Congratulations to Dr. Michael Steer, Lampe Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Carolina State University, for having published three books.  Another congratulations to Dr. Joel Trussell, Director of Graduate Programs of the Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Carolina State University, has had a book published as well.

Dr. Steer’s first book he has had published is called Microwave and RF Design: A Systems Approach.  The independent modules in this book can be employed for a single course, or the same textbook can carry the student and instructor through multiple courses in microwave and radio frequency design. This book is a comprehensive introduction to RF and microwave design with a systems first approach. However, this does not mean that components are ignored. The book is arranged in five modules that are independent but do build on each other and are best taught in sequence. Design examples are used throughout the book, and many of them incorporate design tradeoffs that are only appreciated in the context of a specific design. The book is also characterized by design emphasis with discussion of manufacturability and practical design decisions.

His second book, Multifunctional Adaptive Microwave Circuits and Systems, is a state-of-the-art survey on Multi-functional, Adaptive Radio Radar and Sensor, or MARRS, systems and summarizes the findings of a five year project entitled MARRS: Multifunctional Adaptive Radio Radar and Sensors that ran from 2001 to 2006.  The book presents a systematic approach to the system level design required to develop MARRS technology. Developments of the most viable tunable and reconfigurable components are described. These are Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) switches and varactors. The book describes electrically-tunable varactors made from ferroelectric materials. Applications in tunable switches, tunable filters, tunable matching networks, and tunable antennas are presented. Concepts and architectures for RF transmitters designed to optimize performance by adapting to variable loads, power levels, and linearity requirements are explored, as well as reconfigurable and tunable RF filters using both semiconductor and ferroelectric varactors. The book also discusses retrodirective antenna arrays, Finally, a multifunction radar, communication and radiometry system that utilizes a retro-directive antenna array is described.

Building on the success of the previous two editions Foundations of Interconnect and Microstrip Design offers extensive new, updated and revised material based upon the latest research. In addition to the comprehensive information on designing microstrip circuits there is an entirely new chapter on coplanar waveguide (CPW) design and substantial new material on designing gigahertz-rate digital interconnects both on and off chip.  Strongly design-oriented, this third edition provides the reader with a fundamental understanding of this fast expanding field making it a definitive source for professional engineers and researchers and an indispensable reference for senior students in electronic engineering.

Dr. Trussell’s book, titled Fundamentals of Digital Imaging, focuses on the multi-billion dollar industry of digital imaging technology.  This industry is an active research area with applications in our everyday lives in products such as digital cameras, scanners, printers and display systems. This book presents an introduction to the fundamentals of digital imaging, with emphasis on the basic operations of image capture and display of monochrome and colour images. This book also balances the mathematical description of real problems with practical examples.