ECE Stories

Eight 1st Class cadets majoring in electrical and computer engineering (ECE) at Virginia Military Institute recently presented their capstone project after working on it throughout the academic year. According to Col. David Feinauer, professor in the Department of ECE, the engineering capstone experience is an important milestone and prepares the cadets for their future careers. “Our cadets applied engineering design to meet real human needs,” Feinauer said as he described the project. “They worked in two teams and developed both custom hardware as well as software to transform an over-the-bed workstation platform into a smart home-integrated, more accessible, user-centered assistive […]

Two years after he set multiple powerlifting records, Col. Dan Barr ’74, professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering at Virginia Military Institute, has once again achieved new heights.

Julia Ward ’26 came to Virginia Military Institute uncertain of herself and her leadership abilities. What she found at the Institute was a system, traditions, and a community that not only allowed her to reach those goals but pushed her to grow as a leader and gain confidence in herself.

Col. Jim Squire, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Military Institute, shares that engineering is full of creativity, rather than being stoic and fixed, on the public radio program, “With Good Reason,” starting May 24.

Two teams of senior electrical and computer engineering (ECE) majors at Virginia Military Institute recently presented their capstone projects after working on them throughout the academic year.

When Col. James Squire’s son was misdiagnosed with hearing loss, he began a years-long project to help parents understand how their children hear. Over nine years, three VMI cadets developed an app that simulates hearing loss using real audiograms.

Brian Tavenner ’25, an electrical and computer engineering major, researched the polarization and interstellar extinction around the star Gamma Cassiopeia for his honors thesis.

A contingent of two faculty members and two cadets from Virginia Military Institute recently attended the 15th Annual Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computing and Communication Workshop and Conference at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Jonathan Tumwikirize ’24 wanted to gain firsthand experience in a military environment, while also getting his degree. It’s what drew him to Virginia Military Institute and allowed him to explore federal-civilian positions to pursue upon graduation.

Rockets have existed since the first century. In ancient China, they were first used to create explosions during religious festivals, then later used for warfare. In modern times, they are used for fireworks, space exploration, human spaceflight, and to launch satellites into orbit. Brian Tavenner ’25, an electrical and computer engineering major at Virginia Military Institute, is designing and building a fiberglass rocket to reach the exact height of 1,023 feet using a F-engine motor in his five-week Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) project titled, “Target Altitude Project.” A student doing summer research at VMI, a military college in Virginia […]

Cadets at Virginia Military Institute recently demonstrated a computer-controlled golf cart to assist those who have trouble with mobility. The idea came about when the VMI Alumni Association got requests for golf cart transportation around post during reunions.

Philip Argauer ’23 conducted a year-long research project on cadet motivation with physical fitness and presented his findings in his senior thesis titled, “Increased Physical Fitness With Volt” during Honors Week, held March 20-28.

Binh Tran ’23 is working to help parents of children with hearing impairments, and presented his research in his senior thesis. The goal of this multi-student project is to develop an app to help parents of hearing impaired children perceive the same sense of hearing that their children hear.

“You cannot manage what you cannot see,” said Cadet Dominick Lalena ’23, to illustrate the necessity of visibility in cybersecurity. “Every time you go online, you enter the cyber realm. For security purposes, an organization should be able to see who enters their cyber space.”