Deadline 31 March 2011: IEEE Real World Engineering Projects (RWEP) Call for Proposals

IEEE continues its program to develop curricula for use with first-year students studying electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, biomedical engineering and electrical engineering technology. In its fourth successful year, the program seeks high-quality, hands-on, team-based projects that focus on real-world problems with solutions that benefit society.

The projects are expected to make the related IEEE fields of interest more relevant to first-year students, and to illustrate how the work of engineers and computer scientists directly impact society. The ideal project will allow students to discover the importance of a contemporary problem, and excite their interest in creative solutions. It will demonstrate how and why technical methods work, rather than simply providing a recipe for a solution. It will allow the students to discover underlying complex engineering and science principles, and provide motivation for further study and engagement.

Completed projects will be disseminated by IEEE for use by faculty in the development of first-year courses. Projects should be stand-alone modules requiring a combined 10 to 30 hours of lecture and laboratory instruction, and should be easily replicated at institutions worldwide with reasonable cost and effort. Authors of completed projects will receive a US$10,000 award from IEEE.

Submissions are open to all faculty members who teach electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, biomedical engineering and/or electrical engineering technology at a university that grants degrees in EE, CE, CS, BE and/or EET programs. Initial abstracts are due by 31 March 2011. Complete details regarding the call for proposals are available at IEEE Real World Engineering Projects website (http://www.realworldengineering.org).