New Book Presents Methodologies for Designing Embedded Systems Products
Lawrence J. Henschen and Julia C. Lee co-authored “Embedded Systems Design: Methodologies and Issues”
At the intersection of hardware and software architecture, embedded systems are integral in applications including smart devices, wearables, autonomous systems, security and defense technologies, communications, and medical instruments.
Engineers build embedded systems to meet real-time demands and increasingly complex constraints, such as speed, power, size, accuracy, reliability, and adaptability.
The late Lawrence J. Henschen, professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering at Northwestern Engineering, and Julia C. Lee (MS ’82 and PhD ’92) co-authored the textbook Embedded Systems Design: Methodologies and Issues (Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2023) that presents methodologies for designing these systems and explores issues related to bringing embedded systems products to market.
Intended for third- and fourth-year undergraduate students and master’s degree students in computer engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science, the book outlines methods for designing safe, reliable, and robust embedded systems — from internal operations modeling to the selection of hardware, software, and network platforms to evaluation and testing.
From 2000 to 2009, Henschen served as the associate dean of students at Northwestern’s The Graduate School. As the graduate director of EECS/ECE from 1989 to 2001, he was responsible for the department’s graduate curriculum, policy, and application process. From 1980 to 1996, Henschen was the chair of the Computer and Information Studies program at Northwestern’s Weinberg School of Arts and Sciences.
Henschen supervised 71 PhD students between 1975 and 2001. He earned multiple teaching accolades, including the McCormick TECH Teaching Award (1983), the Illinois Gamma Chapter of Tau Beta Pi outstanding teacher award (1984), and the Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence award (2004). In 2012, The Graduate School bestowed Henschen with a faculty award for diversity in recognition of his contributions to an environment which values diverse backgrounds, approaches, and perspectives.
Lee earned an MS and PhD in computer science from the McCormick School of Engineering. After graduating from Northwestern University, she worked in the IT industry with AT&T, CSC, and Lucent Technology. She also worked at the US Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory. She also served in teaching and staff roles at the University, first as a computer science instructor in Northwestern’s School of Professional Studies (2003-09) and then as an IT consultant with Northwestern’s The Graduate School (2009-12).
Most recently, Lee was a senior web applications and software developer at Northwestern Engineering (2012-17) and co-taught the COMP_ENG 366, 466: Embedded Systems course. She continues to pursue freelance research related to Internet of Things and embedded systems.