Electrical Engineering's Identity Crisis

When does a vast and vital profession become unrecognizably diffuse?

By Paul Wallich
Posted 1 Nov 2004 | 5:00 GMT

Morethanacenturyago,electricalengineeringwasso
muchsimpler.Basically,itreferredtothetechnicalend
oftelegraphy,trolleycars,orelectricpower.
Nevertheless,hereandtheremembersofthatfledgling
professionwerequietlysettingthestageforanerain
industrialhistoryunparalleledforitsinnovation,growth,
andcomplexity.
Thatdecadeslongsagawaspunctuatedearlyonby
sparkgapradios,tubes,andamplifiers.WithWorldWar
IIcameradar,sonar,andtheproximityfuze,followedby
electroniccomputation.Thencamesolidstatetransistors
andintegratedcircuits:originallywithafewtransistors,
latelywithhundredsofmillions.Oilfilledcircuit
breakersthesizeofacottageeventuallygavewayto
solidstateswitchesthesizeofafist.Fromprogramson
punchcards,computerscientistsprogressedtoprograms
thatwriteprogramsthatwriteprograms,allstoredon
magneticdiskswhosecapacityhasdoubledevery15
monthsforthepast20years[see"ThroughaGlass

RETROFILEIMAGEMANIPULATION:RICHARD
TUSCHMAN

(/images/nov04/images/ee02.jpg)"].Intwoorthree
generations,engineerstookusfromshoutingintoa
handcrankedboxattachedtoawalltoswappingvideoclipsoveradevicethatfitsinashirtpocket.
Today,atitsfringes,electricalengineeringisblendingwithbiologytoestablishsuchdisciplinesasbiomedical
engineering,bioinformatics,andevenodd,namelessfieldsinwhich,forexample,researchersareinterfacingthehuman
nervoussystemwithelectronicsystemsorstrivingtousebacteriatomakeelectronicdevices.Onanotherfrontieroneof
manyEEsarejoiningforceswithquantumphysicistsandmaterialsscientiststoestablishentirelynewbranchesof
electronicsbasedonthequantummechanicalpropertyofspin,ratherthantheelectromagneticpropertyofcharge.
WhatEEshaveaccomplishedisamazingbyanystandard."Electricalengineersruletheworld!"exclaimsDavidLiddle,a
partnerinU.S.VenturePartners,aventurecapitalfirminMenloPark,Calif."Who'sbeenmoreimportant?Who'smade
moreofadifference?"

Butasthepurviewofelectricalengineeringexpands,doestheentiredisciplineriskakindofeffacementbydiffusion,like
aphotographthathasbeenenlargedsomuchthatitssubjectisnolongerrecognizable?Forthoseintheprofession,and
thoseatuniversitieswhoteachitsfuturepractitioners,thisisnotanabstractissue.Itcallsintoquestiontheveryessence
ofwhatitmeanstobeanEE.
"Irememberhearingthesamesortofwords20yearsago,"saysFawwazT.Ulaby,professorofelectricalengineering
andcomputerscienceandvicepresidentforresearchattheUniversityofMichigan,inAnnArbor.Indeed,twodecades
ago,inits20thanniversaryissue,IEEESpectrumrananarticledescribinghowthedrivetowardabstractionandcomputer
simulationwasreshapingelectricalengineering[see"TheEngineer'sJob:ItMovesTowardAbstraction,"Spectrum,June
1984].Breadboardsandsolderingironswereoutcomputersimulationsandotherabstractionswerein.
Ifanything,thevarietyofthingsEEsdohasactuallyincreasedsincethen.IfyouareanEE,youmightdesigndistribution
substationsforanelectricutilityorprocuremobilecommunicationssystemsforapackagedeliverycompanyorplanthe
upgradeofsprawlingcomputerinfrastructuresforagovernmentagency.Youmightbeaprojectmanagerwhodirectsthe
workofothers.Youmightreviewpatentsforanintellectualpropertyfirm,oranalyzesignalstrengthpatternsinthe
coverageareasofacellphonecompany.YoumightpresideoveracompanyasCEO,teachundergraduatesatauniversity,
orworkataventurecapitalorpatentlawfirm.
MaybeyouworkoncontractsoftwareinIndia,greenlaserdiodesinJapan,orinertialguidancesystemsinRussia.Maybe,
justmaybe,youdesigndigitalormoreandmoreimprobablyanalogcircuitsforaliving.Thentherearetheoffshoots:
fieldengineering,salesengineering,testengineering.LotsoffolksinthosefieldsconsiderthemselvesEEs,too.Andwhy
not?AsWilliamA.Wulf,presidentoftheNationalAcademyofEngineering(NAE),inWashington,D.C.,notes,the
boundariesbetweendisciplinesareamatterofhumanconvenience,notnaturallaw.
Ifyouraimistodefinetheessenceoftheelectricalengineeringprofession,youmightaskwhatallthesepeoplehavein
common.Perhapswhatlinksthemistheconnection,howeverindirect,betweentheirlivelihoodsandthemotionof
electrons(orphotons).ButissuchalinkessentialtodefininganEE?NottoUlaby.
"Engineerstendtobeadaptivemachines,"hesays.Eventhoughthere'slittleresemblancebetweenthedetailsofwhathe
learnedinschoolandtheworkhedoesnow,Ulaby,whoisalsoeditoroftheProceedingsoftheIEEE,hasnodoubtthat
hehimselfisanEE.

EngineersaredoinglessandlessdesignofcircuitsandgettingfurtherfromtheMESSINESSand
SATISFACTIONSoftherealworld
DavidA.MindelloftheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,inCambridge,saystheperceptionthatthefieldis
headingtowardunrecognizabilityisaconstant.(Thisassociateprofessorofthehistoryofengineeringandmanufacturing
alsodesignselectronicsubsystemsforunderwatervehicles.)Perhapsthebiggestchangetotheelectricalengineeringfield
occurredin1963,whenengineerswhoworkedwithgeneratorsandtransmissionlinesandengineerswhoworkedwith
tubesandtransistorsfinallyagreedthattheywereallpartofthesamediscipline.
ThatwastheyeartheAmericanInstituteofElectricalEngineers(AIEE),whosemembershipconsistedlargelyofpower
engineers,agreedtomergewiththeInstituteofRadioEngineers(IRE)toformtheIEEE.Inthe1980s,jokerswerealready
suggestingthattheIEEEshouldbecometheInstituteofElectricalEngineersandEveryoneElse.Then,asnow,many

observersworriedthatsuchmainstayspecialtiesoftheprofessionaspowerengineeringandanalogcircuitdesignwere
stagnating,whilealloftheinterestingprogresstookplaceattheboundariesbetweenelectricalengineeringandother
fields.
Forcedtochooseasinglecoreactivityofelectricalengineering,manytechnologistswouldprobablypickcircuitdesign,
inallitsvariousmanifestations.Itwouldn'tbeanythinglikeaunanimouschoice,ofcourse,butitwouldmakesensein
muchthesamewayasidentifyingsurgeryasthearchetypeofthemedicalprofession,say,orlitigationastheheartof
lawyers'work.Circuitdesignis,afterall,whatnonEEstendtoassociatewithelectricalengineering,ifonlyinavague
way.AndifaconnectiontomovingelectronsisafundamentalcharacteristicofanEE'soccupation,thencircuitdesigners
mustbecountedamongtheelite.
Bythatstandard,TomRiordanisanEE'sEE.Nowavicepresidentandgeneralmanagerofthemicroprocessordivisionat
chipconglomeratePMCSierraInc.,inSantaClara,Calif.,Riordanstartedhiscareerinthelate1970s,whencircuitdesign
waskinganddesigningyourownmicroprocessor,hesays,"wasthebeallandendall"ofanelectricalengineeringcareer.
RiordanhelpeddesignasinglechipsignalprocessoratIntelCorp.andcreatedspecialpurposearithmeticunitsatWeitek
Corp.Hethenplayedakeyroleindevelopingthedesignforthecentralprocessingunitofthesinglechipreduced
instructionsetcomputer(RISC)thatmadewhatwasthenMIPSComputerSystemsInc.acommercialsuccessintheearly
1990s.
Thatkindofdeeplytechnical14to16houradaywork,mixingintimateknowledgeofarchitecturalprincipleswiththe
intricaciesofsemiconductorlayoutrequiredtogetachipworkingatspeed,iswhatRiordanstillthinksofasengineering.
HedesignedafloatingpointunitforMIPSandoversawthearchitectureofacoupleofmoregenerationsofCPUsbefore
startinghisowncompany,QuantumEffectDevicesInc.,whereheguidedaboutadozenengineersoverthehurdlesof
creatingMIPScompatiblecustomprocessors.Ontheside,henegotiatedwithcustomersanddealtwithinvestorsand
investmentbankers.
AfterPMCSierraboughtQuantumin2000,RiordandroppedmuchoftheCEOsideofhisjob.Thisshift,hesays,gives
himroughlyonedayaweekofwhathecalls"realengineering"helpingtomakecomplextradeoffsinCPUarchitecture
orreviewingthenicetiesofyetanotherreductioninthesizeofachipfeature.Hemaynotgetintothesamelevelof
technicaldetailoneveryprojectasheoncedid,butheassertsthatknowingtheinsandoutsofnanometerscalecircuit
designisstillpartofhisjob.
Ofcourse,thedefinitionofhandsonhaschangeddrasticallyinthepast20or30years.Designersinthe1970sand
1980sstillbuiltprototypesoutofpartstheycouldseewiththenakedeye.Andwhenthoseprototypesdidn'twork,they
attachedoscilloscopeprobestosuspectpointsuntiltheyfoundthesourceoftheproblem.Thosedaysarefastbecominga
fondmemory.
Forthepast10or15years,atleast,"youcouldn'tdebugasystemintoworking,"saysJohnMashey,aformerchief
scientistatSiliconGraphicsInc.,inMountainView,Calif.Whenyou'rebuildingonsilicon,thefirstchipoutof
productionhasto"moreorlesswork,"headds,maybenotatthefullspeedorwithallthefunctionsintended.Butifthe
chipdoesn'tdomostofwhatitwasdesignedtodo,aprojectwilllosemonthsgettingtomarketwhilewaitingforanew
fabricationcycle.Sodesignnowmeansendlessroundsofsimulationandmodeling.Anddesignengineerseffectively
becomeprogrammersastheytypethe"sourcecode"representingtheircircuitsintothetoolsthatwillultimatelygenerate
alayout.

Wheredesignersoncebuilt,breadboarded,poked,andprobed,theynowsimulate.Andalmostallofthemodeling,
analysis,andsynthesisthatdesignersdo,Riordanpointsout,wouldbeunthinkablewithoutthenearlytwoordersof
magnitudebywhichcomputingpowerhasincreasedinthepastdecade.
AsMoore'sLawcontinuesitsrelentlessadvance,engineerswhobuildsystemswhetherchipsorboardsseemtobe
doinglessandlessactualdesignofcircuitsandevermoreassemblyofprepackagedcomponents.Circuitdesignersare
workingwithbiggerandbiggerfunctionalblocks,assemblingthemwithincreasinglypowerfultools,andgettingfurther
fromboththemessinessandthesimplesatisfactionsofworkingintherealworld.

IMAGE:BETTMANN/CORBIS

COLD WARRIOR
In1960,anelectricalengineerataRadioFreeEuropetransmittingstationinMunich,Germany,analyzed
broadcastsignals.Theworkwaspartofthesestations'constantstruggletobeheardoverSovietblocjamming
efforts,whichcostanestimatedUS$35millionroughlydoublethecostofrunningthestations.
Masheypointsoutthatforasystemonachip,orSOC,designersdon'tevenlayoutblocksofcircuitry.Insteadtheystitch
togetherCPUblocks,networkandvideointerfaces,cachememory,andotherpiecesofintellectualpropertyfrommultiple
vendorseachwithsoftwareinstructionsthathandlethedetailedinterconnectionstocreateacustomchipforasettop
box,atoy,orasmartrefrigerator.Designersmayputtogethercomplexsystemscontainingbillionsoftransistorswithout
everseeingaphysicalcircuittothedesigner,thechiporpopulatedcircuitboardismerelyacollectionoffilesstoredona
desktopcomputer.
Althoughsuchanabstract,projectmanagementstyleviewofengineeringmaybewhatthefutureholds,itcouldwell
leavecurrentgenerationsofengineersbehind.Sometechnologistshavealwaysembracedmanagementothers(suchas
Riordan)havetakenonmanagementtasksonlyreluctantly.Ifmanagingbecomeswhatengineersdo,mightavery
differentkindofpersonmakeupmostoftheengineeringpopulation?TheNAE'sWulfdoesn'tthinkso:hepolitelyscolds

hisinterviewerforparrotingtheoldstereotypeofengineersasgizmofocusedloners.Aslongasengineeringinvolves
usingtechnologytomakenewthings,heargues,that'swhatengineeringtypeswilldo,evenifitinvolvesworkthatlooks
likeacombinationofanthropology,marketing,andprojectmanagement.
Someengineeringschoolsanddepartmentshavebeenbowingtothesetrendsforyears.RosalindH.Williams,directorof
theMITPrograminScience,Technology,andSociety,helpedoverseetheinstitution'scurriculumretoolinginthesecond
halfofthe1990s.Shesuggeststhatassemblingpartsfromdisparatesourcesandcobblingtogetherabstractionsmakes
engineeringmoreakintoprojectmanagementthantodesign.SomeofthechangesinMIT'scurriculumweredesignedto
prepareengineeringstudentsformanagementrelatedcareers.Others,liketheadditionofbiologytothecorecurriculum,
respondtochangesintheworldwherestudentswillliveandwork.
Already,shesays,manyoftheroughlyonethirdofMITstudentswhomajorinelectricalengineeringandcomputer
science,orEECS,viewitasasortoftechnicalliberalartsdegreethatpreparesthemforawiderangeoftechnicaland
nontechnicaljobs.Indeed,afterearningtheirundergraduatedegrees,aboutaquarterofMITstudentsgodirectlyintojobs
infinanceormanagementconsulting.
Onecrucialproblem,Michigan'sUlabysays,isgivingstudentsasenseofthepotentialbreadthoftheirfieldwithout
sacrificingsolidtraininginitsfundamentals.Ittakestimeforstudentstoabsorbthemathematicalrigorassociatedwith
thematerial,hesays.Withdemandforbothabroadperspectiveandarigorousgroundinginaneverenlargingsetofcore
subjects,itisnotsurprisingthatthefouryearengineeringdegreeisunderpressure,asithasbeenfordecades.Wulf,for
example,statesflatlythatthefouryearengineeringdegreeshouldnotsufficeasafirstprofessionalqualification.A.
RichardNewton,deanoftheCollegeofEngineeringattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,proposesthatstudentstake
afifthyeartacklingrealworldproblemsfarfromhometoimprovetheirpracticalandculturalunderstandingoftheir
discipline'sroleinsociety.
Evenassomeschoolsandengineersembracegeneraliststatus,othersmustspecialize.Why?Simple:whocreatesthose
neatlypackagedabstractionsthatprojectmanagersassembleintofinishedsystemsattheclickofamouse?OtherEEs,of
course,workingasmoduledesignersandprogrammers.Theseengineersmustfocusontheminutiaeofaparticular
subdisciplinesay,thetimingcharacteristicsofaparticularfamilyofCMOSchipfabricationprocessesorthedesignofa
specialclassofdatabases.Thencomesthehardpart:packagingtheirknowledgeinaformthatnonspecialistscanuse
withoutworryingaboutallthedetails.
Ironically,asthevisiblefaceofcircuitsbecomesmoreandmoredigital,theiranalogfoundationbecomesmoreandmore
apparent.Ascircuitfeaturesshrinkbelow100nanometers,thequaintdesignruleabstractionsthatallowedengineersfor
themostparttoleaveasideleakagecurrent,parasiticcapacitance,andothermessyrealworldissuesnolongerhold,says
Riordan.Anyonewhodesignssystemsthatoperateathighspeedandlowpowerinthisnanodomainmustknow
quantumfieldtheoryandsolidstatephysicsaswellasalgorithms.Andmodulebuildershavetoworkhardertomaintain
thedigitalbehavior.

IMAGE:BETTMANN/CORBIS

HAVING A BLAST
Duringtheglorydaysofheavyelectricalequipmentdesign,almosthalfacenturyago,aGeneralElectricengineer
perchedinahangingchairasheadjustedaluminumspheresforahighvoltagetest.Thesimulatedlightningstrike
wascarriedoutonanew100000kilovoltamperetransformeratGE'smammothfacilityinPittsfield,Mass.
Suchdifficultiespointtothedownsideoftheentrenchedrelianceonpackages,encapsulatedexpertise,andabstraction.
ManyobservershavebeguntoworrythatEEsrearedonabstractionandoncomputersimulationsthatsimplyparrot
abstractmodelsmaylosetouchwiththebehaviorofrealdevices.FredG.Martin,alongtimeMITMediaLaboratory
researcherwhoisnowanassistantprofessorattheUniversityofMassachusettsLowell,tellsastoryofjusthowbrittle
abstractknowledgecanbe.OneofhisstudentscomplainedaboutMartin'slectureontransistors,fixatedonarulehehad
learnedinapreviouscourse,namelythatcollectorcurrentequalsbasecurrentmultipliedbygain.
AsmanyEEshavediscovered,atsomepointthisruleistrumpedbyOhm'sLaw,whichtellsyouhowmuchcurrentflows
throughacircuitwithagivenresistanceandinputvoltage.Butthestudent,whohadneverbuiltareal,workingcircuit,
wasreadytobelievethatMartin'sdiscussionofOhm'sLawwaswrongbecauseitconflictedwiththeshorthandrulehe'd
beentaughtaboutidealizedtransistors.AworkingEEwouldnevermakesuchasimpleerror.
BertSutherland,whoretiredin2000asdirectorofSunMicrosystemsLaboratoryafteracareerthatalsoincludedstints
managingresearchersatXeroxPaloAltoResearchCenter,expressesanotherconcernaboutwheretheincreasingreliance
onmodelingandsimulationmaybetakingengineers.Sure,Sutherlandsays,growingcomputerpowermakesiteasierto
modelphenomenathatarealreadyeasytomodel,but"thingsthataredifficulttomodelstaydifficult."

Asthetoolsthemselvesbecomemorecomplex,thetemptationtoavoidapproachesthataren'tamenabletoexisting
softwaremayincrease.Techniquessuchasasynchronouslogicoradiabaticclockdistribution(inwhichresonantcircuits
recapturemuchoftheenergyusuallydissipatedinsendingclockpulsesacrossachip)offersignificantimprovementsin
performanceorpowerconsumption,forexample,butthechipsaremuchhardertoanalyzethanonesinwhichthegates
aresynchronizedandallofaclocknetwork'senergyisdissipatedtoground.
ThesameadvancesthatledEEstobuildmorecomplexsystemsalsoallowsmallerteamsmaybeevenasingleengineer
tohandleprojectsthatinpreviousdecadeswouldhavecalledforahangarfullofmenwithsliderules,pocketprotectors,
andnarrowties.Thisincreaseinproductivityposesaconundrum,saysSutherland:youhavetohopethatthenumberof
projectscallingforengineeringtalentoutpacestherateatwhichEEsencapsulateandstandardizetheirknowledge,
makingfewerofthemnecessaryforanygivenproject.
MIT'sWilliamspointstothelongtermdeclineinU.S.studentschoosingengineeringasasignthatyoungpeopledonot
seeitasasecure,comfortablecareer[seesidebar,"StayCurrent,StayLucky,StayEmployed"].Between1987and2001,
theU.S.DepartmentofEducationreports,thenumberofelectricalengineeringbachelor'sdegreesintheUnitedStates
decreasedbymorethan45percent.
WithEEenrollment,employment,andsubjectmatterallinupheaval,companiesandeducationalinstitutionswillhaveto
makesignificantadjustments.Someofthemmayprosperbeyondexpectationsotherswillnotsurvive.
Wulfisoptimistic:hepointstotherapidrevampingofcurriculashortlyafterWorldWarII,whenEEsbuiltascience
basededucationalsystemthateffectivelyreclaimedtheirfieldfromthephysicists,whohadmadesomanykey
technologicaladvancesduringthewar.Wulfalsothinksthatknowingsomethingaboutelectricalengineeringcanbenefit
peopleinotherdisciplines.Forexample,hesays,acivilengineershouldknowenoughaboutdigitaldesigntobeableto
specifyhowabucketloadofradiofrequencyenabledstraingaugescanbeinstalledinabridgetoletthestructure
diagnoseitself.
FortheEEswhokeepupwiththepaceofinnovation,therideaheadwillbethrilling.Quantumbasedcryptographic
devicesarealreadyreachingmarket,andtheircomputingprogenywhichintheorycouldsimultaneouslycalculateall
possibleanswerstosomequestionsareinchingintoexistenceinlaboratoriesaroundtheglobe.Onthebiologyside,EEs
likeTomKnight,seniorresearchscientistattheMITArtificialIntelligenceLaboratory,areapplyingprinciplesthat
workedforchipdesignrulesandtheverylargescaleintegration(VLSI)revolutiontocreatestrippeddown
microorganismsthatcouldbebredtolaydownpatternsforultrasmallcircuitsmadeofsilicon,orwhatevermaterialcomes
next.
Indeed,biologywillreshapeelectricalengineeringinwayswecan'timagine.Neuralnetworks,geneticprogramming,
computerviruseseachofthesetookinspirationfrombiologicalphenomena,pointsoutKennethR.Foster,aprofessorof
bioengineeringattheUniversityofPennsylvania,inPhiladelphia.
"Duringthespanofmyowncareer,anewdiscipline,bioengineering,emergedfromelectricalengineeringandother
classicalengineeringfieldsandhastakenoffinthedirectionsoftissueengineering,genetics,proteomics,and
neuroscience,"hesays.WhatFosterreferstoas"thespectacularscienceinthesefields"willreshapethewaythatelectrical
engineeringispracticed.Forexample,EEsareborrowingtechniquesfromtheworldofmolecularbiologytoassemble
structuresthatcanbeusedasdisplaysorswitches,andtosimulateneurons.

"WeareusingVLSIchipstosimulatetheactionofneuronsandotherbiologicalcells,"explainsFoster'scolleague
KwabenaBoahen,anassociateprofessorinthePennbioengineeringdepartment.Boahenpointsoutthatabasicanalog
circuitdesignmodelingprogramsuchasSpicecansimulateneurons"justfine."
MoreEEsaregettinginvolvedwithneurobiology,Boahennotes,andbiologistsarehappytoworkwiththem."The
biologistsdeterminewhattheinnerworkingsofaneuronare,"heexplains."Theytellwhatthepiecesare,andI'lldesigna
circuittomimichowthesepiecesworktogether."BoahenhimselfisaprimeexampleofanEEwhomigratedtobiology.
Heholdsbachelor'sandmaster'sdegreesinelectricalandcomputerengineeringandadoctorateincomputationand
neuralsystems.
Soinsuchacomplexnewindustrialandeducationalecology,howwillwerecognizeEEs?Bytheirstance,Riordansays:
feetsquarelyplantedonterrafirma,butwithagazeouttowardthehorizon.MusingaboutwhyhebecameanEE,he
cheerfullyconcedesthathedidn'tcravepureintellectualexploration,asthebestscientistsdo.Nordidhehavewhatever
turnofbrainittakestomakefineart.Whathehadthen,andhasnow,is"thespecificabilitytodealwiththerealworldas
itexistsandcraftthingsfromit."Otherswithsimilartalentswillfindinelectricalengineeringaheadylifelongstimulus.
Riordanconcludes,"Ican'tthinkofamorefortunatepaththantheoneIfollowed."

AbouttheAuthor
PAULWALLICHisasciencewriterwholivesinMontpelier,Vt.

To Probe Further
TwohistoriesofelectricalengineeringwerepublishedbytheIEEEPressin1984.Oneofthebooks,Engineers&
Electrons,byJohnD.RyderandDonaldG.Fink,wasabreezyoverviewaimedatabroadreadership.Theother,The
MakingofaProfession:ACenturyofElectricalEngineeringinAmerica,wasamorescholarlyvolumewrittenbyA.
MichalMcMahon.
RosalindH.WilliamsoftheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyincorporatedpersonalreminiscencesandfamily
historyintoherbookRetooling:AHistorianConfrontsTechnologicalChange(MITPress,2002).