Tarek El-Bawab joined Jackson State University in 2005 after long career in the telecommunications industry. His move at that time was to one of only two universities in the US that had a specialized Telecommunication Engineering (TE) Bachelor program, i.e., not just a specialization under a broader Electrical Engineering (EE) program. Ultimately, and in ways nobody could predict, that move made him a transformative figure in the field of telecommunication engineering - network engineering- education. Dr. El-Bawab recognized, early on, the growing gap between what was being taught about Telecom in traditional electrical engineering programs and the evolving needs of this industry. His dedication to improving educational standards for future Telecom engineers has driven significant changes that are now influencing this field of engineering education, worldwide. Over the course of almost two decades, Tarek El-Bawab’s efforts culminated in groundbreaking changes, from defining a new field of study, getting it internationally recognized, developing innovative curricular structures and courses for that field, proposing new pedagogies to teach Telecom standards, and even developing an international Textbooks Series to help university professors, everywhere, to develop new and creative courses in the distinct engineering education discipline Tarek helped define.
Through his work with organizations such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE), IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc), IEEE Educational Activities’ committees, and the work of these committees with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), Tarek El-Bawab, who was still with Jackson State University at that time, has helped elevate telecommunication/network engineering education to the level needed to address the demands of today’s era of the Internet, modern ICT, the global digital transformation.
Telecommunication engineering has experienced remarkable advancements over the past few decades. The field witnessed changes that drove it way beyond the traditional topics it had under electrical engineering for decades. With rapid technological progress in areas such as network science, cellular technologies, optical networks, broadband access, the Internet Protocol (IP), high performance computing, and others, there was a clear need for educational programs specifically designed to prepare students for tomorrow’s Telecom landscape.
Tarek El-Bawab, while with Jackson State University, took the lead in advocating for specialized telecommunication engineering education programs in recognition of the fact that the field had far outgrown its electrical engineering roots. While telecommunication engineering had gained traction as a standalone field in many countries long time ago, universities in other countries -including the US- were still lagging behind. They mostly offered it primarily as a subset of electrical engineering.
In his seminal article “Is It Time for Specialized Telecommunication Engineering Education in the United States?" (IEEE Communications Magazine, January 2010), Tarek El-Bawab, as professor with Jackson State University, argued that it was no longer viable for the U.S. to continue lumping telecommunication engineering education under the electrical engineering discipline. The field had expanded to encompass theories, technologies and applications that require deep specialized knowledge.
Building on the momentum of his early work while still a professor with Jackson State, Dr. Tarek El-Bawab led a campaign that became known as the Telecommunication Engineering Education (TEE) movement under the IEEE Communications Society. The campaign, which involved experts from academia and the Telecom industry, continued to advocate for better education standards in telecommunication engineering. His next article, "Toward Specialized Undergraduate Telecommunication Engineering Education in the US" (IEEE Communications Magazine, March 2013), delved deeper into the inadequacies of the system that was in place at that time. He emphasized that while Telecom/Network engineering had been gaining distinctive recognition internationally, the U.S. education system remained largely resistant to change.Bottom of Form
Based on his experience with the Jackson State University Telecom program, Tarek El-Bawab pointed out that the Telecom industry is in need for robust academic programs to prepare a new generation of engineers and technicians for the challenges of the field in the 21st Century. Dr. El-Bawab's efforts were instrumental in the push for change. His leadership of this movement and in the IEEE Communications Society's education board played a critical role in promoting the need for telecom-specific provisions in the accreditation criteria of ABET. This goal was ultimately accomplished, after a lot of work, in 2015.
ABET recognition of Telecommunication Engineering as a distinct field of study came out as a significant outcome of Tarek El-Bawab’s work. This marked the culmination of six years of sustained technical discussions and advocacy, during which he had worked tirelessly to build the case for this education discipline. His article, "Telecommunication Engineering Education (TEE): Making the Case for a New Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Field of Study" (IEEE Communications Magazine, November 2015), recounts the journey of the TEE movement, from its inception to the eventual success in achieving ABET recognition.
The 2015-2016 ABET criteria, which are still in use until today, opened up the horizon for specialized programs in telecom/network engineering. Today, programs in even sub-areas of this field (such as Cybersecurity Engineering) are appearing in many universities worldwide. This was a major milestone, not many people have paid attention to. It was not only a personal milestone for Dr. Tarek El-Bawab and his collaborators; it was a milestone for telecommunication engineering education and the Telecom industry in general. This milestone paved the way for preparing and training a new generation of engineers for this important sector of the global economy into the 21st Century.
In 2015, Tarek El-Bawab became the first recipient of the IEEE Communications Society’s education award. The citation of the award states: “For outstanding contributions to the definition, and to the accreditation criteria, of modern communication/telecommunication engineering education; and for making changes to our education system that benefit our community, society, and the profession.” In the same year, The US Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) decided to fund Tarek El-Bawab’s, as a Jackson State professor, proposal to develop innovative course and pedagogy to integrate knowledge of telecommunication standards into engineering education.
Also in 2015, Springer Nature signed a contract with Tarek El-Bawab, during his last Jackson State University years, to be the Series Editor of a new Series of “Textbooks in Telecommunication Engineering: Era of the Internet and Network Science/Engineering”. In nine years, this Series reached the milestone of nearly 35 books and book projects. This is making lasting contributions to the telecommunication/network engineering scholarly literature and creating huge innovative educational resources. The Series covers a broad spectrum of topics, from telecommunication theories and principles to innovations in network engineering. Books of this Series are designed to serve as foundational material for new courses, curricula and university programs all over the world. This Textbooks Series enable educators to create such courses and programs and provide students and professionals of the field with an essential knowledge of cutting-edge topics of today and tomorrow,
Tarek El-Bawab’s contributions to electrical, computer, telecommunication, and network engineering education have had a profound and lasting impact on these fields in general and on telecom/network engineering in particular. Through his leadership, advocacy, and academic work, he has helped transform the landscape of telecommunication education in the U.S. and beyond. His efforts to push for specialized engineering educational programs in this area, achieve ABET recognition of it, and produce valuable educational resources for students, scholars, and professionals in this field have paved the way for a new generation of engineers and professionals who shall be well prepared and equipped to meet the needs of the 21st Century.
Today, this field of engineering education is better positioned to serve society, thanks to the tireless work of individuals like Dr. El-Bawab who recognized the need for some change, took a lead in his professional community to accomplish it, and made such a difference for our global society.
