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simple. Power and ground. Check
the voltage on every node/pin. Don’t
assume anything. Once the basics/
bias checks out, start varying over
ranges. Do min and max input get
expected output? Then follow the
signal through the system.
What has been your favorite
project?
My favorite project was constructing
a horn antenna to be used at the
“Big Dish” on Stanford University’s
campus. The operating frequency
was 330MHz, so the horn was
about the size of a coffin. I soldered
copper clad pieces together and
built a wooden exoskeleton for
support. It was awesome to see the
mathematics come to life, to test the
antenna response in a warehouse at
SRI, and then to mount it on that big,
beautiful dish and see it work! Well,
it worked until a bird decided that
it was a wonderful place to build a
nest.
Do you have any note-worthy
engineering experiences?
I’m particularly proud of the Test
Development Engineering Program
I championed at San Jose State
University. After noticing that
electrical engineering students
were finding jobs as apps, test and
product engineers, I joined with a
team of folks from Agilent, National
Semiconductor, Teradyne and
Intersil to put together a program
to teach skills needed for these
areas. Students spent the spring
semester learning lab techniques
like measurement and soldering.
They designed a PCB to test an IC
and presented their work to a panel
from the supporting companies. In
the summer they had internships
with the sponsors. In the fall, they
returned to school and proceeded
in their work—this time on ATEs.
Along the way, they learned a
lot about the semiconductor
industry and where they would fit
in. Every student got a job. They
even nominated me for an IEEE
certificate of appreciation. Cool
stuff.
If I was to tell you some of the cool
things I work on now, it would break
customer confidentiality. Let’s just
The global work
force is adjusting
its footprint.
While it might be
advantageous to
use cheaper labor,
the time, cultural
and communication
differences are a big
stumbling block for
projects that span
multiple continents.
say that it’s fun to walk around Best
Buy and see all of the products that
use an IC from Intersil—especially
one of the light sensors.
How is academia different
than industry?
Huge difference. From the students
perspective, you learn a lot of
math in college. You can solve
KVL and KCL with Thevenin and
Norton equivalents. You can take
derivatives with respect to time
and to voltage. In industry, the
derivatives are with respect to cost
and to customer interest. It’s hard
to put those into matrices (yet MBAs
and economists do it all the time).
From a professor standpoint, you
are trying to get as many students
through the system as possible.
There is so much that could be
taught, but there are also so many
regulations about teaching (think
ABET accredited). Many professors
teach the same material because it
is approved. It’s a lot of work to put
a class together and it is too easy to
use the same material “one more
time”. Besides, the point of school
is to learn the basics, right? The
basics don’t change much. Still,
the motivation and end goals do
change. Our university classrooms
are not at the forefront of technology.
(One could argue that the research
labs at a university house the
forefront of technology. Yes, a ittybitty
slice of it.) Remember, though,
that engineering is growing and
changing every day. University
curriculums, therefore, must
theoretically teach more and more
each year. Students don’t stay in
school longer, so sacrifices have to
be made. Often that means tough
choices.
I, personally, prefer the “real world”
where the technological innovation
creates a product or device that
enables product differentiation or
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