IEEE Circuits and Systems Magazine - Q1 2023 - 10

support and reinforce each other rather than thinking of
them as conflicting activities vying for my limited time.
All my research that I conducted with my graduate students
was motivated by the need to learn so that we can
teach. Of course, many inventions happened along the
way, but I have always considered those to be by-products
of the learning process. The goal for me was always
better understanding or when one really succeeded a
unifying theory that can help us in teaching the subject.
I have also uncovered many interesting research problems
in the course of teaching a subject.
It is this unity of teaching and research, their close
connection, and the benefits garnered by exercising their
interplay that to me characterizes the successful professor.
Fred Terman, one of the pioneers of the post-war
renaissance of engineering education and, as Stanford's
Dean of Engineering, the man credited with the launch of
Silicon Valley, was quoted to say, as Stanford's Provost,
" My university is neither a teaching institution nor a research
institution, rather it is a learning institution. "
Question 4: This seems like a good juncture to ask you
about your textbook writing activity which has been extensive.
For example, Microelectronic Circuits (with coauthor
K. C. Smith) has been published in eight editions
and ten languages and sold millions of copies. What motivated
you to write textbooks and how did you carve
out the time needed for such major writing projects?
Prof. Sedra: As I mentioned earlier, an important motivation
for me to teach is to understand the subject better.
Writing a textbook on the subject takes this understanding
to a much deeper level.
I wrote two textbooks. In both cases, there were no
books available that covered what I needed to teach. My
first book was a graduate-level text on the theory and
design of passive and active filters. Now, filter design is
one of the very few areas of engineering where a complete
design theory exists, starting with specifications
and ending up with an actual circuit implementation.
This book, which was coauthored by my former graduate
student Peter Brackett and appeared in 1978, covered
the complete filter design process.
My second book, Microelectronic Circuits, began as
notes for my undergraduate courses in electronic circuits
that I began teaching in 1969. At that time, existing
textbooks dealt with the transistor as a replacement
for the vacuum tube. Thus, these books were replete
with single-transistor circuits. Furthermore, and highly
problematic, they spent more of the time discussing the
physical operation of the transistor. Thirdly, which directly
follows from the second point, there was almost
nothing on how to design transistor circuits, especially
10
IEEE CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS MAGAZINE
those that have multiple transistors. Microelectronic Circuits,
coauthored by K. C. Smith, appeared in first edition
in 1982 and tried to deal with all these shortcomings.
As a result, it filled an immediate need and became
an instant bestseller.
Over the past 40 years, eight editions of the book have
appeared. Needless to say, the contents of the eighth edition
differ considerably from those in the first. I am currently
working to define the contents of the ninth edition
with two new coauthors: Tony Chan Carusone and Vincent
Gaudet joined the author team in the eighth edition,
and they represent the future of the book.
In terms of time commitment, writing a major textbook
is an enormous undertaking. It took a dozen years
to turn course notes into the first edition. Furthermore,
rapid changes in semiconductor technology necessitated
a major revision every five years or so. I utilized
nearly all my sabbaticals for this purpose.
Every edition I wrote of this book provided me with
a deeper understanding of the subject as well as great
excitement and satisfaction. I should also mention that
it has been financially rewarding.
Question 5: You have served as chair of the Department
of Electrical Engineering and as Vice-President, provost,
and chief academic officer at the University of Toronto.
Particularly the Adel S. Sedra Distinguished Graduate
Award was created in 2002 in recognition of the remarkable
contribution you made to the advancement of the
University of Toronto during your nine-year term as VicePresident
and Provost. At the University of Waterloo, you
have also served as the Dean of Engineering and later the
University named the Student Design Center after you.
Can you share with young faculty how you have planned
and prepared your career from a professor to a leader?
Prof. Sedra: The University collegial form of governance
relies on faculty members stepping out from
their regular academic work, either temporarily or permanently,
to provide leadership to their Department,
Faculty, or University. I started out in that direction by
doing my share of serving my department on various
committees. This led to more substantial roles such as
associate chair and the department chair. The important
thing to note here is that on accepting any of these
leadership roles, one must ask oneself what the purpose
would be of serving in this capacity. Of course, there's
prestige and maybe a monetary benefit, but there must
be a higher purpose, a goal that one wants to achieve for
the unit one is leading. To achieve this goal the leader
has to formulate an academic plan complete with the
required resources. Such a plan has to be developed
in consultation with all stakeholders, students, faculty,
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