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Information/Communication Technologies

Information technology and the engineering disciplines that support it comprise a broad and varied field. You may be interested in designing and developing computer hardware, which might include computers and peripherals, wireless communications and networking systems, semiconductors, microelectronics fabrication, signal processing, fiber optics, digital sensors, Internet technologies and many other products. Perhaps software development may be more to your liking, which could include programming, multimedia development, data mining, computer graphics, compiler design, algorithm design, database management or business systems analysis. You might combine these two perspectives to create integrated systems, such as computer games or cell phones with hardwired programming. Engineers in information technology work in every sector of the economy, from manufacturing and fabrication to communications, entertainment and finance.

Focus Areas

Lehigh students in this field typically explore these topics:

Virtual environments, wearable computers, multimedia broadcasts and video compression
Digital systems and sensors, fiber optics, wireless networks and compound semiconductors
Interconnected networks, computer architectures, processor design, embedded systems and Internet technologies
Integration of computer skills, mathematics and knowledge of a specific application (such as logistics or finance) to create efficiency in the operations of industrial, service or financial organizations

Research and Resources

Although information technology is infused throughout all aspects of Lehigh's engineering programs, there are many labs and facilities established across the campus designed for research in specific areas of this field. It is a wide-ranging set of activities and research, including topics such as display technologies, signal processing and communications, Internetworking, wireless infrastructure and networking security, computer and software architecture, graphics and virtual environments, Web modeling and evaluation, mobile robotics, systems experimentation and analysis, and pattern recognition.

Some of the successful projects undertaken by Lehigh faculty and student research teams are as follows:

A team of Lehigh engineers joined with colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania and Lockheed Martin to design a self-navigating, self-driving car equipped with videocamera "eyes" and laser range-finder systems that allowed the vehicle to drive itself through a 60-mile course, as part of a DARPA-funded research competition.
Lehigh signal processing and communications researchers have found ways to help law enforcement and security officials search for concealed weapons. This has been accomplished by combining visual and "millimeter wave" images to produce one fused digital image that can identify weapons hidden beneath clothing.
Students in the "InSyte Lab" work with faculty to better understand how computers think and learn, and to apply that knowledge to the development of games, project planning and decision support systems.
Wireless engineering students at Lehigh work to establish multi-tier network models to help provide underserved geographical regions with access to Internet, cell phone and emergency-response services.

Success Stories

The ability to rapidly and effectively process and communicate information is central to success in the modern world. Engineers in Information/Communication Technologies work in every sector of the economy, from manufacturing and telecommunications, to services, entertainment and finance.

	Andrew Abraham ’09, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering, is part of a team of engineers developing a spacecraft that could change lunar flight and research. more >
	In the department of Electrical & Computer Engineering,assistant professor Tiffany Li is saving time, space and money in the world of wireless communication by creating smart codes that will decrease noise levels over radio frequencies. more >
	Ron Nersesian ’82 was recently promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at $6.6 billion high-tech manufacturer Agilent Technologies.more >
	Experts from companies seeking to streamline the generation and transmission of electric power gathered at Lehigh in mid-January to help the university sharpen its focus on a critical new research endeavor in Integrated Networks for Electricity. more >
	Assistant professor Shamim Pakzad and his students in the department of civil and environmental engineering are using wireless sensors to study the Easton-Phillipsburg free bridge. more >
	Dan Lopresti, professor and chair of computer science and engineering, helped reporter Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel dissect handwriting-recognition software involved in the reviewing of petitions in the Wisconsin electorate initiative to enact a gubernatorial recall. more >
	Qiaoqiang Gan, a recent Lehigh Ph.D. , and his advisor, Professor Filbert Bartoli, both of Electrical & Computer Engineering, have learned how to slow or stop light waves across the various regions of the spectrum. Through these efforts, they intend to allow for precision in transmission of data required by applications such as biosensing and medical imaging. more >
	As a student concentrating in computer engineering, Curtis MacDonald '05 recognized a gap in how existing technology products and services integrate to provide computer access to wireless networks. Now, Curtis and his Lehigh partners run their own firm—hField Technologies—a tech start-up with enormous long-term potential. more >
	Judy Marks '84 is the Head of Siemens' U.S. Federal Business, resposible for growing a newly-formed business unit designed to provide a comprehensive portfolio of solutions to the Federal Government. more >
	Five Lehigh students—four of them Computer Science & Business majors—traveled to Peru to help Pro Mujer Peru, one of the world's most highly regarded microfinance institutions, to create wireless technology for the organization. The team designed a software data system that would allow Pro Mujer Peru loan officers to perform credit checks remotely, eliminating the need to make multiple trips to the remote mountain villages before collecting applicant information by hand. more >
	Liang Cheng, assistant professor of Computer Science & Engineering, develops networks of wireless sensors as a means to instantaneously transmit vital information from one place to another. more >
	As a professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Miltos Hatalis has spent the last decade developing displays—like those used in televisions or cell phones—on metal foils that are so flexible they can be sewn into clothing. more >
	Rick Blum, the Robert W. Wieseman Chair in Electrical Engineering, is developing smart sensors that save energy by censoring data and transmitting only the information that is important. more >