Electrical and Computer Engineering

Communication Systems Laboratory.  This laboratory contains equipment for the study of analog, pulse, and digital modulation methods. Facilities include multimeters, wideband signal generators, oscilloscopes, and spectrum analyzers. The range of topics involve communication circuit and system design, using breadboarded components through the sophisticated subsystem module interconnection. In addition, computer simulation methods are used to verify system performance. A graphics-based communication systems simulator software package is available. System performance can be investigated for amplitude, phase, and frequency modulation techniques, including pulse position, width, and amplitude data transmission schemes; binary and M-ary digital modulation and receiver structures; and spectral occupancy versus power constraints.

Computer Architecture Laboratory.  This laboratory consists of experimental stations that provide students with opportunities to gain experience with the internal workings of a microcomputer, learn assembly programming for a standard commercial microprocessor, and learn how to interface input/output memory, serial I/O, and parallel I/O chips to a standard microprocessor.

Digital Logic Design Laboratory.  This laboratory provides practical experience with the design and hardware implementation of digital circuits for sophomore students. The laboratory is based on the understanding of basic waveforms to simulate and debug a circuit that is then implemented in hardware using SSI and MSI ICs. The experiments cover all the relevant topics about combinational and sequential logic with circuits of increasing complexity.

Digital Signal Processing Laboratory.  This laboratory is available for undergraduate instruction and special projects. Microprocessor-based workstations provide flexibility in the design and analysis of various real-time digital filtering operations. Experiments in speech and audio signal processing demonstrate digital methods used in processing analog signals. Other facilities include a digital image-processing laboratory and a variety of special-purpose signal processors.

Electronics Laboratory.  This laboratory contains equipment for the study of solid-state devices and circuits. Experiments involve studies of biasing and low-frequency operations of discrete solid-state devices, frequency response, and the effect of feedback on single- and multistage BJT and MOSFET amplifiers. Further studies include OP-AMP parameters, frequency response, and OP-AMP linear and nonlinear circuits and systems. The laboratory is well equipped for a range of student projects in electronic circuit designs.

Embedded System (FPGA).  The Embedded System laboratory provides opportunities for the students to gain hands on exercises in building embedded systems. The laboratory is equipped with Altera DE2-115 FPGA boards and Sun and Hewlett-Packard computer work stations to train students with skills required for modeling and implementing embedded systems.

Microelectronics Research Laboratory (MERL).  MERL provides students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the integrated circuit fabrication and semiconductor device processing techniques in a modern, clean-room environment. Students become familiar with the photolithography, oxidation, and diffusion processes, ion implantation, metallization, plasma etching, silicon micromachining, interconnects, and fabrication of different devices. In addition, a well-equipped simulation laboratory is used for the modeling of circuits, devices, and processes related to the experimental and theoretical aspects of semiconductor technology.

NeuroImaging Laboratory.   The NeuroImaging Laboratory accommodates single-subject and hyperscanning functional neuroimaging experiments using EEG. The laboratory is equipped with computer stations for stimuli presentation and recording behavioral responses, E-prime 2.0 professional software for designing cognitive tasks and stimuli presentations, and high-end EEG recording systems. Students will gain experience in designing functional neuroimaging experiments, collecting data and processing the signals.

Power Electronics Laboratory.  This laboratory provides opportunities for students to gain hands-on experiences with devices and circuits used in power electronics applications. Students become familiar with the practical aspect of various topics including modern power semiconductor devices, power inductor design, thermal management methods, power rectification, and DC/DC converter design.

Solid-State Electronics Laboratory.  In addition to the facilities provided by the microelectronics research laboratory (MERL), facilities exist for the study of microwave devices; high-current switching devices; electro-optical modulation; heterojunction lasers; and electrical characterization of materials, as well as their use in communications, different solar cells, and related devices.

The Applied Software Systems Laboratory (TASSL).  The primary focus of the research and education program at TASSL is the development of conceptual and implementation models based on the theoretical foundations of high-performance (parallel) computing, distributed systems, and networking for solving real-world problems in science and engineering on very large distributed systems (e.g., pervasive information and computational grid). Research includes the design, development, and deployment of data-structures, algorithms, programming systems, runtime environments, and software infrastructures. Broad research areas include pervasive computational ecosystems and information/data-driven science, autonomic grid computing, decentralized content-based middleware, adaptive/asynchronous computation engines, interactive computational collaboratories, proactive and reactive runtime systems, and software engineering for computational infrastructures and scientific computing. A number of applications domains include subsurface and seismic modeling, computational fluid dynamics, numerical relativity, fusion, plasma physics, structural biology, bio- and medical informatics, and computational finance.

Virtual Reality Laboratory.  This laboratory provides facilities for students to gain hands-on experience with several virtual reality (VR) specific interfaces, such as stereo glasses, 3-D trackers, force feedback joysticks, and sensing gloves. It also trains students in the intricacies of 3-D graphics and authoring real-time simulation programming.

VLSI Design Laboratory.  This laboratory consists of Sun and Hewlett-Packard engineering workstations, a color plotter, automatic test equipment for VLSI chip testing, and a laser printer. Students are able to design integrated circuits and in some cases may be able to have them fabricated and tested. The laboratory has the Generator Development Tool industrial chip design software that supports silicon compilation mixed-level circuit simulation (including SPICE), automatic chip layout generation from circuit schematics, and the VHDL hardware description language.

In addition to the above-mentioned laboratories, students interested in special projects in electrical and computer engineering may take advantage of the many well-equipped, faculty-supervised research laboratories, available in such specialties as robotics, computer graphics, computer database design, speech processing, image processing, machine vision, and software engineering.

Wireless Information Network Laboratory (WINLAB).  WINLAB is an industry-university collaborative research center that provides facilities for undergraduate and graduate research in the area of wireless communications and networking. Experimental resources at WINLAB include the Software Radio Development Platform, Next-Generation Wireless Networking Testbed, and Mobile Systems Lab, covering a range of hardware and software design/prototyping. Current lab equipment includes radio propagation measurement tools, a DSP/FPGA software radio setup, and the NSF-sponsored open architecture wireless network testbed (ORBIT). WINLAB' also operates an experimental campus network with both cellular and WiFi coverage and connectivity to the Internet2 and GENI (Global Environment for Network Innovation) backbones.  The center supports undergraduate research on topics such as radio propagation studies, modem signal processing, mobile networks, future Internet, and mobile computing applications.