Join faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates from Southern Methodist University as they share their comprehensive experience implementing software-defined instrumentation across the ECE curriculum. This multi-perspective session offers insights from department leadership, teaching faculty, lab instructors, and students on transforming engineering education through innovative, hands-on learning approaches.
What Attendees Will Learn:
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Strategic Curriculum Integration across multiple ECE courses
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Chair's Perspective -Innovative Pedagogies in Signal & Systems
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Faculty Perspective -Instructional Insights from the Front Lines Lab Instructor Perspective
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Student-Centered Impact of Hands-On Learning – Student Perspective
Target Audience: ECE Faculty, Department Heads, Lab Coordinators, and anyone else interested in innovative engineering education approaches.
Danyal Ahsanullah
Graduate Lab Instructor
Southern Methodist University
Danyal Ahsanullah recently completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at SMU, where he was honored with the Graduate Student Teaching Award. He currently teaches signals and systems labs in SMU's ECE Department. His research focuses on computational imaging and Digital Micromirror Device characterization, with publications in Optics Express and Biomedical Optics Express. He is also an associate at Mustang Optics, LLC, contributing to infrared imaging system development.
Dr. Mahesh Krishnamurthy
Vin and Caren Prothro Department Chair of ECE, Co-Executive Director, Hart Institute
Southern Methodist University
Dr. Mahesh Krishnamurthy is the Vin and Caren Prothro Department Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Co-Executive Director of the Hart Institute for Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at SMU. He co-founded the IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and served as Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification (2020-2023). His research focuses on power electronics, battery systems, and electric vehicle drivetrains. He served as Program Manager with the U.S. National Science Foundation and from 2021 to 2025 and has authored over 175 publications with 24 issued patents.
Dr. Prasanna Rangarajan
Director, Photonics Architecture Lab
Southern Methodist University
Dr. Prasanna Rangarajan directs the Photonics Architecture Lab at SMU, where his team develops innovative electro-optical systems using machine intelligence. His research spans computational imaging, neuromorphic sensing, and computer vision, with publications in Nature Communications, Optica, and IEEE TPAMI. A DARPA-supported startup, Mustang Optics LLC, was founded to commercialize technology from his lab. He holds a Ph.D. from SMU, M.S. from Columbia University, and B.E. from Bangalore University.
Cooper Shapard
IEEE Student Representative
Southern Methodist University
Coop Shapard represents the IEEE Student Branch at SMU, organizing technical workshops, design competitions, and networking events for engineering students. He helps bridge academic learning with real-world engineering practice and fosters collaboration within SMU's electrical and computer engineering community.
Moderator: Ross Keyashian
US Sales Representative & Business Developer
Red Pitaya
Ross Keyashian leads Red Pitaya's North American expansion, working with universities, research institutions, and industry partners. Based in Dallas, he represented Red Pitaya at CES 2025 and helped establish the company's US office. With a background in electrical engineering and extensive experience at HORIBA Scientific and other instrumentation companies, Ross specializes in connecting researchers with advanced measurement solutions for RF applications, signal processing, and STEM education.