ECE

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ECEs role in meeting societal challenges in the
21st century

• Pritpal (Pali) Singh
• Professor and Chairman
• ECE Department
• Villanova University
• Villanova, PA 19085
• pritpal.singh_at_villanova.edu
• [phone]

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UN Millenium Development Goals

1. End Extreme Poverty and Hunger
2. Universal Primary Education
3. Eliminate Gender Disparity in all levels of
   Education
4. Reduce by 2/3 under 5 mortality rate
5. Reduce by ¾ the maternal mortality ratio
6. Combat HIV/AIDs, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability
8. Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Source http//www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
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Relevant Areas of ECE

• Power
• Communications
• Computers and IT technology
• Biomedical devices
• ECE professionals

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General Areas where ECE technologies and
professionals can help

• Water efficient agriculture
• Improved health care
• Remote and distance education
• Economic development through IT training
• Power and communications infrastructure

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Example 1 Solar powered drip irrigation system
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Example 2 The Solar Suitcase
Improving maternal health care in Northern
Nigeria
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Using the Solar Suitcase in Nicaragua
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to charge cell phones
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Example 3 Rwandas Investment in IT Education
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Regional ICT Center of Excellence Rwanda
College of Engineering Carnegie Mellon
University ECE Department Heads Association
Meeting Presented by Ed Schlesinger March 14,
2010
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Rwanda The Country

• Population of about 10.5M people
• Not many natural resources
• Politically Stable and a visionary President
  (Paul Kagame)
• Total Government Budget about 1.5B/yr (50 is
  donor money)
• The government has embraced an expansionary
  fiscal policy to reduce poverty by improving
  education, infrastructure, and foreign and
  domestic investment and pursuing market-oriented
  reforms. (CIA World Fact book 2009)

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Project Background

• Connect Africa Summit in 2007
• Intent to create Five Regional Centers of
  Excellence (CoE) in Africa announced
• President Kagame laid claim to a Regional CoE
  in ICT
• President Kagames vision for the Regional CoE in
  Kigali
• Create ICT trained workforce to create Economic
  Development
• ICT trained workforce will attract IT companies
  (e.g. Google, Microsoft, IBM, etc)
• Opportunity to create ICT based start-ups
• Region needs ICT trained workforce for its
  infrastructure
• This is President Kagames project. He is
  personally involved and has made a commitment to
  make this happen.
• Project supported by Minister of Education,
  Minister of Finance, and other senior government
  officials

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Background Strategic Partnership

• Rwandas vision to stimulate economic development
  through technology and capacity-building
• Carnegie Mellons international experience in
  research and educational programs
• Carnegie Mellons strong industrial partnerships
  with companies such as Google, Apple, Sony, IBM,
  General Motors and BP

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Center of Excellence Structure

• Initial focus on Grad education in Information
  and Communication Technology (ICT)
• Professional MS degree programs in IT and/or ECE
  at the core of a multi-component design
• May be expanded to other programs in Engineering
  at a later date.
• Attract students from the entire East African
  region
• Innovation Incubator and Advanced Practical
  Training components to complement the core
  graduate programs
• CoE will operate as CMU inside and CMU
  outside
• CMU MSIT and/or ECE degrees to be awarded
• CMU will be responsible for hiring of faculty and
  staff and operating the CoE
• Infrastructure (academic building, dormitories,
  etc) to be provided by GoR
• Status
• 6 students admitted in F08 for MSIT degree in
  INI
• 1 student admitted for MSIT in F09, and 1 student
  admitted in CEE for PhD.
• Goal is 10-15 students a year in Pittsburgh for
  the next 3-5 years
• Continue to develop plans for the Regional CoE

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Example 4 Sustainable Energy Infrastructure
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Mountainous region of Nicaragua
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Rice Terraces in Ifugao, Philippines
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Microhydro in the Philippines
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Example 5 Using Cell Phones for Education
http//www.dimagi.com/ivr-mobile-education/
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One Laptop per Child Program
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Villanova Solar Electric Projects

• Health Clinic in Ilembo, Tanzania and maternity
• home in the Congo

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Villanova Solar Electric Projects (contd)

• Solar Applications in Nicaragua and Bali

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Summary

• Different areas in which ECE can help meet
  challenges of 21st Century
• Power
• Communications
• Computers and IT technology
• Biomedical devices
• ECE professionals