Specialization tracks

Computers – Designing hardware and software systems and multidisciplinary computer systems

Power and energy systems – Designing and developing power systems, including engineering, financial, and operational aspects

Communications – A comprehensive specialization in technology and communications systems, from infrastructure and physical connections to the application level

Signal processing, image and video processing – A specialization that provides tools for coding and decoding visual, voice, and biological signals

Computers specialization

A few words on computers in electrical engineering

Computers have become a core component of electrical engineering, which is why Afeka now offers a specialization track in computers. In addition to the widespread use of personal computers, computers of all kinds are also integrated within almost every electronic device or instrument. Computers exist as part of designated systems and circuits in programmed CPLD, FPGA, and SOC hardware devices; as integrated processors and controllers running code in various operating systems such as VxWorks, RTOS, and Linux; and as systems on specific silicone ASICs. The various branches of modern electricity and electronics – including communications, control, power systems, signal processing, compression, encryption, and more – are realized and implemented, one way or another, using a computer.

Head of the computers specialization track: Prof. Eli Flaxer

Power and energy systems specialization

A few words on power systems

The demand for electric power by industrial organizations, various institutions, and households continues to grow, and supplying it has become one of the key challenges of today’s industry. Energy resource shortages worldwide, along with a host of environmental problems, require to focus efforts and resources on energy efficiency across the board: from energy production, through storage and distribution, to how energy is consumed by end-users. Power grids incorporate more and more renewable energy systems, such as solar panels and wind turbines. The increasing activity in this field naturally increases the demand for engineers with energy expertise and a broad understanding of electrical engineering in general.

Head of the power systems specialization track: Dr. David Berla

Communications specialization

Specializing in communications includes both the physical layer and electronic communications. The physical layer of communications concerns the practical aspects of modern communications, such as mobile phones, short-range communications systems (RFID, Bluetooth, WiFi), and long-range systems (optic fiber communications, microwave linesand satellite communications).

Additionally, electronic communication also concerns data transfer among discrete components, such as a cellphone and a telecommunications system, as well as the design, management, performance evaluation, and optimization of large communications networks. Data and telecommunications networks have made drastic leaps over the past decades, and nowadays our daily lives all include the use of communications networks – from browsing the Internet, through mobile phones, to the wireless systems that serve as an integral part of modern life. The world of communications, in its various aspects, is one of the leading growth engines of global high tech, with electronic communications – and particularly wireless/digital communications – becoming one of the pillars of electrical engineering.

Image and signal processing specialization

Signal processing is considered one of the fastest-growing fields in recent years. Specializing in it provides students with the comprehensive knowledge required to analyze, present, code, and decode a variety of signals from different sources – such as electric, biological, acoustic, and sensor-derived signals, but also audio, speech, and more. At the same time, image and video processing systems are fast becoming parts of daily life, and serve companies in a broad range of activities, such as computer vision and surgery, medicine, defense, entertainment, and visual communications.

Specializing in this track trains students to perform research and development in fields of signal processing, image and video processing, and computer vision.

Afeka’s unique signal processing specialization combines a theoretical background with practical experience on various platforms, equipping students with a critical scientific foundation and the engineering tools for working in signal processing R&D. Additionally, the specialization enables students to enhance their skills of image processing, video, multimedia, and computer vision by learning and experiencing various advanced technologies, tools, and algorithms.

The specialization includes courses that provide advanced knowledge in algorithms, along with practical courses that provide significant hands-on experience, helping department alumni to enter the job market after graduation. The hands-on work includes implementing the studied algorithms on today’s most advanced platforms, combining simulators, software tools, and processors from such leading companies as Analog Devices and Texas Instruments – or on Android and other OS based smartphones – thus providing experience in the industry’s most sought-after areas.

The specialization track’s selection of electives includes courses on theoretical and algorithmic knowledge for video and multimedia processing and analysis application; as well as practical courses, such as the advanced real-time image and video processing lab, where students learn to apply the algorithms.