Faculty profile: Coskun Cetinkaya

Teaching was Coskun Cetinkaya’s first love.

A native of Turkey, Cetinkaya joined the faculty as an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering in fall 2013.

After earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Rice University in Texas, he became an assistant professor, focusing on wireless networking. Then he became an administrator at another college for about five years, before returning to his true calling.

“I felt I missed being a teacher and a researcher, so I decided to go back to being a teacher,” Cetinkaya says. Leaving teaching for an administrative post helped him realize that teaching was his passion—and had been since his youth

“Throughout high school, I helped explain to my friends the math or science or whatever the topic at hand was. I got this joy when I would teach something to someone and see that person able to accomplish it, learn it, or show me that they learned it,” he says. “Also, teaching helps you to learn things as well. As you try to explain something to someone, other issues and questions come into your mind that you may not have thought of before.”

It’s a skill that Cetinkaya puts to use daily in the classroom, teaching courses such as digital logic.

“It has a lot of applications. Basically, in digital logic, you learn how the chips work. If you look at any device right now, it all comes with a chip – computer, smart phone, cell phone, everything,” he says. “So, I think electrical and computer engineering has a very broad application. Right now especially, a computer engineer who knows how to program has much more chance of getting a job than one who lacks that skill.”

Helping students prepare for the work world and increasing their ability to find a job once they are out of school is a cornerstone of Cetinkaya’s teaching. Helping students learn something new brings him a great deal of excitement and helps him to be a lifelong learner.

“I like when my students challenge me,” he says. “That always gets me looking at a different perspective and approach.”