Moving Forward with Focus in a Professional Career by
N. Narayana Rao
Associate Head for Instructional and Graduate Affairs
December 2000

Outline
A.
Education and Career (3–12)
B.
Guiding Influences (13–19)
C.
Research Activities (20–30)
D.
Teaching and Textbooks (31–45)
E.
Service Record (46–75)
F.
Awards and Recognitions (76–89)
2

3

Education
B.Sc. (Physics)
University of Madras
D.M.I.T
(Electronics)
Madras
Inst. of
Technology
Came to
United States
M.S. (EE)
Univ. of
Washington
Completed
High School
Presidency
College, Madras
Madras
Inst. of
Technology
Madras
Inst. of
Technology UW UW
Ph.D. (EE)
Univ. of
Washington
1947 1952 1955 1958 1960 1965
4

University of Madras:
B.Sc. (Physics), 1952
5

Madras Institute of Technology:
D.M.I.T. (Electronics), 1955
6

University of Washington:
M.S. (EE), 1960
7

University of Washington:
Ph.D. (EE), 1965
8

Academic Career Prior to UIUC
Research
Teaching
RA, TA
Acting Instr.
Act. Asst. Prof
1955
MIT, India
1960
UW, Seattle
First
Journal
Paper
First
Conference
Paper
Began
Teaching in US
1965
9

1965 UI Offer Letter from E. C. Jordan
10

Academic Career at UIUC
Research
Assistant
Professor
Associate
Professor Professor
1965
1980
Teaching Service
Indonesia Graduate
Counseling
Office
Associate Head
1985
Books 1972 1977 1987 1991 1994 2000
2000
11

Certificate in Business
Administration, 1998
12

13

Guiding Philosophy:
Four Pillars of Excellence
F
O
C
U
S
EXCELLENCE
I
Z
A
N
A
T
O
R
G
I
O
N
I
N
N
O
V
A
T
I
O
N
R
S
H
I
P
A
D
L
E
E
B
Y
E
X
A
M
P
L
E
14

Guiding Philosophy:
Approach to Problem Solving
For every problem, there is not just a solution but a good solution.
15

Guiding Philosophy:
Approach to Working with People
 Most important thing in working with people is to treat them like people.
 Associate personalities with those of your family members, friends, etc.
 Treat people with the same respect and dignity you expect to receive from them
 Understand that no one is perfect.
16

Guiding Principles
From the Upanishads:
 Matrudevo bhava : Revere the mother as God!
 Pitrudevo bhava : Revere the father as God!
 Acharyadevo bhava : Revere the preceptor as God!
 Atidhidevo bhava : Revere the guest as God!
17

Among the Guiding Personalities:
William L. Everitt (1900–1986)




Head of the department
1944-1949
Dean of the College of
Engineering 1949-1968
During his tenure as head, the department more than doubled its size of faculty and students.
1984: named to IEEE’s
Centennial Hall of Fame as one of top two electrical engineering educators of the century
“I am an optimist rather than a pessimist. It is possible that the pessimists may be proven right in the long run, but we optimists have a better time on the trip.”
18

Among the Guiding Personalities:
Edward C. Jordan (1910–1991)
 Department head 1954-
1979
 Authored nine books, including the popular
Electromagnetic Waves and Radiating Systems , first published in 1950
19

20

Research Prior to UIUC
(1956–1965)



“Galactic radiation at 30 Mc/s,” Journal of
Scientific and Industrial Research , vol. 17A, pp.
54-56, 1958. (First journal publication)
“Lunar tidal variations in the ionospheric layers,”
M.S. thesis, University of Washington, 1960.
“Resolution of ionospheric valley ambiguity in true height computation using ordinary wave observations,” Ph.D. dissertation, University of
Washington, 1965.
21

UIUC Laboratory Affiliations
(1965–1980)
 Ionosphere Radio Laboratory (IRL)
– C. H. Liu, K. C. Yeh, and G. W. Swenson, Jr.
 Radiolocation Research Laboratory (RRL)
– Formerly Radio Direction Finding Laboratory and later
Radio Research Laboratory
– A. D. Bailey, J. D. Dyson, E. W. Ernst, and C. S. Gardner
22

First RRL Journal Publication

“Ray Tracing Investigation of Direction of
Arrival Observations of HF Radio Waves,”
Radio Science , vol. 3, pp. 796-802, August
1968.
 First scientific journal publication from
Radiolocation Research Lab since its inception as a postwar research program.
23

Geographical Layout of Radio
Direction Finding Experiment
24

Wullenweber Array
 Used in Radio Direction Finding Laboratory
 In operation 1955-1980
 Used 120 antennas and was 1000 ft in diameter
 Operated in frequency range of 4-16 MHz
25

Comparison of Ray-Tracing Results with Experimental Observations
26

Acoustic Waves in the Ionosphere
(Ionosphere Radio Laboratory)
 Journal of
Atmospheric and
Terrestrial Physics, vol. 31, pp. 539-545,
1969.
 Ionospheric electron content observations at three stations
27

Analysis for Traveling Ionospheric
Disturbance Characteristics
28

Analysis of Discrete Oblique Ionogram
Traces in Sweep-Frequency Sky-Wave
High-Resolution Backscatter
 Radio Science, vol. 10, pp. 149-153, 1975.
 Bistatic arrangement with transmitter located near
Lost Hills, CA, and receiver located about
185 km to the NW at Los
Banos, CA.
29

Analysis for Quasiparobolic
Layer Parameters
 f c
= 11.61 MHz

 h b
= 185.42 km y m
= 144.66 km
 D = 1448 km
30

D. Teaching and Textbooks
1960–2000
31

Courses Taught in the Following
Areas
 Circuits
 Electronics
 Signals and Systems
 Electromechanical Energy Conversion
 Electromagnetic Fields and Waves
 Transmission Lines
 Microwave Engineering
 Radio Wave Propagation
32

Electromagnetics Teaching
(Courses at UIUC)
 Redefined teaching of electromagnetics
– ECE 229: Introduction to Electromagnetic Fields
– ECE 350: Lines, Fields, and Waves
 Introduced new courses
– ECE 230: Computer Solution of EM Problems I
– ECE 349: Computer Solution of EM Problems II
– ECE 357: Microwave Devices & Circuits
– ECE 358: Applications of Radio Wave Propagation
– ECE 371: Microwave Communication
33

Authored Six Books
1972
1977 1987
1991 1994
2000
34

Basic Electromagnetics with
Applications (1972)
 Vector Analysis
 The Static Electric Field
 The Static Magnetic Field
 The Electromagnetic Field
 Materials and Fields
 Applied Electromagnetics
– Part1. Statics, Quasistatics, and Distrubited
Circuits
– Part 2. Electromagnetic Waves
35

Elements of Engineering
Electromagnetics , 1st ed., 1977


First book to break with tradition and be progressive
“A one-semester text in which the basic material is built up on time-varying fields and their engineering applications so as to enhance its utility for the one-semester student of engineering electromagnetics, while enabling the student who will continue to take further (elective) courses in electromagnetics to learn many of the same field concepts and mathematical tools and techniques provided by the traditional treatment” — from the Preface
36

Elements of Engineering
Electromagnetics, 1st ed. (1977)



Vectors and Fields
Maxwell’s Equations in Integral Form
Maxwell’s Equations in Differential Form
 Wave Propagation in Free Space
 Wave Propagation in Material Media
 Transmission Lines
 Waveguides
 Antennas
 Static and Quasistatic Fields
 Special Topics 37

Elements of Engineering
Electromagnetics, 1977–2000


1st ed. (1977) — First book to break with tradition.
2nd ed. (1987) — Expanded for two semester use. First book to incorporate software by including PC programs.


3rd ed. (1991) — More PC programs.
4th ed. (1994) — First book to add coverage on electromagnetic principles for photonics at introductory level.
 5th ed. (2000) — First book to organize chapters to reflect progression of major technologies based on Maxwell’s equations.
38

Elements of Engineering
Electromagnetics, 2nd ed. (1987)










Vectors and Fields
Fields and Materials
Maxwell’s Equations in Integral Form and
Boundary Conditions
Maxwell’s Equations in Differential Form and Potential Functions
Topics in Static and Quasistatic Fields
Uniform Plane Waves
Transmission Lines 1. Time Domain Analysis
Transmission Lines 2. Sinusoidal Steady-State Analysis
Waveguides
Antennas
39

Elements of Engineering
Electromagnetics, 3rd ed. (1991)










Vectors and Fields
Fields and Materials
Maxwell’s Equations in Integral Form and
Boundary Conditions
Maxwell’s Equations in Differential Form,
Potential Functions, and Energy Storage
Topics in Static and Quasistatic Fields
Uniform Plane Waves
Transmission Lines 1. Time Domain Analysis
Transmission Lines 2. Sinusoidal Steady-State Analysis
Waveguides
Antennas
40

Elements of Engineering
Electromagnetics, 4th ed. (1994)











Vectors and Fields
Fields and Materials
Maxwell’s Equations in Integral Form and
Boundary Conditions
Maxwell’s Equations in Differential Form,
Potential Functions, and Energy Storage
Topics in Static and Quasistatic Fields
Uniform Plane Waves
Transmission Lines 1. Time Domain Analysis
Transmission Lines 2. Sinusoidal Steady-State Analysis
Metallic Waveguides and Resonators
Electromagnetic Principles for Photonics
Antennas 41

Elements of Engineering
Electromagnetics, 5th ed., 2000
 Coverage reorganized to reflect progression of electromagnetic technologies.
42

Elements of Engineering
Electromagnetics, 5th ed. (2000)












Vectors and Fields
Fields and Materials
Maxwell’s Equations in Integral Form and Boundary Conditions
Maxwell’s Equations in Differential Form, Potential
Functions, and Energy Storage
Uniform Plane Waves and Power Flow in an
Electromagnetic Field
Field and Line Essentials for Digital Electronics
Transmission Lines for Communications
Topics in Electric- and Magnetic-Field Systems
Guided Wave Principles for Electronics and Optoelectronics
Several Topics for Electronics and Photonics
Principles of Radiation and Antennas
Topics in Numerical Electromagnetics 43

Elements of Engineering
Electromagnetics, Dedications
 3rd ed. (1991)
And Orange and Blue, this book is for you too!
You ain’t my alma mater, but does it really matter?
Take it from a loyal member, by chance your birthday sharer.
 5th ed. (2000)
In deep appreciation of the profound influence on my professional career by the late Edward C. Jordan (1910–1991), renowned author of the famous text book,
“Electromagnetic Waves and Radiating Systems,” first published in 1950 by Prentice Hall, and revered head of my department for 25 years (1954–1979).
44

Elements of Engineering
Electromagnetics, Impact


One of five EM textbooks (out of more than 100) noted for impact and longevity
– Ramo & Whinnery (1944, 1953); with Van Duzer (1965, 1984, 1994)
– Jordan (1950); with Balmain (1968)
– Kraus (1953, 1984, 1992); with Carver (1973); with Fleisch (1999)
– Hayt (1958, 1967, 1974, 1981, 1989); with Buck (2001)
– Rao (1977, 1987, 1991, 1994, 2000)
Usage 1977–2000
– Over 7000 students from UIUC alone
– Thousands nationwide and abroad
– Over 60 instructors at UIUC alone
45

E. Service Record
1965–2000
46

Service Prior to 1987
 Course Director, ECE 229, ECE 358
 Electromagnetic Fields Area Committee
 Curriculum Committee
 Research Committee
 Graduate Committee
 Graduate Admissions Committee
 Graduate Coordinator
47

International Consultancy, 1985–
1986
 Consultant at University of Indonesia, Jakarta,
Department of Electrical Engineering, under the
MUCIA-Indonesia World Bank IX Education
Project
– Developed new curricula for 1990s and beyond
– Planned for instructional laboratories
– Demonstrated instructional techniques
– Advised in planning for manpower
48

Associate Head of Department,
1987–Present
 Redefined job and streamlined ongoing activities over the years.
 Introduced new initiatives to meet the challenges.


Authored three books while serving as
Associate Head.
Presently in charge of “instructional and graduate affairs.”
49

Instructional and Graduate
Affairs – Organizational Chart
50

Breadth and Division of
Responsibilities
ABET
EC2K
Instr.
Affairs
Associate Head
Sub. for
Head of Dept.
Grad
Affairs
Misc.
Activities
51

Committees
Chair:
Member:
ABET Evaluation
Graduate Admissions
Curriculum
Facilities
Faculty Search
Graduate Student Recruitment
Promotions
Promotions Review
Scholarships, Student Awards, and Honors
Teaching Evaluation and Awards
Elections and Credentials (COE)
Teaching Evaluation and Improvement (COE)
52

ABET EC2000
 Web site: http://www.ece.uiuc.edu/abet
 Objectives
– Engaging the faculty and communicating with the constituents
– Documenting preparation for accreditation visit in Fall
2001
– Setting a model for large departments that involves full participation by faculty
53

Engaging ECE Faculty and
Communicating with Constituents in the Accreditation Process
54

ABET EC2K Process:
ABET’s Two Loops
55

ECE Process for Implementation of
EC2K: The Rao Chart
Mission,
Constituents,
ABET Criteria
UIUC ECE DEPARTMENT
PROCESS FOR
IMPLEMENTATION OF ABET EC 2000
PEO & Evaluation
Program
Educational
Objectives
(PEO)
Evaluate
PEO/Success
Programs
Faculty,
Curriculum,
Courses,
Facilities,
Inst. Support
Improve
Desired
Program
Outcomes
Indicators of Outcomes for Achieving
PEO Compare
Outcomes Assessment
Assess
Outcomes
Students
Course G & IO,
Instruction,
Activities,
Advising
Actual
Program
Outcomes
56

Administering Pop Quiz on
ABET EC2K to ECE Faculty
Pop Quiz on ABET EC2K
October 24, 2000 surprise!
57

Instructional Affairs
 All aspects of instruction other than undergraduate advising
58

Instructional Affairs
 91 faculty
– Bioengineering, Acoustics, and Magnetic
Resonance Engineering (6)
– Circuits and Signal Processing (15)
– Computer Engineering (17)
– Communications and Control(13)
– Electromagnetics, Optics and Remote Sensing (16)
– Microelectronics and Quantum Electronics (19)
– Power and Energy Systems (5)
59

Instructional Affairs (continued)
 1598 undergraduate students
– Electrical Engineering (791)
– Computer Engineering (807)
 429 graduate students
 472 degrees
– BS (328)
– MS (102)
– PhD (42)
60

Instructional Affairs (continued)
 18 undergraduate laboratory facilities
– 2 maintained by COE
 ~150 courses
– 26 laboratory
– 6 having laboratory component
– 60 at 400 level (graduate students only)
– ~20 special topics (271, 371, 497)
 Over 100 graduate teaching assistants (~40
FTE)
 40 undergraduate graders (~10 FTE)
61

World Class Undergraduate
Laboratories
 Students bring together theory and practice
– Chip fabrication, IC tester
– Digital signal processing
– Computer and control systems
– Optical systems and networks
 Open house held in 1993 for
ASEE Centennial Conference
 Big investment in students
62

Integrated Circuit Tester
 Donated by Hewlett-
Packard in 1999
 ECE is now a leader in
VLSI education


Integrated into five ECE courses
– Combined enrollment of
120 students
HP/Agilent employees also receive training through ECE
63

Graduate Affairs
 Graduate admissions
 Graduate recruitment
 Graduate assistants
 Graduate student fellowships and awards
 Graduate program
 Vision 2001
64

Graduate Admissions, Fall 2000
 1189 applications
 196 admissions with financial aid
– 89 acceptances
– Average GPA: 3.73/4.00
– Average GRE scores: 94% Q, 89% A, 75% V
 47 admissions without aid
– 29 acceptances
 243 total admissions
– 118 total acceptances
– 49% acceptance rate
65

Graduate Recruitment
 Graduate study opportunities get-together with juniors and seniors
 ECE faculty–provisionally admitted seniors dinner event
 COE minority prospective grad student recruitment
66

Vision 2001: Preparing ECE Graduate
Program for a New Millennium
 Recruitment
– Provisional admission for top ECE seniors
– Expanded three-year ECE Distinguished Fellowships to top seniors in ECE peer institutions
 Program Options
– Five-year BS/MS
– Flexible MS requirement
 Electronic Education
– Steve Franke appointed director of electronic education
– Create incentives for faculty to develop and use online resources
67

Vision 2001
68

Inspiring Faculty on Graduate Education
The Dilemma of Graduate Education and VISION 2001
My Dear distinguished ECE Colleagues
And respected pundits in your own fields
I am here to engage you on our graduate program
And impress upon you the urgent need for reform
To reiterate my emphatic utterances
In the past two weeks at area meetings
I say again graduate education is in trouble
Ironically because of the economic bubble
To counter that ours is a top-ranked department
Therefore, we are immune to this predicament
I declare, is like getting caught in the illusion
Banking on the myth of a rock solid foundation
For I assure you without a concerted attack
The rock solid foundation will surely crack
So, let me remind you all of VISION 2001
For us to agree upon as the attack in unison
While we may have our own preferences
In the matter of implementing the details
Think of you as riding the horse of VISION 2001
To conquer the dilemma of graduate education
Let us together go on the ride
By taking the steps in stride.
69

Substitute for Department Head

Department Heads’ Committee Meetings
 COE Administrative Committee Meetings
 COE Dept. Heads and Lab Directors Meetings
 Other Campus Activities (e.g., COE CEAB
Meeting)
 NEEDHA (National Electrical Engineering
Department Heads’ Association) Annual Meetings
 Other NEEDHA Activities
 Act for Head during prolonged absences
70

Demystifying ABET Criteria for
NEEDHA Members
 Engineering
Criteria 2000 formula vs.
Traditional
Criteria Formula
71

Miscellaneous Activities
 Student advisory committee
 Annual spring awards banquet
 Course director, ECE 229
 Teaching electromagnetics courses during summer
 Developing course materials on the Web
 Revising textbook
72

Teaching Electromagnetics to
Undergraduates
73

Motivating Students for Studying
Electromagnetics
The Relevance of EM and EMantras
To My Dear ECE 229 Student
Whether by design or accident
You might be wondering why you should study EM
Okay, let me tell you about it by means of a PoEM
First you should know that the beauty of EM
Lies in the nature of its compact formalism
Through a set of four wonderful EMantras
Familiarly known as Maxwell's equations
They might be like mere four lines of mathematics to you
But in them lie a wealth of phenomena that surround you
Based on them are numerous device
That provide you everyday services
Without the principles of Maxwell's equations
Surely we would all have been in the dark ages
Because there would be no such thing as electrical power
Nor would there be electronic communication or computer
Which are typical of the important applications of ECE
And so you see, EM is fundamental to the study of ECE
Whether by design or accident
My Dear ECE 229 Student.
74

Using Potatoes to Teach
Maxwell’s Equations d S
1 d S
2
S
1
C
S
2 potato rubber band

C
H • d l  
S
1
J • d S
1
 d dt

S
1
D • d S
1

C
H • d l  – 
S
2
J • d S
2
– d dt

S
2
D • d S
2
 d dt


S
1
S
1
J • d S
1
D • d S
1
 d
 dt d dt

S
1

S
2
D • d S
1
D • d S
2
 – 
S
2
J • d S
2
 – 
S
1
J • d S
1
– d dt

S
2
D • d S
2
– 
S
2
J • d S
2
75

F. Awards and Recognitions
76

Teaching and Education-Related
Awards and Recognitions










First TANA Award in Engineering (1983)
University of Indonesia Plaque (1986)
COE Everitt Award (1987)
IEEE Fellow (1989)
UIUC Campus Teaching Award (1989)
First UIUC Campus Oakley Award (1989)
COE Halliburton Award (1991)
AT&T Foundation Award (1991)
IEEE Undergraduate Teaching Award (1994)
TANA Excellence in Education Award (1999)
77

TANA Award in Engineering
(1983)
78

University of Indonesia Plaque
(1986)
79

College of Engineering
Everitt Award (1987)
80

IEEE Fellow Award (1989)
81

UIUC Campus Teaching Award
(1989)
82

College of Engineering
Halliburton Award (1991)
83

AT&T Foundation Award (1991)
84

IEEE Undergraduate Teaching
Award (1994)
85

IEEE Undergraduate Teaching
Award Medal (1994)
86

TANA Excellence in Education
Award (1999)
 First Telugu American to receive two awards from TANA (Telugu
Association of North
America).
 Over 75 million Teluguspeaking people worldwide.
87

Administration-Related Award:
Boss of the Year Award (1998)
88

Boss of the Year Award, Criteria
 Perform his/her duties well and enthusiastically support UIUC and its programs
 Routinely show consideration and support of others—staff, colleagues, students, and visitors to office/campus
 Perform courtesies beyond his/her daily responsibilities
 Exhibit other qualities that exemplify good leadership and organizational abilities
89

90