The cornerstone of electronic engineering is the printed circuit board that can be found in everything from a hand-held video game to a microwave oven. This seminar could explore fundamental topics such as lumped circuit abstraction, resistive elements and networks, independent versus dependent sources, analog versus digital circuits, switches and MOS transistors. For inexperienced students, try to use as many real-world examples as possible. Taking apart an actual cell phone would be an excellent way of showing how these concepts function in action.
Though electrical engineering originally began with massive edifices like the Hoover Dam that transferred electricity over a heavy-duty grid of power lines, modern spatially distributed electrical systems are often very light and discrete. For instance, an array of mobile sensor networks in a manufacturing center may use circuitry no larger than that of a hand-held device. This seminar should focus on the dynamics of how these systems function. While carrying a lighter footprint, these systems also display complex and unpredictable behavior that must be stabilized and controlled to provide optimal results. A survey of issues in this field would open a new world to those who never thought about how objects get produced in a modern factory.
For those who think engineering is just applied number crunching, think again. Electrical and electronics engineers need to differentiate between splitting hairs and finding the solution to make a device or system function properly. Thus, the art of approximation. Topics in this seminar include "divide and conquer," dimensional analysis, cheap calculus and symmetry. Presenting this seminar in terms of real-life situations such as bird and machine flight, weather phenomena and animal locomotion should keep your audience entertained.
Electrical engineering in the 21st Century will not just mean finding the most efficient way to distribute power, it will entail solutions that have the least impact on the environment. After providing an introduction to the bases of current electric power systems, discuss alternative systems such as solar, wind and geothermal engineering. Additionally, the seminar should address engineering ethics. Discuss the politics of working at a utility and how to create win-win solutions that please both environmental groups and management.