Communications and Signal Processing, as well as the further education course of Telecommunications Manager. The inventor of the MP3 music encoding format Karlheinz Brandenburg is one of the professors at this Faculty. Department of Computer Science and Automation The Department of Computer Science and Automation has its roots in the Institutes of Control Engineering and Electromedical and Radiological of the HfE as well as in the scientific fields of Engineering Informatics and Computer Engineering of the former TH Ilmenau. This faculty has five institutes including 20 departments and the junior professorship "Automation Technology" and is in charge of the course of study of "Biomedical Engineering", "Computer Science", "Computer Engineering" and "Technical Cybernetics and Systems Theory". Department of Mechanical Engineering The Department of Mechanical Engineering was founded as Faculty of Precision Mechanics and Optics at the HfE. It comprises 19 departments as well as the junior professorship "Design of mechatronics drives" and is in charge of the graduate courses of study of Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Automotive Engineering, Optronics, Teacher Training for Vocational School and Materials Science taught at the Inter-Faculty Institute for Materials Technology. Complementary further-education courses offered include Applications of Light and Innovative Engineering Design for Industrial Machinery and Equipment (shared course with the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena). Department of Mathematics and Natural Science The Department of Mathematics and Natural Science has emerged from the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Science and Technical Basic Sciences of the HfE. At present, it comprises the Institutes of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biotechnique as well as Media and Communications. It is in charge of the graduate courses of study of Mathematics, Technical Physics and Applied Media Science. Furthermore, it is responsible for the basic training of the students required for other courses of study in mathematics, physics and chemistry. Department of Economic Sciences and Media The Department of Economic Sciences and Media opened in 1990/91 is the youngest of all faculties at the university. The course of study of Business Informatics has been offered since 1988, and in 1990, the course of study of Industrial Engineering and Management was added. This faculty has four institutes including 15 departments and is in charge of the graduate courses of study of Commercial Information Technology, Industrial Engineering and Management and Media Economics. In the field of further education, it is responsible for the postgraduate course of Economic and Technical Information. Research Research in Ilmenau is carried out at all