ECEDHA Northeast Conference at Columbia Highlights Engineering Innovations for Humanity

The Northeast regional meeting of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association (ECEDHA) brought together about 20 department chairs from institutions across the region to Columbia Engineering for an event focused on advancing education, research, and industry connections within the field. Held Nov. 8 to Nov.9 at the Department of Electrical Engineering, the agenda spanned topics from teaching innovations to strengthening regional alliances.

The event kicked off on Friday with a welcome dinner near Columbus Circle, setting the stage for an intensive agenda the next day. On Saturday, the program began with welcoming remarks from Columbia Engineering Dean Shih-Fu Chang. 

“I know all of us here have a shared mission to help cultivate the next generation of engineers and transform engineering education for the 21st century,” said Dean Chang. “The type of impact we hope to have cannot be done without collaboration. It’s at meetings like this where we can come together–to collaborate and share ideas.” Dean Chang also reflected on his experiences as a department chair 15 years ago, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities he encountered. He emphasized Columbia Engineering’s dedication to advancing educational and research excellence, while championing the vision of Engineering for Humanity.

Key Discussion Topics and Presentations

The morning sessions on Saturday highlighted innovative approaches to teaching and faculty development:

Peter Kinget, Bernard J. Lechner Professor of Electrical Engineering at Columbia kicked off the meeting by sharing insights into undergraduate labs and new approaches to instructional methods. His talk emphasized the need for hands-on learning environments and adaptable teaching models that prepare students for dynamic, technology-driven careers.

Colonel Kirk Ingold, director of the Electrical Engineering Program and a professor of electrical engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point, led a session on integrating generative AI into the curriculum and adopting novel teaching methods. Ingold’s presentation sparked discussions on departmental policies surrounding AI and its transformative role in education.

John Wright, associate professor of electrical engineering and vice chair at the Department of Electrical Engineering at Columbia as well as Ethan Benjamin Katz-Bassett, associate professor of electrical engineering , spoke about best practices in hiring and diversity, as well as two-career coordination strategies. They also highlighted the value of resources like the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) in building inclusive, diverse faculty teams.

After a midday break for lunch, attendees participated in tours of Columbia Engineering’s cutting-edge facilities, including Columbia Nano Initiative’s Cleanroom, Makerspace, and NSF COSMOS testbed led by John Kymissis, Kenneth Brayer professor of electrical engineering and vice dean of Infrastructure and Innovation at Columbia Engineering, as well as Gil Zussman, Columbia Electrical Engineering professor and department chair, showcasing the university’s role in pioneering research infrastructure.

The afternoon sessions continued to build on the theme of collaboration and resource sharing:

Professor and department head from the University of Connecticut John Chandy discussed experiences related to facility improvements, State support, and resource sharing across institutions, emphasizing the importance of well-equipped and advanced research infrastructure.

A panel featuring Kymissis and Harish Krishnaswamy, professor of electrical engineering from Columbia, as well as Siddharth Garg, institute associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at New York University Tandon discussed the CHIPS Act (The CHIPS & Science Act of 2022) and the related NYU’s innovative education programs. This session highlighted joint efforts to drive technological innovation through regional partnerships.

This ECEDHA Northeast meeting demonstrated the region’s commitment to collaboration, innovation, and leadership in electrical and computer engineering education, promising exciting advancements in the field for years to come.

The next meeting is expected to take place in 2025 in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Boston University.

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Special thanks to The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Head Association (ECEDHA) for promoting this event and to the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia for the financial support.

Read the original story here: https://www.engineering.columbia.edu/about/news/ecedha-northeast-conference-columbia-highlights-engineering-innovations-humanity