Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (archive)

Department History

The Iowa State University Department of Electrical Engineering was established in 1909, and by 1984, its name changed to Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECpE). The ECpE department is celebrated its centennial in 2008-09.  

Throughout the years, our alumni, students, and faculty have contributed greatly to lots of the technology you use today. In particular, individuals from the ECpE department pioneered the:

• world’s first electronic digital computer
• encoding process for fax machines
• world’s first portable phone
• medical ultrasound technology
• first handheld scientific calculator
• 3-D graphics machines that launched the “world of virtual reality”
• infant respiratory augmentor

Read more about the great alumni, faculty, and student innovators and leaders from the past and present.