IEEE - Aerospace and Electronic Systems - April 2021 - 46

Feature Article:

DOI. No. 10.1109/MAES.2020.3043138

Restructuring Avionics Engineering Curricula to Meet
Contemporary Requirements and Future Challenges
Irfan Majid, Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Roberto Sabatini, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC
3000, Australia
Kathleen A. Kramer, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA 92110, USA
Erik Blasch, Data Analytics Portfolio, Air Force Office of Scientific Research,
Arlington, VA 22203, USA
Giancarmine Fasano, University of Naples " Federico II, " Naples 80138, Italy
George Andrews, Risk Management Corp., Newark, CA 94560, USA
Christopher Camargo, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238,
USA
Aloke Roy, Honeywell International, Charlotte, NC 28202, USA

The ASP-based effort to address avionics education aims to
improve understanding of the body of knowledge for avionics engineering to suggest curricular topics and approaches
relevant to the undergraduate, graduate programs. This article focuses on proposing approaches to avionics engineering
education that mitigate current shortcomings and better prepare students and professionals to contribute to advancing
the field. As it is strongly felt that many of the shortcomings

Authors' current addresses: I. Majid, Institute of Space
Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan, (e-mail:
majid@ieee.org); R. Sabatini, School of Engineering,
RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia, (email: roberto. sabatini@rmit.edu.au); K. A. Kramer, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA 92110 USA, (e-mail:
kramer@sandiego.edu); E. Blasch, Data Analytics Portfolio, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Arlington, VA
22203 USA, (e-mail: erik.blasch@gmail.com); G. Fasano,
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of
Naples " Federico II " , Naples 80138, Italy, (e-mail: g.
fasano@unina.it); G. Andrews, Risk Management Corp,
Newark, CA 94560 USA, (e-mail: gandrew@riskmc.
com); C. Camargo, Southwest Research Institute, San
Antonio, TX 78238 USA, (e-mail: ccamargo@electro.
swri.edu); A. Roy, Honeywell International, Charlotte,
NC 28202 USA, (e-mail: aloke.roy@honeywell.com).
Manuscript received August 27, 2020; accepted
November 12, 2020, and ready for publication
December 4, 2020.
Review handled by Peter Willett.
0885-8985/21/$26.00 ß 2021 IEEE
46

in avionics education stem from lack of understanding of the
scope of avionics; thus, " Avionics Engineering Body of
Knowledge " outlines the fundamentals of avionics technology as a body of knowledge. " Practical Constraints for Avionics Systems " addresses the practical aspects of avionics
engineering problems to highlight that there are specific features of avionics engineering that cannot be addressed by
other disciplines. A key aspect of any engineering education
program is to equip its students with the requisite knowledge
and skills to acquire a rewarding career, " Modern Professional Practice " provides an overview of career opportunities and pathways for avionics engineers, which are the
prime focus of proposed curriculum. " Education " addresses
curricular approaches and opportunities in avionics engineering education, specifically for undergraduate, graduate
education programs that can be used to update existing programs or start new programs in avionics engineering.

INTRODUCTION
Avionics, referring to aviation electronics, traces its roots as a
field to the famed blind flight of Lieutenant James Doolittle
on 24 September 1929 [1]. Since then, with each new generation of aircraft and advancements in flight systems, the role of
avionics systems has continued to grow and shifted toward
mission-essential and safety-critical applications. As a consequence of the evolution, avionics systems have become progressively more complex to design, develop, and maintain.
Avionics systems represent a third of the cost of modern day
commercial aircraft and about half that of a military aircraft;

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IEEE - Aerospace and Electronic Systems - April 2021

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