Hey, lets think about this for a minute. Do we really want this “black magic” stuff we do for a living to be better taught in universities? Lets face it, we have a good thing going here and we don’t need some greenhorn engineer thinking he knows more about it than we do. As mentioned earlier, this job is more experience and technique than science and Engineers can’t fix EMC problems by doing a few equations in their office. While an engineer is trying to program some ICE simulation, I walk in, snap on a few ferrite beads and some copper tape and I’m a freakin genius. Then I collect my massive paycheck and go home early. EMC Engineers are special. A good one is hard to find and worth their huge paychecks. So let’s not give in all away like those guys on the Fox Network who reveal how magic tricks are done.
Lets face it, engineers do not want to know or understand this EMC stuff for they have enough to try and remember. When I started working here 12 years ago I setup a series of in-house seminars which the engineers slept through. It didn’t change a single thing. So now I don’t even try to teach them my job, just to know when to call me in and save the day (isn’t it like that where you work?). The best EMC engineers and technicians I know where not taught in school, but had been mentored by an older experienced EMC engineer. Like a magician passing on his secretes to his apprentice. I was blessed to know and work with Bud Lang and Dar Evens (Heath Kit ham radio engineers) and sit in the audience of seminars presented by true pioneers in the trade such as Herb Martel, Don White, Ron Brewer, Don Sweeney, (the list goes on and on). I’m been doing this for nearly 25 years and back in the day everyone knew everyone in the biz. It didn’t matter who you were or who you worked for; we worked together to figure it out; we shared information with one another (like this email group), and we went to every seminar or trade show we could but learned more during the bull sessions afterwards than during the classes. This is how it has been done and the way it has to be done. IMHO with a little tongue in cheek. The Other Brian ________________________________ From: emc-p...@ieee.org [mailto:emc-p...@ieee.org] On Behalf Of Knighten, Jim L Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 4:39 PM To: Alan E Hutley; EMC-PSTC Subject: RE: EMC Eduction and Training Alan, In the US the best-known university programs in EMC may be The Missouri School of Science & Technology (formerly U. of Missouri- Rolla) and Clemson, but there are other schools with programs or classes in one or more aspects of EMC. From my vantage point, these programs offer from among following topics: (1) printed circuit board noise mechanisms (power bus, etc.); automotive EMC; and (3) other (shielding, cables, ESD, etc.). A lot of emphasis in academia (worldwide) is in the arena of modeling. A lot of graduate students that are pursuing advanced degrees are modeling various EMC or EM issues with various methods and tools. This is an arena in which academia has a lot to offer and they find it attractive. Signal integrity studies go hand in hand with printed circuit board noise suppression topics and modeling. A number of schools will offer modeling to graduate students even if they don’t have a full curriculum in EMC topics. A few schools are offering automotive EMC programs since there has been a need and funding sources to support this topic. Academic programs that extend beyond a few classes in an overall electrical engineering curriculum require outside funding, either from industry or the government. Successful programs, such as the Missouri case, have been driven by (1) technology, i.e., high-speed signaling; (2) requirements (more so by basic emissions requirements rather than by the EU’s immunity requirements); (3) by industry needs that are driven by requirements (need to fix a vexing problem for the future, but industry does not have manpower/time to study it themselves); and usually later in time by (4) government wanting to fund the dissemination of this knowledge to other educational channels. The successful academic program is one that is timely in offering this expertise to industry (some luck in being at the right place at the right time), able so solve knotty problems in detail so as to offer help in future designs (provide a benefit to industry), able to attract a steady influx of good students to do the work, and successfully market the program by publishing papers and presenting at conferences. Government interest or understanding of the need for this sort of education is usually late to the table. Jim __________________________ James L. Knighten, Ph.D. EMC Engineer Teradata Corporation 17095 Via Del Campo San Diego, CA 92127 858-485-2537 – phone 858-485-3788 – fax (unattended) ________________________________ From: emc-p...@ieee.org [mailto:emc-p...@ieee.org] On Behalf Of Alan E Hutley Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 7:19 AM To: EMC-PSTC Subject: EMC Eduction and Training Hello All I recently posted a request for information on Universities that offer EMC Educational activities. I thank those that responded but was very surprised by the very small number of Universities involved. I would like therefore to widen the debate. EMC Education and Training Behind EMC lays the Technology and Science of Electromagnetism, Signal Integrity and RF Engineering... EMC is a by-product of these disciplines. Over the past dozen or so years EMC has been largely, if not entirely, driven by Directives and Regulations. Around this scenario has evolved a specialised product industry together with consultants and soothsayers. Without the furore of this activity, EMC would almost certainly not have been on the RADAR to the extent that it has been. Could this be the reason why formal qualifications and academic training has not evolved at the same pace or magnitude? Is the apparent lack of resources committed to Training and Education due to the relevant organisations and Governments lack of understanding with respect to the complexity surrounding EMC... or are there other reasons. Invariably, or at least in many cases, Engineers seem to have ended up becoming EMC Engineers by default, not design. Does anyone actually set out with the sole purpose of becoming an EMC Engineer? Did you? I am interested in the views of others and finding out what resources are currently available, plus I would like to hear from Trainers, Educators, Course Presenters, EMC Engineers, Consultants and anyone else that can contribute to the debate by expressing their opinions. Thank you. Alan E Hutley The EMC Journal www.theemcjournal.com _________________________ LECO Corporation Notice: This communication may contain confidential information intended for the named recipient(s) only. If you received this by mistake, please destroy it and notify us of the error. Thank you. - This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <emc-p...@ieee.org> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc Graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. can be posted to that URL. 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