ECE Curriculum Committee Meeting Minutes for October 1, 2009

1. The Minutes of the September 24, 2009 meeting were approved with corrections.
2. ECE 498 LG, Principles of Experimental Research, was approved for elective laboratory credit
3. ECE 498, Semiconductor LED and Solar Cell, proposed by Milton Feng, was approved subject to extensive typographical and grammatical corrections; the Chair volunteered to assist with those. The Committee noted that a three credit hour course may be less attractive to graduate students.
4. The ECE 481, Nanotechnology, proposed by Joe Lyding was approved subject to certain clarifications in the document, including listing alternate instructors (e.g., Xiuling Li), explicit listing of the grade percentages and basis for graduate students (who take the course for four credit hours), and some typographical errors. The Committee suggests that an examination would be a useful addition.
5. ECE 498, Trapping and Cooling with Lasers, was approved subject to minor corrections. It was noted that the course may be pretty intense for undergraduates. It was also suggested that the instructor consider whether a biology prerequisite would be useful.
6. The ECE 471, Systems Biology for Engineers, proposed by Greg Timp was discussed. The Committee expressed considerable concern about the lack of prerequisites, including basic biology and control systems. The Committee decided to invite Greg to meet with us to discuss these issues in person.
7. The Committee adjourned at 1:57 PM.