The College mourns the passing of Ekram Hassib, professor of electrical and computer engineering emeritus, who died May 20, 2017, at the age of 74.
Ekram, who taught at Union from 1980 until 2011, held a Ph.D. from Warsaw Technical University (Poland), an M.S.E.E. from Al-Azhar University (Egypt), and a post graduate diploma in electronic circuits and communications, also from Al-Azhar. He earned a B.S.E.E. from Cairo University (Egypt).
While at Union, he taught courses in semiconductor devices and circuits, wireless communication circuits, communication systems and digital electronics. A thesis and summer research advisor for many students over the years, Ekram was also an advisor of the Phi Chapter of Eta Kappa Nu and the Society of Women Engineers. He participated in numerous national conferences, published many professional papers and was the Engineering representative on the liaison committee for Admissions, and the Committee on Teaching.
As department chair, he was a wonderful advocate for faculty and students, said Cherrice Traver, the David Falk & Elynor Rudnick-Falk Professor of Computer Engineering.
He was perhaps best known among students for his teaching in electronics, according to Prof. John Spinelli. "No student could graduate from ECE at Union without being exposed to his extraordinarily thorough, organized and insightful treatment of electronic design," Spinelli said. "He would spend unlimited time and effort helping every student to meet his exacting standards, but the standards would never budge."
"As a colleague, we was similarly generous with his time, and I learned a great deal about teaching by sitting in on his classes," Spinelli added. "He was an extraordinary teacher, and a caring person."
Formerly of Kuwait and born in Tanta, Egypt, Ekram was an associate professor of electrical engineering at the Kuwait Institute of Technology before joining the Union faculty. He also taught electrical engineering at Al-Azhar University and was an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the Military Technical College (Baghdad).
He received the Academic Excellence Award from Cairo University, the IEEE award for most distinguished electrical engineering professor, and the Arthur Schmidt Faculty Award each year from 1983-1989.
A member of several professional societies, included Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu and IEEE (communications society/circuits and systems society), Ekram enjoyed traveling, sports and the history of Islam.
His funeral was held May 21.