Focus on: IT and Telecommunications

In an era when computing and information technologies touch nearly every aspect of every business, success is often determined by understanding how to assess and leverage the technology you have … and how to plan for the technology you will need.

EMTM prepares leaders who can bridge the gap between business strategy and IT potential. Managers who are able to 'speak both languages' — who understand the fundamental drivers of business, coupled with a working knowledge of key IT principles — are the leaders who will create the greatest competitive edge for themselves and their organizations.

At EMTM, if you have an interest in deepening your knowledge of IT and Telecommunications technologies, you can pursue a concentrated track in this area — taking at least 4 of your 6 required technology electives from among EMTM's IT and Telecommunications offerings. Recent courses include Data Mining, Human Computer Interaction, IT Privacy and Security, IT Strategy, Software Development, Software Engineering, and Telecommunications Networking (Introductory, Advanced, and 4th Generation Wireless Networks). New courses are added on a continuing basis.

If your goal is to develop a better understanding of selected technologies, you can also choose to take one or more IT and Telecommunications electives to complement other coursework and address specific needs and interests.

Courses in this area are designed specifically for the EMTM program to give you the knowledge and tools needed to understand and leverage these technologies, and to more effectively communicate with and manage the work of technology specialists. They are taught by Penn Engineering faculty and research and industry experts who bring specialized experience in advancing information and communications technologies and who consult with leading firms on IT and telecommunications strategy.

• Who can most benefit?
• Courses available in IT, Telecommunications and related technologies
• EMTM's Emerging Technologies Seminar
• Related Research Centers at Penn

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Who can most benefit?

EMTM gives IT leaders the tools to align technology planning with corporate goals — and helps leaders without an IT background make better business decisions by understanding and managing strategic IT and communication technologies. Potential candidates include:

• CIOs, CTOs of small to mid-sized firms; and those aspiring to this office in larger organizations
• CFOs and reports
• VPs and Directors of Operations, Strategic Planning, R&D, CRM
• General Corporate Managers
• Senior Project Engineers
• Team Leaders

Current and recent EMTM students come from companies such as Boeing, Cisco, Corning, Deloitte Consulting, Deutsche Bank, Dow Jones, GlaxoSmithKline, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, J.P. Morgan Chase, L-3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, MCI, Merck, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Motorola, Nike, Oracle, Pfizer, Rohm & Haas, Sanofi-Aventis, SAP, Siemens Medical, Vanguard, Verizon, Wellpoint Dental and W.L. Gore & Associates, as well as from the U.S. Army, Department of Commerce and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

For more about industries and organizations represented in EMTM, see: Companies.

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EMTM Courses in IT and related technologies

Among the courses available to students interested in Information Technology and Telecommunications:

• Data Mining — Current methods and industry trends in data mining and business intelligence, including data mining techniques — how they work and when to use them; data warehousing — approaches and challenges; and emerging data mining methods, including text mining and web mining.
• Human Computer Interaction — n the end, it's about the end user. Focusing on the need to create effective, efficient and enjoyable human computer interactions, this course explores psychological foundations, fundamental concepts, task analysis, requirements analysis and both standard and emerging techniques for design and implementation.
• IT Security & Privacy — Increasingly, corporations are appointing Chief Security and Chief Privacy Officers to oversee security and privacy programs and policies in their organizations. Providing an overview of the basic concepts, technologies and issues of security and privacy in the Information Technology arena, this course includes guest lectures from both academic and corporate security and privacy experts.
• Information Technology Strategy — Rapidly changing information and communications technologies have profound implications for the quality of everyday life, the competitive position of firms in all industries, and the highly volatile activity in the securities market. This course addresses the implications of emerging IT business and technology models for competitive strategy in large companies.
• Software Development — With a focus on key issues related to software development, from requirements, specification, design, implementation, and quality assurance to maintenance, the course also covers topics such as object-oriented analysis, design patterns, UML, modularity in system architecture, distributed (networked) applications, database applications and security problems.
• Software Engineering — A systematic, disciplined and quantifiable approach to producing and maintaining reliable software products within budget and on time. Offering insights from an individual and corporate perspective, topics include software process models, risk management, agile development, testing, human computer interaction and Open Source.
• Telecommunications: Introduction to Networking — Investments in networking can produce huge gains and equally high price-tags. For managers without prior background in telecommunications, it can be essential to understand the principles and protocols of modern data networks, both local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (the Internet), as well as basic application protocols and security measures.
• Telecommunications: Advanced Networking — As communications and information technologies continue to evolve, this course explores emerging trends and provides in-depth technical and business perspectives on each technology area. Topics include backbone networks, last-mile access, wireless networks, internet/IP-based applications, application requirements/quality-of-service (QoS), and advanced security.
• Nanotechnology — No scientific field or industry sector will be unaffected by the revolutionary opportunities presented by nanotechnology. This course presents the concepts behind the mystery of 'small', and the techniques and applications that will help transform pharmaceutical and biotechnology enterprises of the future.
• Photonics — As limitations of speed, size, bandwidth, power and reliability affect many electronic devices and systems, photonics is a fast-moving area with significant applications to optical communication systems, lasers, medical devices and other high-technology areas.
• Drug Discovery — When your R&D pipeline is central to success, what concepts, systems and tools can help accelerate the discovery of key compounds? This course draws on advances in robotics, genomics, biophysics and statistics, among others, that hold useful applications to modern drug discovery.
• Clinical Technology Innovation — From over-the-counter pregnancy tests to multimillion dollar imaging modalities, technologies found in the hospital setting follow a complex path from design concept to FDA approval. A look at the business models, distribution concepts and economics of established and emerging technologies across the clinical area, including diagnostics, genetic therapies and advanced drug delivery technologies.

Among additional Management Electives that IT managers might find useful:

• Creating Value Through Technology: IT-Enabled Services and Strategies — Recent changes in information technology and regulation are changing the competitive landscape. How is business being transformed by information technology and the Web, and what role do IT changes play in re-shaping strategy, consumer behavior and Web-based business models?
• Real Options Analysis — Contrary to traditional net present value (NPV), real options analysis accurately reflects the impact of risk and uncertainty by taking into account managerial and operational flexibility. The course includes applications for decision making in a variety of business contexts such as biotechnology, flexible manufacturing, R&D, marketing, strategy, and transportation.
• R&D Management — How do you manage R&D in an increasingly competitive global marketplace and use technology as a powerful tool of competitive advantage and growth? Addressing the significant issues related to managing R&D in a corporate environment from both strategic and tactical perspectives, topics include key R&D business processes and methods of measuring and optimizing the return on R&D.

For a more comprehensive course listing, see: Courses.

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Emerging Technologies Seminar

First-year students take part in a year-long Emerging Technologies Seminar that brings faculty and experts from different disciplines to discuss emerging ideas in science and technology, as well as their business implications. Sample topics from previous years include:

• Emerging Technologies: Opportunity or Risk
• Lab on a Chip and Biosensors Technology
• Data Mining for Drug Discovery
• Nanotechnology: Small Things Making a Large Impact
• Penn's Automated Trading Project
• Quantum Computing and Information Science
• Investing in Emerging Technologies

For more, see: Emerging Technologies Seminar.

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Related Research Centers

The University of Pennsylvania's research centers are multidisciplinary seedbeds for innovation and applied research, and EMTM students benefit from access to this pipeline of new knowledge. Several members of the EMTM faculty are closely involved with centers investigating emerging information technologies.

Penn Center for Bioinformatics
The rapidly developing fields of bioinformatics and computational biology deal with the management, analysis, and visualization of the flood of information generated in molecular biology, genomics, and other areas of biology and biomedicine. A collaborative effort to promote research and education in this vital area, the Penn Center for Bioinformatics brings together faculty from several schools within the university — from biologists to computer scientists and mathematicians. Lyle Ungar of Penn Engineering's Computer and Information Science Department serves as assistant director of this center. He is a long-time EMTM faculty member and former EMTM director.

Center for Human Modeling and Simulation
The Center for Human Modeling and Simulation exists to investigate computer graphics modeling and animation techniques for embodied agents, virtual humans, and their applications. Major foci involve developing behavior-based animation of human movement especially for gesture, gait, and facial expression, constructing a parameterized action representation for real-time simulation and animation, and understanding the relationship between human movement, natural language, and communication. The center's director, Norman Badler, Associate Dean of Penn Engineering and Professor of Computer and Information Science, teaches EMTM's course on Computer Visualization for Scientific Data.

GRASP Laboratory
One of the premier research labs focusing on fundamental research in robotics, vision, perception, control and automation, the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Lab is a multi-disciplinary research laboratory founded in 1979 at Penn Engineering. EMTM faculty member Vijay Kumar, who holds appointments as Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Professor of Computer and Information Science, is director of the GRASP Laboratory.

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