CHAIR’S LETTER
Tune in to the evening news on any given day and it won’t take long before you hear about some of the exciting innovations in the field of electrical and computer engineering. Artificial intelligence (AI), electric vehicles and quantum computing are just a few areas where electrical and computer engineers are driving some of the innovations behind the technologies that have captured the public’s interest. For electrical and computer engineers, it’s often what is “under the hood” of these technologies that is most fascinating. It’s the deep convolutional neural networks in the AI area, the power electronics in the electric vehicle’s drivetrain or the mystery of quantum entanglement that interest us. While these technologies are interesting in-and-of-themselves — it is really exciting to take a step back and see the impact these technologies are having on greater society. The cover story of this issue, Quantum out of the Cold, on page 24, highlights a longstanding partnership between The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) and Fujitsu Laboratories. This collaboration has resulted in the development of a technology that researchers say rivals the performance of a quantum computer, using regular digital circuits. While the technology is fascinating, so too are its applications — in areas ranging from smart cities to health care. Read on to see how researchers in ECE are working to apply this nascent technology to all sorts of pressing societal challenges. Advances in digital technologies have helped to create, store and share reams of data about individuals, generated from the smartphone in their pockets. But who is accessing this data and why? Read how Professor David Lie’s interdisciplinary research with Professor Lisa Austin of the Faculty of Law is helping to improve digital transparency between corporations, government and users. Flip to page 8 to read how they are tackling privacy issues where technology and law meet. These are just a few examples of the myriad of ways in which ECE researchers, students and alumni are making an impact on society. This magazine highlights some of these stories from the past year — and the people behind them. I welcome your feedback and invite you to connect with us; you may reach me directly at chair@ece.utoronto.ca.
FA R ID N .N A JM , PR O FE S S O R & C H A IR
PHOTO BY RAINA+WILSON
Above and beyond
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