Electrical and Computer Engineering

Faculty and Staff

FULL TIME FACULTY

Richard R. Johnston, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor and Chair

Dr. Johnston received the BSEE (Magna cum Laude), the MSEE, and the  Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Wayne State University.  Dr. Johnston is Director of the Graduate Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering.  His interests include power systems, power electronics, and numerical methods.

Lisa M. Anneberg, Ph.D., P.E.
Associate Professor

Dr. Anneberg received the BS in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, the MS in Computer Engineering from Wayne State University, and the PhD in Computer Engineering from Wayne State University. She has previous industrial experience at General Motors, Daimler Chrysler, and US Army TACOM. She is a SME-certified Enterprise Integrator, a licensed professional engineer in Michigan, and a Certified Quality Technician. Dr. Anneberg presently chairs the Engineering Faculty Senate and serves on the University-wide Faculty Senate. She is active in the Society for Women Engineers, Michigan Society for Professional Engineers, and the American Society for Engineering Education. She is also a senior member of the IEEE and a section chair of the Trident Section of the IEEE-Southeast Michigan. She is presently working on funded educational projects at Lawrence Tech through AT&T, the Jerome Bettis Foundation, the National Football League, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Daimler Chrysler Foundation.

Rakan Chabaan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor


Dr. Chabaan received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Wayne State University.  He also holds an MS in Electronics and Computer Control Systems (ECCS) Engineering from WSU, and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Detroit.  Prior to joining Lawrence Technological University, Dr. Chabaan had over 13 years' experience in research at Ford Motor Company Research and Development Center.  His background and expertise includes Digital Signal Processing, System Identification and modeling in Time and Frequency Domain, Gain Scheduling, and Robust Control Systems.

Dr. Chabaan has published several journal and conference papers. He has also 9 US patents, several European patents, and two patents to be allowed.

Michael J. Cloud, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Dr. Cloud  received the PhD in electrical engineering from Michigan State University in 1987. He then joined LTU, and has been an Associate Professor since 1992. Dr. Cloud received a Sears Foundation award for teaching excellence in 1991.

He has coauthored a number of books, including Inequalities with Applications to Engineering (Springer-Verlag, 1998), Electromagnetics (CRC Press, 2001 and 2008), Tensor Analysis (World Scientific, 2003),The Calculus of Variations and Functional Analysis with Optimal Control and Applications in Mechanics (World Scientific, 2003), Approximating Perfection: A Mathematician's Journey Into the World of Mechanics (Princeton, 2004), Applications of Functional Analysis and Operator Theory (Elsevier, 2005), Computational Functional Analysis(Horwood, 2007), and Introduction to Interval Analysis (SIAM, 2009).

H. Robert Farrah, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor

Dr. Farrah holds a Ph.D. degree in Computer Engineering, which was granted by Wayne State University.   He also earned MSEE and MBA degrees from WSU, and a BSEE degree from MIT. Prior to joining the faculty at LTU, Dr. Farrah was employed by the Bendix Corporation.   During his tenure at Bendix he worked on various electronics, instrumentation, and computer projects.   From 1990 to 2001, Dr. Farrah was the Chairperson of the Department of Electrical Engineering at LTU.   Currently Dr. Farrah is serving on the Steering Committee of the Engineering Faculty Council, and is the Chairperson of the Tenure and Promotion committee.

Ronald C. Foster
Professor

Mr. Foster received the MS in Systems Engineering from Oakland University and the BS in Electrical Engineering from Oakland University.  He is Program Director for the Biomedical Engineering Program.

William B. Kolasa, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Dr. Kolasa earned a B.S. in Physics from the University of Detroit, an M.S. in Physics from the University of Detroit and a Ph.D. in Experimental Solid State Physics from the Universiy of Windsor.  Previously, Dr. Kolasa worked at the Vehicle Systems Laboratory of General Dynamics Land Systems Division as Group Leader in Troy, Michigan, as an Assistant Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Physics Department at the University of Detroit in Detroit, Michigan, as Senior Engineer in the Sciences Department at Bendix Engineering and Development Center, and as Lead Analyst at Bendix Field Engineering Corporation at the Goddard Space Flight Center.  Dr. Kolasa is currently serving as the student branch counselor for IEEE, and as the Co-op advisor of the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.

   
 

Yawen Li, Ph.D.

Dr. Yawen Li received her BS and MS from Xi'an Jiaotong University, China, and her PhD from MIT, all in materials science and engineering.  She went on to complete her postdoctoral training in the Center for Engineering in Medicine affiliated with both the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Her main research interests are in materials processing, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for biomedical applications and tissue engineering.

Kelvin Shih
Professor

Mr. Shih received the MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee and the Diploma in Electrical Engineering from the Taipei Institute of Technology.

Mazin Sliety, PhD. PE.
Assistant Professor

Dr. Sliety received a PhD in Systems Engineering from Oakland University and a Masters in Electrical Engineering from University of Central Florida in 2007 and 2001, respectively. Prior to joining Lawrence Tech University, Dr. Sliety had 11 years’ experience in research, teaching, and industry.
Dr. Sliety has published several journal and conference papers. He has one patent, one trade secret, and seven defensive publications in Telematics and wireless communications.  He is licensed as a Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of Michigan and a senior IEEE member.  His research interests include antenna design, full vehicle-level antenna and EMI modeling and measurements, RF measurements and performance characterization, and GPS and communication applications in Telematics and biomedical applications.

Anca I. Stefan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Dr. Stefan earned a Diploma and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Politehnica University of Bucharest in Romania.  She went on to earn a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from The Ohio State University.

 

 


ADJUNCT FACULTY

   

Joseph R. Asik, Ph.D.

Dr. Asik is an Adjunct Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Departments.  He received his BS in Physics with honors from Case Institute of Technology in 1959 and his PhD in Magnetic Resonance Physics from the University of Illinois in 1966.  Prior to joining Lawrence Technological University, Dr. Asik performed research and development at the Ford Motor Co. Research Laboratories in Dearborn, MI, retiring in 2001 after 31 years of service.  At Ford he specialized in designing and developing automotive electrical and electronic control systems for engines, transmissions, and low emissions systems.  Dr. Asik has authored more than 50 technical publications in physics, electrical engineering, and automotive engineering.  He has been awarded 20 U. S. Patents for automotive inventions.  He has received several technical achievement awards from Ford Motor Co. and the SAE.

Thomas J. Dragon

Thomas Dragon received the MSEE from the University of Michigan and the BSEE from the University of Detroit. At Unisys Corporation he was an Electronics Development Engineer and later managed a department responsible for developing electronics for high-speed check sorters. He retired in 1996 after 35 years of service.

Mr. Dragon mostly teaches Electronics at LTU, but his favorite course is Circuits 1. He is an avid Detroit Pistons fan and golfer.

Riyadh Kenaya

Riyadh Kenaya received the BSEE in 1992, and the MS in Nuclear Electronic Engineering in 1995, both from Baghdad University. He is presently working toward his PhD in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Oakland University. In addition to teaching at LTU, Prof Riyadh teaches courses at Oakland University and the ITT Technical Institute. His research interests include adaptive neural networks, fuzzy ART, and Euclidean ART systems.

 
 

Leonard E. Moriconi

Prof Moriconi is a veteran of the United States Air Force, where he supervised the maintenance of computer systems for military aircraft. He was an instructor for the Wayne State College of Lifelong Learning at General Motors for approximately fifteen years, teaching courses in electrical and computer technology. In 1987, Prof Moriconi joined the Lawrence Technological University faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Electrical Engineering Department. He left the university to accept a position as Chief Engineer at a local automotive supplier and returned as an adjunct faculty member. He is currently the Senior Projects Coordinator. He holds a BEE from University of Detroit and an MSEE from Wayne State University.

Bridget A. Renehan

Bridget Renehan has been teaching various engineering courses as an adjunct instructor in the Electrical Engineering Department at Lawrence Technological University since 1988. She has also served as an engineering advisor. She earned her BSEE ('84) and MSEE ('86) from the University of Michigan. Ms. Renehan has been an engineer in the automotive industry since 1984, working for Ford, Visteon, and currently Autoliv Electronics America. She is married and has 3 children.

Richard M. Srodawa

Rick received a BSEE (1968) from Lawrence Tech, and completed an MSEE (1971) and post masters studies at Wayne State University. He joined Detroit Edison's Engineering Research Dept in 1968, retiring in 2006 as a Senior Technical Specialist. His activities revolved around the solution of operating problems that involved the dynamics of various fossil and nuclear power plant processes and controls. Control systems, generator stability, furnace air/gas dynamics, turbine speed governors, electrical switching surges, and failure analysis were addressed by various combinations of field or laboratory testing and computer simulation. Rick was certified as a Level 3 technical expert under federal law (10CFR21) to write, approve, and execute quality assurance testing of nuclear power plant safety systems and components.

Rick has been a member of our adjunct faculty off and on since 1971, serving as Assistant Professor during 1972-3. He has also been an adjunct at Wayne State, teaching the graduate power systems course.

Benjamin Sweet

Mr. Sweet has been an adjunct faculty member at LTU since 1994.  In that time he has taught for the departments of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Math & Computer Science, Technology, and Continuing Education.  His primary focus is Control Systems (ECE) and Software Engineering (MCS).  He is passionate about teaching real-world skills to his primary customers – the students.

  Mr. Sweet has been engaged in the industry of developing real-time embedded software/systems for automotive and industrial applications since 1987.  He currently holds the position of Principal Engineer in the Software Engineering department at Lear Corporation.  In this role he is a departmental resource for preventing and resolving technical issues in software product development.  He also facilitates the application and adaptation of corporate product development processes.  He is interested in learning and applying contemporary product development and improvement methodologies, and disseminating that knowledge to his colleagues and students.

  He holds a M.S. in Electronic and Computer Control System from Wayne State University (1993), and B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University (1987).   

As CEO of TEKNOWLEDGE, LLC, he enjoys writing informative works that are pleasant to read, and delivering practical short courses to meet the technical education needs of his clients.

Nicholas J. Zorka, Ph.D.

Dr Nicholas G. Zorka is an entrepreneur who specializes in the field of artificial intelligence - fuzzy logic. His PhD dissertation was titled "Adaptive Fuzzy Cluster Tracking Techniques with Radar Applications".  Dr Zorka's work in adaptive fuzzy logic with the use of sensors such as radar, far IR, and cameras, led to the development of key invention disclosures for which Ford Motor received US patents in the field of automotive safety applications. While working in Ford's Scientific Research Laboratories, Dr Zorka also developed new patentable concepts in emission controls, resulting in huge vehicle savings and the meeting of new automotive emissions standards.

Dr Zorka has published technical papers for the ASME and IEEE, and for internal consumption at Ford in the areas of emission controls, automotive safety, and mechanical design. He has presented his finding at prestigious technical conferences in Austria and Italy, as well as in the USA.

Dr Zorka started NICA-Engineering, a consulting business, in 2006. He now specializes in artificial intelligence controls and computational fluid dynamics. As a consultant, he has worked on computational fluid dynamics in the generation of wind power. His company has submitted proposals to the US Army for unmanned ground vehicle applications. Dr Zorka's academic background covers both mechanical and electrical engineering. His four college degrees include a bachelors in mechanical engineering, a masters in engineering mechanics, a masters in electronics and computer control, and a PhD in systems engineering.

 

STAFF

Reka S. Dobbins
Secretary

Martha S. Thompson
Laboratory Technician

Ms. Thompson is the Electrical and Computer Engineering Laboratory Coordinator. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology at Lawrence Technological University and is a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technologist. Martha was named Staff Person of the Year in 2003. She serves as a committee member on the Parking, Professional Development and Open House committees.

   

 

 

Lawrence Technological University
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