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ECEDHA Summit Series

Meetings ECEDHA Summit Series

 

 

The ECEDHA Summit Series is strategically designed to support the ECEDHA community during times of need. The Summit Series provides a full year of engagement and addresses critical issues facing ECEDHA academic members, ECEDHA corporate members, and the overall ECE enterprise. 

 

ECEDHA Community Summits

 

Bi-monthly interactive discussions open to all ECEDHA members. 

Featuring keynote and panel presentations, breakout sessions, federal research funding updates, technology-related topics, and insights from corporate partners.

AI-Centered Curriculum Innovations in ECE
Explore how AI is shaping ECE education, with professors sharing their AI-integrated curricula through presentations and Q&A, encouraging idea-sharing and peer learning.
Practical AI Tools for ECE Teaching and Learning
This Community Summit explores how ECE educators can harness the power of AI tools to enhance teaching and enrich the student learning experience. We’ll highlight real-world examples of integrating AI-driven platforms and content creation tools into courses, labs, and research projects. Corporate partners will share resources and insights, and we’ll examine both hardware and software tools that can empower educators and students alike.
 
Preparing the ECE Workforce in the AI Era
As artificial intelligence and emerging technologies reshape industries, they are also transforming the entry-level job market and the skills new graduates need to succeed. This session brings together academic and industry leaders to explore how ECE departments can align curricula with evolving workforce needs, anticipate where new opportunities are emerging, and better equip students and faculty with the competencies needed for the future of engineering.

 

Preparing Power Engineers for an AI-Enabled Energy Future
As AI accelerates change across the power and energy sector, ECE programs are rethinking how they prepare students for the workforce. This session brings together academic and industry leaders to examine how AI tools and concepts are being incorporated into power and energy curricula to meet evolving industry needs.
Reimagining Accreditation in ECE
This Summit session will center on a report-out of key findings from the ECEDHA Listening Session held at the 2026 ECEDHA Annual Conference. This discussion is designed to synthesize what was shared by members, elevate the themes and insights that emerged as most valuable, and clarify areas of shared priority across the ECE community. Attendees will review summarized outcomes, reflect on patterns observed across institutions, and examine how this collective feedback can inform future conversations around accreditation and departmental strategy. The session will also provide space to identify practical next steps and coordinated actions ECEDHA can pursue to support innovation, flexibility, and continuous improvement in program development, quality assurance, and accreditation-related processes.

 

 
Master's Pathways and Retaining Top Talent in ECE
In this session, we will explore Master’s pathways and other innovative models designed to retain top talent in ECE and accelerate degree completion. We will examine how institutions are aligning undergraduate and graduate curricula, strengthening advising and mentorship, and creating streamlined pathways that encourage students to continue into advanced study and leadership opportunities in the field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ECE AI Accelerator Summits

 

Created to Help ECE Leaders Nagigate AI’s Rapid Evolution

Dedicated to the fast-moving impact of artificial intelligence, these sessions give ECE leaders a forum to share practices, address challenges, and keep programs aligned with the future of the profession.

 

 

Future of ECE Fundamentals
As AI reshapes engineering education and industry practice, ECE programs and companies alike are evaluating the balance between foundational technical knowledge and emerging AI-driven skill sets. This session brings together academic and industry leaders to discuss how core ECE competencies are evolving, what skills employers are seeking, and how universities and companies can work together to prepare students for the future workforce while maintaining academic rigor and strong engineering fundamentals.
 

 

 

 

 

ECEDHA TIMEE Summits

 

Designed to Strengthen Collaboration among Lab Professionals and Industry Partners

TIMEE - Technologists, Industry Partners, Educators, and Entrepreneurs

These sessions focus on lab and maker space-related topics, technology discussions, and corporate insights.

Thank you to our TIMEE Program Sponsors DigiKey and Keysight

Entrepreneurship Innovation in ECE
This TIMEE Summit explores how ECE programs are weaving innovation and entrepreneurship into the student experience. Whether you're leading high-tech labs, mentoring student entrepreneurs, guiding capstone teams, or building hands-on maker experiences, this session offers a space to share lessons learned, highlight impactful practices, and help shape an extraordinary educational and lab environment for tomorrow’s ECE innovators.
Bringing Physical AI into the ECE Classroom
The ECEDHA TIMEE Working Group brings together educators, lab professionals, makerspace leaders, and industry partners to advance hands-on innovation in ECE education. As AI rapidly moves onto devices, sensors, and embedded systems, this TIMEE Summit will explore how departments are bringing physical and edge AI into the curriculum, from introductory hands-on experiences to capstone projects using on-device intelligence. Through academic and industry perspectives, attendees will discover practical tools, approaches, and models for preparing students for an increasingly AI-enabled world.
Hands-On First: Building Practical Engineering Skills Early
Hackathons and maker-driven learning help ECE students move beyond theory through hands-on problem-solving, rapid prototyping, and creative experimentation. Drawing on lessons from a recent hackathon, this session will explore how universities and industry partners are using these experiences to boost student engagement, strengthen experiential learning, and prepare graduates for modern engineering workflows, including AI-assisted coding and hardware-software co-design. Attendees will gain practical ideas for bringing these approaches into senior design, curriculum, and other hands-on learning experiences.
 

 

 

Category Summits

 

Bi-annual meetings focused on fostering collaboration among specific membership categories

These summits provide an opportunity for critical benchmarking and addressing category-specific issues and topics. 

 

Category 1: Integrating AI, Quantum, and CHIPS Act Opportunities into Ex
This session explored how institutions adapted their existing research infrastructure to align with federal priorities in AI, quantum technologies, and domestic semiconductor manufacturing. Participants discussed strategic investments, multi-institution collaborations, and approaches to sustaining faculty and graduate research amid shifting policy and funding landscapes.
Category 2: Developing Industry-Aligned Graduate Programs in the CHIPS and AI Era
This session focused on how mid-sized and emerging research institutions designed graduate programs that respond to evolving industry needs in semiconductors, AI, and systems design. Topics included curriculum co-development, industry mentorship models, and building pipelines to national labs and workforce development initiatives.
Category 3: Strengthening Student Pathways: Transfer Students, Internships, and Early Industry Exposure
Members discussed how they created seamless pathways for students through transfer agreements, internship programs, and industry partnerships. The session emphasized sharing ideas on preparing students for advanced studies or immediate entry into the workforce through experiential learning and academic advising innovations.

 

Category 4: Addressing Transfer, Retention, and Completion
This meeting centered on the unique challenges and promising practices at access-focused institutions in supporting student success. Topics included discussions on culturally responsive mentoring, credit transfer alignment, funding gaps, and partnerships that enhanced retention and degree completion for students in ECE.

 

 

Category 1: Faculty Workloads, Fundraising, and Leadership
This session is designed as an open discussion among peers, providing an opportunity for departments to exchange ideas, experiences, and strategies around key challenges facing large ECE institutions. Rather than formal presentations, this conversation will draw on the collective expertise of participants—encouraging collaboration, shared learning, and candid dialogue on what’s working and where support is needed.
Category 2: Sustaining AI Education Across the Curriculum
ECE departments are finding innovative ways to introduce AI concepts across their programs—but sustaining those efforts over time presents new challenges. This collaborative, discussion-based session will explore how departments are maintaining momentum, aligning faculty and resources, and building support through collaboration with peers and industry partners. Participants will exchange strategies, insights, and ideas for ensuring AI integration continues to grow in relevance and impact.
Category 3: ABET Workloads, Advisory Boards, and Faculty Mentorship
This session invites ECE faculty to engage in an open discussion around shared challenges and opportunities within smaller departments. Topics will include strategies for managing ABET workload, approaches to mentoring emerging faculty leaders, and best practices for leveraging external advisory boards. Designed as a collaborative exchange rather than a presentation, participants are encouraged to share experiences, insights, and practical solutions to strengthen departmental operations and leadership development.

 

Category 4: Addressing Transfer, Retention, and Completion
As AI continues to influence technology and education, many teaching-focused ECE programs are exploring how to adapt their courses, resources, and collaborations to meet new demands. This open discussion invites participants to share experiences and ideas on incorporating AI into the curriculum in ways that align with their department’s strengths and mission, while also exploring how engagement with industry and alumni can enhance student learning, program support, and community impact.