Turning signals into success

Arizona State University Regents Professor Emeritus Constantine A. Balanis, who taught electrical engineering in the Ira. A Fulton Schools of Engineering, remains a transformative figure in both the field of electromagnetics and among his faculty peers across institutions.

Balanis’ teaching and research achievements span over six decades and are highlighted by numerous awards and recognitions. He has published texts that are utilized in electromagnetics and antenna curricula today.

His research has led to significant advancements in the design and analysis of various antennas, which are critical for applications in wireless communications, radar systems and satellite technology used in modern society.

However, Balanis is most proud of the impact he has made teaching and mentoring future engineers throughout his years in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools.

Engineering a future

Born in Trikala, Greece, in 1938, education was not the original reason for his journey across the Atlantic as a teenager. Balanis immigrated to the U.S. in 1955 to assist his family, joinng an uncle already living in the U.S. to work.

Balanis’ uncle sparked the teen’s initial interest in going to Virginia Tech.

“I was a good student, but at that time I had no idea I was going to go to college or go on eventually to work for NASA and ultimately to be a professor,” Balanis says. “Because of my interest in math, I enrolled in the subject as a first-year student. After completing my first year of college, I switched into electrical engineering, whose curriculum and technology utilizes and applies a lot of math.”

Balanis is pictured among many passengers aboard a ship departing Piraeus, Greece, on March 5, 1955. He would later arrive in Manhattan, New York, on March 21 of the same year to join his uncle and live in the U.S. Photo courtesy of Constantine A. Balanis

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech in 1964, Balanis started working for NASA at the Langley Research Center in Virginia as an electronics engineer focusing on microwaves and electromagnetics.

While at the agency, Balanis still dedicated himself to school, earning his master’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1966 and his doctorate from The Ohio State University in 1969. During his six years at NASA, he also accepted his first teaching position as an assistant professorial lecturer with The George Washington University graduate extension program at the Langley Research Center.

It was an invitation to give a lecture at West Virginia University that ultimately yielded a job offer, altering Balanis’ career trajectory from employment at a government agency to working full-time in academia.

He became a professor during a 13-year tenure in West Virginia University’s department of electrical engineering in the areas of antennas and electromagnetics. During this time, Balanis also added textbook author to his growing list of accomplishments.

Signals of success

In 1983, Balanis was already collaborating with ASU faculty, and his first book on antenna theory was being used for instruction here when he recalls being recruited. He jumped at the opportunity to join the growing university and its engineering school’s transformation under C. Roland Haden, the dean at the time.

Balanis served as a professor at ASU and later director of the institution’s Telecommunications Research Center, or TRC. He quickly became a pivotal member of the department, which subsequently saw recruitment of new faculty members in electromagnetics and telecommunications and an overhaul of the curriculum to emphasize scholarly research.

In the early 1980s, Balanis aided in the design and development of the ElectroMagnetic Anechoic Chamber, or EMAC, at ASU. The facility opened in 1985, supporting faculty and graduate student research by providing precision antenna and radar cross section measurements.

“Revamping our curriculum and building the EMAC were both important milestones in the advancement of ASU, which became known nationally and internationally as an up-and-coming university for engineering in the mid to late 1980s,” Balanis says.

Still in use today, ASU’s EMAC is one of the largest university-housed facilities of its kind in the U.S. and has tested numerous scaled versions of airframes throughout its 35-year history.

A scale model of a helicopter is pictured inside the ElectroMagnetic Anechoic Chamber, or EMAC, at ASU. The 2,200-square-foot facility supports faculty and student research by providing precision antenna and radar cross section measurements. Photo courtesy of Constantine A. Balanis

The facility also supported the later formation of the Advanced Helicopter Electromagnetics, or AHE, consortium, a significant career highlight for Balanis and one that further bolstered ASU’s reputation.

A collaborative partnership between industry, government and academia, AHE developed analytical methods, computational techniques and computer codes for advanced helicopter applications, using the EMAC facility for testing. Ron Lavin, a Boeing technical fellow, represented Boeing Helicopters, now known as the Vertical Lift division of Boeing Defense, Space & Security on AHE and worked with Balanis from 1990 until the consortium concluded work in 2017.

“For many years, Dr. Balanis led the AHE Consortium at ASU, and Boeing was a longtime member,” Lavin says. “Dr. Balanis showed he was a first-rate researcher and a rare teacher who cared not only about his students’ education but also their career development. His enthusiasm, tireless energy and passion, the quality of his research and publications, and his dedication to his students are all an example for others in academia to emulate. The Boeing Company benefited greatly from our association and is grateful for the opportunity to participate in the AHE program.”

Andy Lee, a Boeing associate technical fellow and senior electrophysics engineer, also champions Balanis’ impact serving as AHE’s principal investigator.

“I believe Dr. Balanis’ largest contribution was his work in pioneering the formation of the AHE consortium,” Lee says. “In what is traditionally considered a niche discipline, developing the consortium was truly a novel and avant-garde concept of its time, allowing innovative collaboration between academia, private industry and government entities within the area of applied electromagnetics.”

Lee, an alumnus of the Fulton Schools, first started working on AHE as a graduate student research assistant and says Balanis continues to impact the lives of his students as they transition into professional life.

“Dr. Balanis follows his graduates’ careers closely — akin to having a personal mentor for life,” Lee says. “Transitioning from his graduate research assistant into a practicing professional, he has furnished me a lifetime of opportunities. His impact on my professional and personal life is invaluable.”

Proof in the publication

Balanis’ numerous publications serve as a living legacy of research and teaching.

Many of his books continue to serve in core curricula and have been translated into numerous languages for use in higher education globally.

First published in 1982, “Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design,” now on its fourth edition, is widely regarded as a cornerstone and bible in the study of antenna engineering. The book has amassed over 49,000 citations, according to Google Scholar. It has been used worldwide as a reference material and textbook by more than 2,000 colleges and universities. The first edition was even used at ASU before Balanis became a faculty member there.

In 1989, building upon the success of his first book, Balanis published “Advanced Engineering Electromagnetics,” which became a foundation for teaching graduate coursework in the field. To date, it has close to 14,000 citations, according to Google Scholar. The third edition, released in 2024, received an updated title, which bears Balanis’ name, recognizing his importance and contributions to the field.

In total, his collective works have been cited over 77,500 times to date according to Google Scholar.

Mentorship matters most

A Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE, Balanis has previously been recognized by the organization in 2021 with the IEEE Electromagnetics Award. The recognition is the highest achievement bestowed in electromagnetic engineering.

In 2023, Balanis was also named a Legend of Electromagnetics by the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society, or IEEE AP-S, for his lifetime of contributions to the field and dedication to education and support of students, faculty and young professionals in the organization. Balanis says he’s proud of the award because it recognizes mentorship.

The IEEE Legends of Electromagnetics medal awarded to Balanis for his lifetime of contributions is pictured. Photos courtesy of Constantine A. Balanis

Lesley Polka, an electrical engineering faculty associate in the Fulton Schools and principal engineer and technical manager at Intel, first worked with Balanis as a student and underscores his impact as a mentor.

“One of the biggest ways that Dr. Balanis’ students have benefited from having him as a faculty member at ASU is that he set a very high standard for his students,” Polka says. “He challenged us but always had at the heart of his teaching that electromagnetics should be a very accessible discipline. As a teacher, it has been his goal to include as many students as possible in understanding and appreciating the discipline of electromagnetics. You see that in how he teaches and in how he writes his textbooks.”

Balanis (center) and his graduate student research group, including Lesley Polka (standing, right of Balanis), post for a photo in front of the EMAC facility in the early 1990s. Photo courtesy of Lesley Polka

Polka, a Fulton Schools alumna who joined Intel 30 years ago directly out of college, teaches a graduate electromagnetics course in the Fulton Schools based upon “Balanis’ Advanced Engineering Electromagnetics.”

“As a faculty associate, I am eager to continue this tradition and carry on Dr. Balanis’ legacy,” Polka says. “Whenever I am teaching a class, I look to his example for inspiration and to remind myself that in the end it is all about the students. When an opportunity arose to teach as a faculty associate in the department, it was Dr. Balanis who recommended me and has continued to serve as a mentor and sponsor all these many years.”

Balanis can still regularly be found visiting faculty and staff in the Goldwater Center on the ASU Tempe campus or presenting information seminars online encouraging academic and career pathways in electromagnetics.

“Over many years, I have had the opportunity to stay in contact with former students who have gone on to great careers as well as connect with eager, new students just getting started,” Balanis says. “I take great pride in seeing their successes, whether in government, industry or academia.”

To learn more about Constantine A. Balanis, his journey to the United States and his decades of contributions to the fields of electromagnetics and antennas, read his amazing story “Coming to America: My Journey from Greece to the United States and to the Fascinating World of Electromagnetics and Antennas” published in the February 2023 issue, pp. 111-121, of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine.