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Great jobs are plentiful for Institute of Technology graduates in today's employment market
by kermit pattison
Azeem Khan is helping to take aviation to new heights.
Khan works as software engineer at Rockwell Collins in the field of next generation avionics. His team is developing the electronic instrument displays known as the “glass cockpit.” Unlike a traditional cockpit with mechanical gauges, the glass cockpit uses computer displays that show pertinent information and simplify operation and navigation.
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| Azeem Khan (EE, CE ’07) had an interest in software at an early age. He began working part-time as a programmer while still attending high school in Pakistan. Two internships helped him land his current position as a software engineer at Rockwell Collins in Des Moines, Iowa. He spent one year as a software and electrical engineering intern with Goodrich in Bloomington, Minn. The following summer he won a NASA internship with the Space Department of Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. |
“Every aspect of next generation avionics is exciting,” he said, “because it touches both the technical and social challenges the aviation industry faces for a better and safer air traffic system.”
His interest in aerospace began at the Institute of Technology when he joined the Nanosat-4 Project, a student-led effort to design and build a working satellite. Khan worked as the embedded systems lead and designed the communication system to share information among the subsystems.
Sponsored jointly by the U.S. Air Force, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and NASA, the Nanosat-4 project seeks to train future space professionals through a two-year competition to spur satellite research and development, integration, and flight testing. The University of Minnesota is one of 25 institutions in the national program.
Khan’s interest in software started early. He began working part-time as a programmer in 10th grade while attending high school in Karachi, Pakistan. His family immigrated to Minnesota in 2000. After start ing at Normandale Community College and Hennepin Technical College, he transferred to the University of Minnesota.
“I wanted to follow the electrical engineering and computer engineering track and I think the University of Minnesota provides the best education there,” he said. “I didn’t apply anywhere else. In my mind, it was the only option.”
His education exposed him to a diverse array of specialties. In systems and signals class, James Leger, electrical and computer engineering professor, engaged Khan with his teaching style. In microelectronics, Charles Rennolet, electrical and computer engineering professor, provided insight from his own experience in industry. Emad Ebbini, associate professor in electrical and computer engineering, advised him on a senior design project.
In aerospace engineering, Demoz Gebre-Egziabher, professor of aerospace engineering and mechanics, taught him to approach problems from a system level and design, build, and test models—all of which turned out to be excellent training for his subsequent career.
Two internships also provided launching pads for his aerospace career. Khan spent one year working a software and electrical engineering internship at Goodrich in Bloomington, Minn. In the summer of 2007, he won a NASA internship with the Space Department of Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, where he helped research, develop, analyze, and test reusable software components for future spacecraft.
In the fall of 2007, he started his new job at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Khan, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and a bachelor’s in electrical engineering with software emphasis, said his education helped his career take off.
“It’s given me confidence and enough knowledge that if they give me any problem, I know how to solve it,” he said. “It prepared me really to tackle any problem I may face.”
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