Wireless Communications as a Catalyst for Curriculum Integration: A New Microwave Measurement and Design Laboratory

正在建设一个创新的本科生微波设计与测量实验室。这个实验室设施及其相关的实验课程是一个高度跨学科的项目，它借鉴了半导体器件物理、电磁场理论、电子电路设计和通信系统设计的基础知识。通过将这四个主要领域整合到一个实验课程中，该项目直接解决了工程教育中最紧迫的问题之一，即学生倾向于将他们的课程视为狭窄专业的集合，而不是一个完整的整体。在本课程中，学生将设计，制造，测试和分析无线通信系统的微波电路，将跨越这些传统的专业领域，并提供广泛的教育机会。最先进的计算机辅助设计和仿真软件，加上现代计算机控制的微波测量设备，将使学生了解微波电路设计和测试的复杂性，同时加强他们对半导体器件工作，电磁场理论和电路设计基础的掌握。该课程将在一个全日制的实验室环境中进行，学生在每次课堂上进行测量和演示，以激发学生对这一令人兴奋的工作领域的热情。

An innovative microwave design and measurements laboratory for undergraduates is being developed. This laboratory facility and its associated laboratory course is a highly multidisciplinary project that draws upon the fundamentals of semiconductor device physics, electromagnetic field theory, electronic circuit design, and communication system design. By integrating these four major areas into one laboratory course, this project directly addresses one of the most pressing problems in engineering education, the tendency of students to view their coursework as a collection of narrow specialties rather than an integrated whole. This course, in which the students will design, fabricate, test, and analyze microwave circuitry for wireless communication systems, will cut across these traditional areas of specialty and provide a broad based educational opportunity. State-of-the-art computer aided design and simulation software, coupled with modern computer-controlled microwave measurement equipment, will enable the students to learn the intricacies of microwave circuit design and testing while at the same time strengthening their grasp of the fundamentals of semiconductor device operation, electromagnetic field theory, and circuit design. The course will be taught in a full-time laboratory setting, with student measurements and demonstrations in every class meeting to infuse the students with enthusiasm for this exciting area of work.