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The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) recently named William Jemison ’85, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, an IEEE Fellow “for contributions to microwave photonics for radar and communications.”
Jemison is among 268 new Fellows elevated this year. One of the most prestigious honors of the IEEE, the award is given to a limited number of senior members who have made outstanding contributions to the electrical and information technologies and sciences for the benefit of humanity and the profession. The number of IEEE Fellows elevated in a year does not exceed one-tenth percent of the total IEEE voting membership.
“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by peers in my field, and I am especially grateful to those who wrote nomination and endorsement letters on my behalf,” says Jemison. “I also am grateful to my colleagues in industry, government, and at other universities with whom I have collaborated over the years. The Fellow award is a significant milestone in my professional career, and it is an inspiration for me to remain current in my field so that I may hopefully continue to contribute to the advancement of technology, to keep my courses up to date, and to involve Lafayette students in my research in meaningful ways.”
For the last 20 years, Jemison has worked in the field of microwave photonics, which uses lightwaves for the transmission, signal generation, and/or signal processing of high frequency analog signals. While many are familiar with the use of fiber optics telecommunications, which use very short bursts of light to send digital information, Jemison focuses on applying fiber optics to distribute analog information. He explores its uses in radar, satellite, and cable television as well as wireless signals such as those used in cellular telephony and wireless networks.
“I have worked on systems analysis, subsystem development, and circuit designs that incorporate microwave photonics in novel ways to exploit the synergy between microwaves, photonics, and digital communications,” he says. “I think I’ve done some good work in the areas of optical time delays for radar and phased array antennas, system analysis and demonstration of fiber radio, and most recently novel analog fiber optic link architectures.”
With the encouragement of Warren Guy, Charles A. Dana Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering, Jemison first joined IEEE as a student member in 1982. He became an IEEE member in 1985 after graduating with a B.S. electrical engineering, and was elevated to senior member in 1996.
He has been the IEEE student branch counselor at Lafayette for nine years, having received three Outstanding Branch Advisor awards from the Lehigh Valley section of IEEE. Jemison is committed to helping his students realize the benefits IEEE can offer them.
“Fellow recognition reinforces my commitment to encourage our undergraduates to join the IEEE and stay involved throughout their careers,” he says. “Such professional involvement by students both while they are here and after they leave, whether to industry or graduate school, should help to further their success, which is ultimately how the College’s reputation is obtained.
“I think that professional recognition reflects positively on the College and our academic programs, which is one reason why it is important for faculty members to conduct research, present work at conferences, and be engaged in professional service activities such as serving on technical committees, helping to organize conferences and workshops, and serving as reviewers and editors for the technical literature. It is hard for me to believe, but I’ve been active in the IEEE for 25 years.”
Jemison serves on several IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) committees. He is associate editor for featured articles for IEEE Microwave Magazine, a member of the IEEE Journal of Lightwave Technology Steering Committee, and MTT-S student activities coordinator.
A dedicated teacher and mentor, Jemison has included 19 Lafayette students in his research, and has coauthored at least 16 publications with undergraduates. He is a past recipient of Lafayette’s Carl R. and Ingeborg Beidlman Research Award for excellence in applied research.
Most recently, Jemison worked with electrical and computer engineering graduate Mark Lodato ’06 on simulations developed for the design of high-speed lasers as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) project. Lodato’s work earned him a Department of Homeland Security Undergraduate Scholarship.
Jemison mentored four students in research that led to Lafayette being the only institution to have an electrical and computer engineering major receive the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society Undergraduate/Pre-Graduate Scholarship from IEEE for four consecutive years. Prashant Poddar ’04,Guangxi Wang ’03, Soumya Chandramouli ’02, and Feiyu Wang ’01 all presented their work at the IEEE International Microwave Symposium and published papers with Jemison.
Jemison worked with the students after receiving a $124,254 grant from the NSF for research on microwave-photonic techniques with the potential to improve high-speed wireless applications such as telemedicine, multimedia distribution, and advanced satellite and military communications.
He is author or coauthor of nearly 60 publications and two book chapters covering the field of microwave photonics, phased array radar, antenna design and measurement, microwave circuits, and education. Jemison has presented his research at major international meetings and at educational and research institutions in the U.S. and Europe.
Prior to joining the Lafayette faculty in 1996, Jemison held a variety of positions in government and industry. He led a large research and development program to develop the next generation of shipboard phased arrays at Lockheed Martin Government Electronic Systems. He also led a tracking radar upgrade project at Flam and Russell, Inc. He holds three U.S. patents and has one patent pending related to microwave photonics.
He earned his doctorate in electrical engineering from Drexel University and a master’s degree in engineering science from the Pennsylvania State University.
Among Jemison’s peers who were selected as Fellows this year was electrical engineering graduate Edward I. Ackerman ’87, vice president of research and development at Photonic Systems, Inc. Ackerman was honored “for contributions to the optimization of analog optical links.” Though the two did not know each other as undergraduates, they met while completing doctorate work at Drexel University and have kept in touch professionally since then.
“As the Fellow recognition confirms, Ed is clearly one of the top researchers in my field, and I am very happy for him and delighted to be in the same Fellow class with him,” says Jemison.
A non-profit organization, IEEE is the world’s largest leading professional association for the advancement of technology. It was formed in 1963 when the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, founded in 1884, merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers, founded in 1912. More than 365,000 members, including 68,000 students, represent 150 countries. It is a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers, and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power, and consumer electronics.