Computer engineering
Hardware
engineering" redirects here. For engineering of other types of hardware,
see mechanical engineering. For engineering electrical systems, see electrical
engineering
Computer engineering is a discipline that integrates several
fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer
hardware and software. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic
engineering (or electrical engineering), software design, and hardware–software
integration instead of only software engineering or electronic engineering.
Computer engineers are involved in many hardware and software aspects of
computing, from the design of individual microcontrollers, microprocessors,
personal computers, and supercomputers, to circuit design. This field of
engineering not only focuses on how computer systems themselves work, but also
how they integrate into the larger picture.
Usual tasks involving computer engineers include writing
software and firmware for embedded microcontrollers, designing VLSI chips,
designing analog sensors, designing mixed signal circuit boards, and designing
operating systems. Computer engineers are also suited for robotics research,
which relies heavily on using digital systems to control and monitor electrical
systems like motors, communications, and sensors.
In many institutions, computer engineering students are allowed
to choose areas of in-depth study in their junior and senior year, because the
full breadth of knowledge used in the design and application of computers is
beyond the scope of an undergraduate degree. Other institutions may require
engineering students to complete one or two years of General Engineering before
declaring computer engineering as their primary focus.
History
Computer engineering began in 1939 when John Vincent
Atanasoff and Clifford Berry began developing the worlds first electronic
digital computer through physics, mathematics, and electrical engineering. John
Vincent Atanasoff was once a physics and mathematics teacher for Iowa State
University and Clifford Berry a former graduate under electrical engineering
and physics. Together, they created the Atanasoff-Berry computer, also known as
the ABC which took 5 years to complete.[7] While the original ABC was
dismantled and discarded in the 1940s a tribute was made to the late inventors,
a replica of the ABC was made in 1997 where it took a team of researchers and
engineers four years and $350,000 to build.
The first computer engineering degree program in the United
States was established in 1972 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland,
Ohio. As of 2015, there were 250 ABET-accredited computer engineering programs
in the US.[9] In Europe, accreditation of computer engineering schools is done
by a variety of agencies part of the EQANIE network. Due to increasing job
requirements for engineers who can concurrently design hardware, software,
firmware, and manage all forms of computer systems used in industry, some
tertiary institutions around the world offer a bachelor's degree generally
called computer engineering. Both computer engineering and electronic
engineering programs include analog and digital circuit design in their
curriculum. As with most engineering disciplines, having a sound knowledge of
mathematics and science is necessary for computer engineers.
Work
There are two major specialties in computer engineering:
hardware and software.
Computer hardware engineering
Most computer hardware engineers research, develop, design,
and test various computer equipment. This can range from circuit boards and
microprocessors to routers. Some update existing computer equipment to be more
efficient and work with newer software. Most computer hardware engineers work
in research laboratories and high-tech manufacturing firms. Some also work for
the federal government. According to BLS, 95% of computer hardware engineers
work in metropolitan areas.[citation needed] They generally work full-time.
Approximately 33% of their work requires more than 40 hours a week. For
example, the typical computer hardware engineer with a bachelor's degree as of
2015 makes 111,730 USD annually and an hourly pay of 53.72 USD. The expected
ten year growth as of 2014 for computer hardware engineering was an estimated
three percent and there was a total of 77,700 jobs that same year.
Computer software engineering
Main article: Software
engineering
Computer software engineers develop, design, and test
software. They construct, and maintain computer programs, as well as set up
networks such as "intranets" for companies. Software engineers can
also design or code new applications to meet the needs of a business or
individual. Some software engineers work independently as freelancers and sell
their software products/applications to an enterprise or individual. A computer
software engineer with a bachelor's degree as of 2015 makes 100,690 USD
annually and an hourly rate of 48.41 USD. The expected ten year growth as of
2014 for computer software engineering was an estimated seventeen percent and
there was a total of 1,114,000 jobs that same year.
Specialty areas
There are many specialty areas in the field of computer
engineering.
Coding, cryptography, and information protection
Main article: Information security
Computer engineers work in coding, cryptography, and
information protection to develop new methods for protecting various
information, such as digital images and music, fragmentation, copyright
infringement and other forms of tampering. Examples include work on wireless
communications, multi-antenna systems, optical transmission, and digital
watermarking.
Communications and wireless networks
Main articles: Communications networks and
Wireless network
Those focusing on communications and wireless networks, work
advancements in telecommunications systems and networks (especially wireless
networks), modulation and error-control coding, and information theory.
High-speed network design, interference suppression and modulation, design and
analysis of fault-tolerant system, and storage and transmission schemes are all
a part of this specialty.
Compilers and operating systems
Main articles: Compiler and Operating system
This specialty focuses on compilers and operating systems
design and development. Engineers in this field develop new operating system
architecture, program analysis techniques, and new techniques to assure
quality. Examples of work in this field includes post-link-time code
transformation algorithm development and new operating system development.
Computational science and engineering
Main article: Computational science and engineering
Computational Science and Engineering is a relatively new
discipline. According to the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center, individuals working
in this area, "computational methods are applied to formulate and solve
complex mathematical problems in engineering and the physical and the social
sciences. Examples include aircraft design, the plasma processing of nanometer
features on semiconductor wafers, VLSI circuit design, radar detection systems,
ion transport through biological channels, and much more".
Computer networks, mobile computing, and distributed systems
Main
articles: Computer network, Mobile computing, and Distributed computing
In this specialty, engineers build integrated environments
for computing, communications, and information access. Examples include
shared-channel wireless networks, adaptive resource management in various
systems, and improving the quality of service in mobile and ATM environments.
Some other examples include work on wireless network systems and fast Ethernet
cluster wired systems.
Computer systems: architecture, parallel processing,
and dependability
Main articles: Computer architecture, Parallel
computing, and Dependability
Engineers working in computer systems work on research
projects that allow for reliable, secure, and high-performance computer
systems. Projects such as designing processors for multi-threading and parallel
processing are included in this field. Other examples of work in this field
include development of new theories, algorithms, and other tools that add performance
to computer systems.
Computer vision and robotics
Main articles: Computer vision and Robotics
In this specialty, computer engineers focus on developing
visual sensing technology to sense an environment, representation of an
environment, and manipulation of the environment. The gathered
three-dimensional information is then implemented to perform a variety of
tasks. These include, improved human modeling, image communication, and
human–computer interfaces, as well as devices such as special-purpose cameras
with versatile vision sensors.
This is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Accordingly, it is difficult to figure out when to end it. But then, this is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Period.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon