91-94, May 1991.
[4] S. K. Ramesh and Michael Fujita, "Relative Intensity Noise Reduction in an RF Fiber Optic Link," IEEE LEOS Annual Meeting, LEOS 91 Conference Digest, pp. 17, November 1991.
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PublicationsS. K. Ramesh, "Fiber Optic Communication," a textbook for undergraduate and first year graduate students, John Wiley Publishing, Inc., (UK) (in progress: expected date of publication 2004).
S. K. Ramesh, Rosemary Papalewis, Ric Brown and Jim Fritch, "Power Up Your Classroom," Proceedings of Deans Summit II: Fostering Campus Collaborations, www.ieee.org/eab/fcc, IEEE Educational Activities Board, Miami, January 10, 2003.
S. K. Ramesh and Herb Tanzer, "Design and Performance of a Lightwave Data Storage Network using computer analysis and simulation," Invited Chapter (57 pages) in Optical Switching/Networking and Computing for Multimedia Systems, Marcell Dekker Publishing, ISBN 0-8247-0707-9, 2002, Editors: Mohsen Guizani and Abelaa Battou.
S. K. Ramesh, "California State University, Sacramento - Defense Microelectronics Activity: An Educational Partmentship Agreement," Invited Poster Paper at the Innovation and Commercialization of University Research (ICUR) Conference, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, February 5-7, 2002.
S. K. Ramesh, Andrew Lindsay and Michael J. Fujita, "Experiments from Optical Engineering and Robotics for a pre-engineering program," Proceedings of the 31st IEEE Fontiers in Education Conference, Session T2A, Pages T2E-5-10, Reno, October 2001.
S. K. Ramesh and Cici Mattiuzzi, "Closing the loop: Industry Site Visits for Program Outcomes Assessment," Proceedings of the 31st IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Session T2A, Pages T2A7-10, Reno, October 2001.
S. K. Ramesh, Michael J. Fujita, Preetham Kumar, Andrew Lindsay, Steven de Haas and Elizabeth-Gillis Raley, "An Interactive Workshop for High School Teachers to Develop and Teach Pre-Engineering Curricula," Session 2793, Proceedings of the 2001 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Albugquerque, NM, June 2001
S. K. Ramesh, "Physical versus Virtual Laboratories in Electrical Engineering: Current Status and Future Directions," National EE Department Heads Association (NEEDHA) Annual Meeting, San Diego, March 17, 2001.
S. K. Ramesh,"Introduction to Engineering: Attract Students and Strengthen the Pipeline," Proceedings of the IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Paper 13d7-1, San Juan, November 99.
S. K. Ramesh and Kuo-Chu Wong,"Design and Fabrication of a Fiber Bragg Grating Temperature Sensor," Proceedings of the SPIE Conference on Integrated Optics Devices III, Vol. 3620, pp 338-344, San Jose, Jan. 99.
S. K. Ramesh, "Enhancement of the Optical Engineering Curriculum at CSUS through the Sacramento Technology Coalition," Proceedings of the 1994 ASEE / PSW Conference: Delivering Technical Education in the 21st Century, pp.233 - 238, October 1994.
S. K. Ramesh, "The Optical Engineering Curriculum at CSUS," IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Session 5B6, San Jose, November 1994.
S. K. Ramesh, "Engineering Education at the Crossroads: The Role of research in undergraduate institutions," Invited Presentation at the University Association of Research Scholars, Sacramento, October 1993.
S. K. Ramesh and Michael Fujita, "Relative Intensity Noise Reduction in an RF Fiber Optic Link," IEEE LEOS Annual Meeting, LEOS 91 Conference Digest, pp.17, San Jose, CA , November 5, 1991.
S. K. Ramesh and Thomas D. Smith, "Design and Evaluation of Optical Switching Architectures," Proceedings of SPIE's OE/Aerospace Sensing Conference on Electro-Optics and Signal Processing, Vol. 1474, April 1-5, 1991.
S. K. Ramesh and Hung Phuong, "Spectrally Efficient Optical Communication Systems," Proceedings of the IEEE Pacific Rim Conference on Computers, Communications and Signal Processing, pp. 91-94, Vol.1, May 9, 1991.
S. K. Ramesh and M. A. Wright,"A Novel Circuit Model of a Traveling Wave Optical Amplifier," Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics,pp.131) October l989.
S. K. Ramesh, "Optical Amplifiers in Lightwave Systems," University Association of Research Scholars, CSUS, October l989.
S. K. Ramesh and C.A. Goben, "Laser Modeling and System Design Issues in Long Haul Coherent Optical Communications," Proceedings of MONTECH '86, IEEE Conference on Antennas and Communications, pp. 289-293, September 1986.
S. K. Ramesh and C. A. Goben, "Receiver Modeling for Coherent Lightwave Communications," Proceedings of SPIE, Society of Photo Optical and Instrumentation Engineers, Conference on High Frequency Optical Communications, Vol. 716, pp. 148-152, September l986.
S. K. Ramesh and C. A. Goben, "Solitons in Coherent Lightwave Communications," Proceedings of the 29th Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems, pp. 60-62, El Seivier Science Publishing Company, l987.
S. K. Ramesh, V. Aalo and C. A. Goben, "Dolph Chebyshev Technique to Control Far Field Lobe Widths of Phase Locked Injection Laser Arrays," Proceedings of ICALEO '85, International Congress on the Applications of Laser and Electro-Optics, February 1986.
S. K. Ramesh, C. A. Goben, V. Aalo and O.Ugweje, "Modeling and Evaluation of Intersymbol Interference (ISI) in Coherent Optical Communications," Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 586, pp. 32-40, August l985.
S. K. Ramesh, "Characterization and Evaluation of Intersymbol Interference (ISI) in Digital Fiber Optic Communications," Proceedings of ICALEO '84, Vol 46, p. 10-17, February l985.
S. K. Ramesh, "Modeling and Simulation of Coherent Lightwave Communication Systems," Ph.D. Dissertation, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, TX-02-098-948, Library of Congress Catalog and University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, August 1986.
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ResearchS. K. Ramesh, "Characterization and Performance Evaluation of Digital Lightwave Communication Systems," ORDA Special Research Program Progress Report #2-11533, July 1986.
S. K. Ramesh, " Design of Optical Repeaters for Coherent Lightwave Communication Systems," ORSP Final Report, Grant #6259, Hornet Foundation, CSUS, August 1989.
S. K. Ramesh, " Novel Switching Architectures for Optical Computing," ORSP Final Report, Grant #6287, Hornet Foundation, CSUS, August 1990.
S. K. Ramesh, "Spectrally Efficient Modulation Schemes for High Data Rate Coherent Optical Communications," Final Report for Summer Fellowship Grant, August 1990.
S. K. Ramesh, " Design of Phase Locked Loops (PLL's) for Binary FSK Lightwave Communication Systems," Office of Research and Sponsored Projects, Final Report, September 92)
S. K. Ramesh, "Design of Broadband Lightwave Video Transmission Systems," Office of Research and Sponsored Projects, Final Report, September 1993.
S. K. Ramesh, "Spatial Filtering for High Performance Laser Profilometers," 1992 Summer Fellowship Program, Final report, September 92.
S. K. Ramesh, "Design of Omnidirectional Optical Data Communication Systems," Office of Research and Sponsored Projects, Final Report, September 94.
S. K. Ramesh, "Coherent Lightwave Tranceivers Using Low Power Laser Diodes," Office of Research, Final Report, September 1995.
Membership in Professional and Scientific SocietiesSenior Member IEEE (Lasers and Electro Optics, and Education).
SIGMA XI, PHI BETA DELTA, and the OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA (OSA)
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Grants
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