Electronics & Communication Engineers

Design, fabricate, maintain, supervise, and manufacture electronic equipment used in the entertainment media, in hospitals, in the computer industry, for communication and in defense. Electronics engineers work with devices that use extremely small amounts of power. They work with microprocessors, fibre optics, and in telecommunication, television, and radio.

Necessary Qualifications

To become electronics engineer one needs to hold a degree in electronics engineering or must have passed the AMIE (Associate Membership Examination of the Institute of Engineers) in electronics and telecommunication.

Academic Programme

The focus in the study programme is on understanding electronic networks and devices, electromagnetic field theory, computer fundamentals, as also their protection, and communication and control systems.

Job Opportunities

An electronics engineer can be employed in the public and private sector industries and organizations such as the Indian Telephone Industries, MTNL, National Physical Laboratories, AIR, Civil aviation, and the police wireless departments.

Electronics engineers are also absorbed into the entertainment transmission industry, research establishments, and defense. They can also take up teaching and research in one of the many engineering colleges in India or abroad.

Solar water heating

Solar water heating or solar hot water is water heated by the use of solar energy. Solar heating systems are generally composed of solar thermal collectors, a fluid system to move the heat from the collector to its point of usage. The system may use electricity for pumping the fluid, and have a reservoir or tank for heat storage and subsequent use. The systems may be used to heat water for a wide variety of uses, including home, business and industrial uses. Heating swimming pools, underfloor heating or energy input for space heating or cooling are more specific examples.

In many climates, a solar heating system can provide up to 85% of domestic hot water energy. This can include domestic non-electric concentrating solar thermal systems. In many northern European countries, combined hot water and space heating systems (solar combisystems) are used to provide 15 to 25% of home heating energy.

In the southern regions of Africa like Zimbabwe, solar water heaters have been gaining popularity, thanks to the Austrian-and other EU-funded projects that are promoting more environmentally friendly water heating solutions.

Residential solar thermal installations can be subdivided into two kinds of systems: compact and pumped systems. Both typically include an auxiliary energy source (electric heating element or connection to a gas or fuel oil central heating system) that is activated when the water in the tank falls below a minimum temperature setting such as 50 °C. Hence, hot water is always available. The combination of solar water heating and using the back-up heat from a wood stove chimney to heat water can enable a hot water system to work all year round in cooler climates, without the supplemental heat requirement of a solar water heating system being met with fossil fuels or electricity.

Among pumped options, there is an important distinction to be made regarding the sustainability of the design of the system. This relates to what source of energy powers the pump and its controls. The type of pumped solar thermal systems which use mains electricity to pump the fluid through the panels are called low carbon solar because the pumping negates the carbon savings of the solar by about 20%, according to data in a report called “Side by side testing of eight solar water heatings” by DTI UK. However, zero-carbon pumped solar thermal systems use solar electricity which is generated onsite using photovoltaics to pump the fluid and to operate its control electronics. This represents a zero operational carbon footprint and is becoming an important design goal for innovative solar thermal systems.
Today homeowners even can make their own solar water heater.

Mechanical Engineering Scholarships

Work in Aviation or Automotive Industries

Students interested in Mechanical Engineering degrees must have an interest and or aptitude for mechanical things. The major is pretty much what it sounds like. Students learn about mechanical systems, all types of engines and machinery especially their applications in industry.

Mechanical Engineers often work in the automotive and airlines industries because of their abilities with engines and large mechanical systems.

College Scholarships

Florida International University has a large Engineering and Computing Department, which sponsors dozens of scholarships. The Southern Gear and Machine, Inc. Scholarship, however, is specifically designed for Mechanical Engineering students. Applicants must be residents of Dade County and be able to prove financial need as well as the ability to perform academically.

West Virginia University Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department offers students in the mechanical engineering major nearly two-dozen scholarships. Among them:

* Amelia Earhart Scholarship Award for Women is given to an outstanding graduate level female student in the department.
* The Hansen Inc. Scholarship awards $800 to students in their third or fourth year of undergraduate studies or their graduate program.

Mechanical Engineering students enrolled at the Western Michigan University may be interested in the Kalamazoo Antique Auto Restorers Club Scholarship. Qualified applicants must be majoring in mechanical engineering, but be concentrating on automotive courses and willing to consider a career in automotive restoration. $500 available.

Professional Organizations

HENAAC, Inc. encourages and supports Hispanics in engineering. A big part of the organization’s mission is to make sure the next generation is covered as well. Thanks to generous support from large corporate partners the organization is instrumental in extending thousands of dollars in scholarships each year to deserving Hispanic students in engineering programs in accredited programs. Applicants must be U.S. citizens to be considered for all awards:

* Daimler-Chrysler funds a scholarship for mechanical engineering students with a demonstrated talent in the major and high academic scores.
* Ford Motor Company scholarships go to Hispanic students in mechanical engineering. Applicants must have GPAs of at least 3.0.
* Lockheed Martin Corporation rewards those mechanical engineering students who are at the top of their class academically.
* Northrop Grumman Corporation scholarships are awarded to students with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
* Shaw Industries scholarships are available to those students attending mechanical engineering programs in the Southeast region of the U.S.

The National Society of Black Engineers sponsors dozens of scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers in engineering. Like other minority students and women, African Americans have been tragically underrepresented in the engineering professions:

* Johnson and Johnson awards over a dozen scholarships to the tune of $1500 to undergraduate students pursuing any number of engineering degrees, including mechanical engineering. Qualified applicants must maintain a GPA of 3.2 and be genuinely open to a career with Johnson and Johnson.
* The GE “Lloyd Trotter” African American Forum Scholarship is awarded to those students in their third or fourth year. Eligible applicants must have a high GPA and be active in the NSBE. Awards are $2500.

Scholarships from the Society of Women Engineers are funded in large part by large industrial and manufacturing corporations. Women are also considered a minority in a field such as engineering and have been underrepresented until recently. Applicants must consider that scholarships require top academic scores, and that many of the sponsoring companies are also looking to employ the next wave of talented engineers. These criteria alone make these programs extremely competitive. Awards designed for women studying Mechanical Engineering are funded by such corporations as Lockheed Martin, DuPont, GE, and Chevron to name only a few. Scholarship awards range from $1,000 to $6,000.