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7 Ways Microwave Engineers May Have Changed Your Life

microwave-engineering-careers-educationBy Patrick Dever, P.E.
Faculty Member, Electrical Engineering at American Public University

When I tell new friends or business associates that I make my living as a radio frequency (RF) and microwave engineer, I usually get asked if I enjoy designing appliances for a living. Rather than sarcastically saying, “Yes, reheating leftovers is my passion” I usually just smile and say, “No, can we talk about something else?”

In retrospect, however, I realize that I should probably be less eager to change the subject. I should probably use the question as an opportunity to explain what RF and microwave engineering is all about. RF and microwave engineers are specially trained professionals who work on a variety of products that touch your life every day.

Let me explain.

RF and microwave engineering is a specialty area within the electrical engineering profession that deals with circuits and systems that operate in the RF and microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. These signals, which fluctuate between 100 million and 300 billion times per second, are the backbone of many of the wireless devices that we take for granted.

Did your clock radio awaken you to the voice of your local newscaster or the chords of your favorite tunes? If it did, RF engineering touched your life. Radio was our profession’s earliest work.

Did you check your favorite website on your tablet over breakfast? An RF and microwave engineer designed your Wi-Fi connection, and our professional society, IEEE, wrote the technical standard that governs how it works. Do you use an iPhone, a GPS, or Bluetooth? Have you ever looked at the radar map in a weather report, flown in a place under air traffic control, or had an MRI? You guessed it; RF and microwave engineers are heavily involved in those technologies too.

Ronald Reagan famously said, “Some people wonder all their lives if they made a difference. The Marines don’t have that problem.” I wish President Reagan were here now so that I could say, “You’re right, sir, and microwave engineers don’t have that problem either.”

As an RF and microwave engineer, I get to work in a profession that makes things that matter to people. RF and microwave engineers don’t just design appliances; we design things that help you understand the world around you, communicate with the people you love, and keep you safe.

To most people, my colleagues and I are as invisible as the radio waves traveling through the air around them, but that’s OK. I know what we do—and now you do, too.

Oh, by the way, just in case you were wondering, I had apples, cinnamon and oatmeal for breakfast this morning and I prepared them in an oven that I call “THE microwave.” Some bad habits are hard to break, even for a microwave engineer.

About the Author

Patrick Dever is an electrical engineer with more than 18 years experience in the design and manufacture of signal generation and receiver sub-systems for radar applications. He has earned a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree from Villanova University, and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Systems Engineering from UMBC. Pat is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Maryland, a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and a member of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE).

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