(PDF) Computer engineering at Auburn University

312 COMPUTER ENGINEERINGAT AUBURNUNIVERSITY B. D. Carroll, H. T. Nagle, G. R. Kane, J. D. Irwin Electrical Engineering Department Auburn University Auburn, ALabama 3683p ABSTRACT The computer engineering program offered by the Electrical Engineering Depart- ment of Auburn University is described. Bachelors, masters, and Ph.D. degree programs in Electrical Engineering may be pursued with specialization in computer engineering. Auburn's computer engineering program is structured to emphasize computer system design and u t i l i z a t i o n including both hardware and software considerations. A broad spectrum of courses is offered in computer engineering at both the under- graduate and the graduate level. Brief descriptions of the courses are given in the paper. Subjects covered in the courses range from traditional topics such as logic design, computer organization, and programming to various specialized topics. Computer architecture, computer graphics, coding theory, fault diagnosis, and fault-tolerant computing are but some of the specialized topics covered. Research is a fundamental aspect of any graduate program. The computer engineer- ing research activities at Auburn are described in the paper. Graduate students, undergraduate students, and faculty participate in a wide range of sponsored and un- sponsored projects. Laboratory f a c i l i t i e s available for support of the projects w i l l also be discussed. Another important aspect of the computer engineering program at Auburn is extension activities. Short course and conference activities oriented toward computer engineering are frequently offered by the faculty at various locations within the state of Alabama and are briefly discussed here. INTRODUCTION The Electrical Engineering Department of Auburn University offers the opportunity for students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to pursue a course of study in computer engineering. This paper presents a description of the computer engineering program and f a c i l i t i e s available at Auburn. Computer engineering can be defined as that branch of engineering concerned with the organization, design, and u t i l i z a t i o n of digital processing systems as general purpose computers or as components of larger systems.I Perhaps the distinction between computer engineering and computer science can best be made by taking a closer look at each. The computer scientist is interested in programming, in numerical analysis, and in the abstract theories of computation and languages. Computer science programs are most often found in the college of arts and sciences. Also, the faculty of computer science programs frequently have backgrounds from mathematics, science, or perhaps business. 1'2 On the other hand, the computer engineer is interested in the design and u t i l i z a t i o n of digital processing systems including both the hardware and software components. Such systems may be stand-alone systems such as a general-purpose computer or they may be a component of a larger system such as an a i r t r a f f i c control and land- ing system. Computerengineering programs are usually found in electrical engineering 313 departments within the engineering college and are staffed by faculty with engineering backgrounds. Computer engineering at Auburn is an informal program, i . e . , degrees in computer engineering are not offered, within the Electrical Engineering Department. Students at the undergraduate level may specialize in computer engineering by majoring in electrical engineering and by selecting computer engineering courses for their technical electives. Graduate students may study computer engineering by enrolling in the electrical engineering graduate program and choosing computer engineering courses for their plan of study. Both master's and doctoral degrees may be pursued. Students without an electrical engineering undergraduate degree may be eligible for the graduate computer engineering program. Auburn's computer engineering program is staffed by four permanent faculty members, an adjunct faculty member, an electrical engineer, a research associate, and numerous graduate students. All of the full-time staff plus most of the graduate students have electrical engineering backgrounds. In addition, other EE faculty occassionally teach some of the undergraduate computer engineering courses. The computer engineering program at Auburn encompasses a wide spectrum of activi- ties to help f u l f i l l the University's responsibility as a land-grant institution. More specifically, the program is involved in not only instruction but also in research and extension activities. A more detailed description of the program is presented in the remaining sections of this paper. UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM All undergraduate students at Auburn who major in electrical engineering are required to take ten quarter-hours of coursework in the computer engineering area. The required courses are listed below by number and t i t l e . Figure l shows the pre- requisite structure of all computer engineering courses. EE 322 Combinational Logic Circuits EE 324 Sequential Logic Circuits EE 425 Minicomputer Organization and Assembly Language Programming The following electrical engineering courses are recommended as electives for those students interested in computer engineering, t EE 429 Computer Projects Laboratory EE 499 Special Projects EE 520 Computer Graphics Systems EE 521 A r t i f i c i a l Intelligence and Robotics EE 522 Digital Subsystems EE 523 Fault Diagnosis of Digital Systems EE 524 Microcomputers EE 526 Minicomputer Laboratory EE 527 Systems Programming EE 528 Compiler Development EE 547 Digital Signal Processing tThose courses with a 500 number may be taken for graduate credit. 314 Computer engineering electives may also be chosen from the following non-electrical engineering courses. IE 204 Computer Programming IE 384 Data Structures IE 385 Computer Programming Systems I IE 485 Computer Programming Systems II IE 486 Fundamental Algorithms MH 460 Introduction to Numerical Analysis MH 461 Numerical Matrix Analysis This program is in close agreement with the model curriculum currently being developed by the IEEE Computer Society's Education Committee.2 GRADUATE PROGRAM Graduate students wishing to concentrate their programs in computer engineering may do so by enrolling in the electrical engineering graduate program and selectingcourses according to their interest. The degrees that are offered are discussed below. Master, of Electrical Engineering (M.E.E.) - This degree is accredited by ECPDand is intended for studentswhose undergraduate degree is in electrical engineering from and ECPDaccredited program. Thesis and non-thesis options are available on this degree program. The thesis option requires forty-five quarter-hours of graduate course work including thesis. Forty-five hours are also required for the non-thesis degree which is designed primarily for students who have had a significant amount of engineering experience prior to entering graduate school. Master of Science (M.S.) - This is a non-accredited degree intended for students with an undergraduate degree in a subject other than electrical engineering or from a program not accredited by ECPD. Forty-five hours of course work including a thesis is required. Doctor of P,hilosophy (Ph.D.) - Requirements include at least eighty quarter-hours of graduate course work beyond the bachelor's degree, reading knowledge in two foreign languages or the equivalent, and a dissertation. The following graduate-level courses are offered for those students pursuing computer engineering. EE 621 Switching Theory I EE 622 Switching Theory II EE 623 Coding Theory EE 626 Computer Architecture I EE 627 Computer Architecture II EE 640 Digital Computer Systems EE 642 Fault-Tolerant Computing EE 643 Software Development EE 644 Theory of Compilers EE 646 A r t i f i c i a l Intelligence and Pattern Recognition EE 647 Digital Filter Theory The prerequisite structure for these courses is shown in Figure I. 315 Currently, fifteen students are enrolled in computer engineering studies. Many of these students receive financial support while pursuing their degrees. Sources of support include teaching assistantships, research assistantships, General Motors Institute, U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology, and graduate fellowships. The research assistantship funds are provided from research contracts with various agencies as discussed in the next section. Individual and special projects courses are an important and popular extension to the l i s t of fixed topic courses. By enrolling in such courses, advanced students have an opportunity to obtain varying amounts of credit for work on a project of special interest to them. The results from these courses often include a program or a piece of hardware that is useful or needed for a particular instructional or research purpose. Students working on special project courses sometimes continue to do further work on their project after entering graduate school. Perhaps the most d i f f i c u l t aspect of a computer engineering program is keeping the program current since computer technology is such a rapidly advancing field. Auburn's approach to maintaining a relevant program is multifaceted. In particular, close con- tact is maintained with government and industry through research and extension activi- ties of the faculty and students. Other growth type activities include participation in professional societies, attending conferences and seminars, keeping abreast of the latest developments as published in professional and trade journals, and by contribut- ing papers to conferences and journals. RESEARCH PROGRAM Auburn's computer engineering research program encompasses both sponsored and unsponsored projects. Currently funded projects include the following. Title Sponsor Advanced Computer System NASA-MSFC Studies and Development (NASB-26930) Design, Processing, and Test NASA-MSFC of LSI Arrays (NAS8-31572) Development of Techniques and U.S. Army Missile Procedures for Advanced Tool Command (DAAHOI- Development Prototype Fabrication 76C-0328) Marine Air Traffic Control and Naval Electronic Landing System Systems Command Qualified students may receive research assistantships with stipends ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 per year. The projects listed below are representative of the unsponsored projects that are carried on by students and faculty. A Logic Simulator for Use in Instruction A Language for Representation and Manipulation of Boolean Functions Computerized Graph Theoretic Methods for Finding Feedback and Reconvergent Fan-out in Logic Circuits 316 Memory Elements for Multiple-Valued Logic Microcomputer Control of a Building Environment Statistical Models for Software R e l i a b i l i t y Computer Recognition and Generation of Speech A Simulation Language for Industrial Programmable Controllers In order to provide a local forum for dissemination of the research efforts, a computer engineering seminar is held on a f a i r l y regular basis. Auburn students and faculty present the results of their research to other students and faculty at the seminar. FACILITIES A wide range of computing f a c i l i t i e s are available to computer science and engineer- ing students at Auburn University. IBM 370/155 - The University Computer Center operates a large scale computer System which batch processes student programs written in many different languages; i . e . , FORTRAN IV, COBOL, ALGOL, PL/I, RPG, BAL and others. The system has 4 remote batch terminals and supports interactive timesharing. HP2000 - The University in conjunction with the School of Engineering provides a timeshare system for a l l university students. The system is controlled by two mini- computers which operate 32 interactive terminals. Students write their programs on the terminals using the BASIC language. ,, H316 - The Electrical Engineering Department provides a software development ,,,, ,, f a c i l i t y which centers around an H316 minicomputer system. Student programs are written in FORTRANand Assembly Language (DAP-16). Logic Laboratory - A logic laboratory, in which the fundamental building blocks of d i g i t a l computers are analyzed, is maintained by the Electrical Engineering Department. Students learn to build digital subsystems. PDP II - The Electrical Engineering Department operates i t s own timesharing f a c i l i t y , a PDP l l / 4 0 RSTS/E system. The system supports character terminals, graphics CRT's, microprocessors, and a graphics laboratory. Hybrid Computer - The department maintains a large hybrid computer laboratory. Two EAI 580 computers and a MINIAC are available. Also a Raytheon 520 d i g i t a l machine is interfaced to an EAI 231RV analog computer. PEPE - A parallel element processing ensemble consisting of sixteen parallel processors under global control of an HP2114 and an HP2100 minicomputer is available in the Electrical Engineering Department for studies in advanced machine architecture and software development. Microcomputers - A new microcomputer laboratory has been installed to support the computer engineering program. INTEL 4040, 8008, and 8080 machines are available, as well as DEC LSI-ll machines. These microcomputers are interfaced to the PDP I I . Fairchild F8 and Motorola M6800 installations are planned. Graphics - Three storage tube graphics displays with a hard copy unit and a DEC GT42 (refreshed'mode) graphics unit are provided for instruction in interactive computer graphics and in support of research. 317 EXTENSION ACTIVITIES Auburn University has long recognized its responsibility in the field of extension services. For many years Auburn has f a i t h f u l l y extended its resources and services to the people of the State and region. The Electrical Engineering Department conducted its f i r s t intensive course in 1892 and has continued the fine tradition established at that time. The Department's extension short courses have been attended by educators, researchers, engineers and scientists from across the Nation. Courses range in com- plexity from fundamental review workshops to advanced theoretical design seminars. Electrical Engineering at Auburn is proud of its record in extension activities and intends to place even more emphasis on this important function in the future. A l i s t of available digital computing short courses follows: I. Introduction to Digital Systems 2. BASICProgramming 3. FORTRANProgramming 4. Assembler Programming 5. Minicomputer Systems 6. Minicomputer Software 7. Microcomputers 8. Coding Theory 9. ComputerArchitecture lO. Real-Time Computer Systems I I . Software Engineering 12. Systems Software 13. Digital Systems Reliability and Fault Diagnosis 14. Digital Signal Processing Courses are administered by the Engineering Extension Service at Auburn and are conducted throughout the State and region. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES The professional activities of the faculty are an integral part of the overall computer engineering program at Auburn University. One of the faculty members organized the Alabama Chapter of the IEEE Computer Society. The IEEE Computer Society has a l i s t of nationally known experts called the Distinguished Visitors List. These individuals are invited to speak throughout the country on their area of technical expertise. One of the members of the computer engineering faculty is a Distinguished Visitor. Another member of the computer engineering faculty is the Education Editor for Cgmputer and a member of the IEEE Computer Society's Education Committee. Another faculty member is on the Board of Directors of Eta Kappa Nu, national electrical engineering honorary society. CONCLUSION The goal of Auburn University is threefold: instruction, research, and extension. The computer engineering program at Auburn stresses all three goals. The emphasis placed in this area in recent years by the Electrical Engineering Department demonstrates that Auburn University is firmly committed to providing a broad-based computer engineer- ing program to help supply well educated engineering specialists as needed by the state and nation. 318 REFERENCES l. C. L. Coates, Jr., e t . a l . , "An Undergraduate Computer Engineering Option for Electrical Engineering," Proceedings of the IEEE, vol 59, no. 6, June 1971, pp. 854-860. . Michael C. Mulder, "Model Curricula for Four-Year Computer Science and Engineering Programs: Bridging the Tar Pit," Comput@r, vol. 8, no. 12, December 1975, pp. 28-33. EE322 Undergraduate Comb. Logic Consent EE425 Mini. Seq. Org. Logic m ~ EE520 Mini. ~ Sys. Micro Dig. Fault Dual krt.lnt. ' EE528 ' Level ~Robotic~ Compilers n i:ll i m iul • EE646' EE621 EE644 EE623 Art.lnt. Sw.Th. ( Digital ) Pattern Compile Coding I Graduate Sw.Th. Fault II Plerant Figure 1