| Electronics is the field of manipulating electrical currents and voltages
using passive and active components connected together to create useful
circuits. Electronic circuits range from a simple resistor to central-processing
units (CPUs) that can contain more than a million transistors. It is also
a $550 billion industry that is projected to increase 10 to 20 percent in
employment, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. No American’s
life is untouched by electronics and computer technology and their integration
into every aspect of society and the economy. Desktop computers do the work
of the last decade’s mainframe. Chips and ICs control telephones, television
sets, and spacecraft. Microwaves cook meals and are the vehicle for a million
voice, data and video transmissions an instant.
Everyone is using electronics right now! From the watches we wear to
the cellular phones we talk on to when we listen to the radio in the morning
all the way until we turn off the lights at night before we go to bed,
electronics is prevalent in our daily lives. Kids use it to play their
favorite video games while adults use it to help calculate their taxes.
Musicians use it to record their music. Lawyers use it to schedule their
cases. Doctors use it to monitor patients’ heart rates. The military
uses it to control missile-guidance systems. They are also widely used
in the area of robotics. Without electronics, we would still be stuck
in the dark ages.
The curriculum in Electronics & Computer Technology is geared to
prepare students for entry into an electrical/ electronic engineering
and technology program on the university or college level. The curriculum
includes the following course offerings: DC & AC circuit theory, computer
programming, solid state circuits, integrated circuits, digital circuits,
electronic communications, and microprocessor applications. Laboratory
work offers extensive exposure to circuit construction, testing procedures,
and operation of professional electronics equipment to prepare students
as engineering technicians in industry. In addition, students are required
to write technical reports that explain their projects and defend their
results – ideal preparation for careers in research and development
or other fields that demand precise data analysis.
Graduates of the Electronics & Computer Technology program are working
at some of the area’s most successful companies, like IBM, Compaq/Hewlett-Packard,
Raytheon, Boeing, Xerox, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Southern California Edison, Beckman Instruments, and the Los
Angeles Department of Water & Power. Besides preparing students for
college or careers in industry, the Electronics & Computer Department
attempts to develop moral citizens who are aware of technology’s
impact upon society and who accept the ethical responsibilities which
derive from that awareness.
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