New ECE Faculty Associate: JIM
BARNER
fter an accomplished business
career in the telecommunications industry, Jim
Barner has returned to his engineering roots as ECE’s newest
faculty associate. A native of the Chicago area, Barner earned a BS
in biomedical engineering and a MS in electrical and computer engineering
from the University of Iowa. Since then, he has worn a variety of hats
at several companies, including positions in sales, product management
and market intelligence.
In his last job, Barner helped guide top executives
in business decisions concerning industry trends, market opportunities,
the acquisition of companies and other strategic areas. Now as an instructor
in the department, he looks forward to making teaching his top priority,
enjoying his students and “getting back to engineering.”
Barner is no stranger to the classroom: Earlier in
his career, he developed and taught one- to 10-day training classes
in telecommunications technology for industry personnel. This fall,
he is supervising the laboratory for a hands-on departmental course
in optoelectronics. This spring, he will teach a course in electrical
and electronic circuits for engineering majors outside ECE.
Although he expects he may eventually teach graduate-level
classes, for now Barner is very pleased to be working with undergraduates.
“I think it will be a lot of fun to work with students early in
their careers,” he says. “You get the chance to help shape
them and instill good habits. And keeping them motivated will be a big
part of what I do.”
In addition to his instructional responsibilities,
Barner also manages the process for selecting and assigning teaching
assistants to ECE courses that need them. He hopes to streamline this
system and make it less manual by finding and implementing an appropriate
database system.
Barner enjoys traveling, especially in Europe—something
he did extensively during his three years at a company located near
Stuttgart, Germany. He is a voracious reader of classic literature and
a physical fitness enthusiast who lifts weights, runs and loves downhill
skiing. And very appropriate to a denizen of Madison, Barner is a big
college football fan and hopes to see the Badgers play this fall.
