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High Speed Systems Engineering: A New Trent in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Mani Mina, Robert Weber, Arun K Somani, Nathan VanderHorn, Rashmi Bahuguna

High Speed Systems Engineering Laboratory Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Iowa State University

This paper introduces the main ideas and program objectives for High Speed Systems Engineering (HSSE). HSSE (funded by NSF CISE-EAI)1 has been proposed by our team as a new and viable platform for integrating engineering education, research and development. This approach identifies and integrates the common aspects, methodologies, and knowledge bases in Networking, Communication, RF, Microwave, VLSI, Electromagnetic, Optics, and Optical Communication/Networking into a series of classes to be added to a regular/traditional EE program. We will introduce our plans and current implementations of HSSE at the department of electrical and computer engineering at Iowa state University. Our recent work is presented that shows very promising trends in utilizing High Speed Systems Engineering as integrating pedagogical and research platforms to train modern engineers and future researchers. The newly developed classes and changes in the curriculum will be introduced and discussed. We will show how the new HSSE laboratory (with an electronically controlled optical backbone and high speed measurement capabilities) is enhancing interaction between faculty, graduate and undergraduate students. Finally the paper will examine how HSSE has been successful in encouraging students from all undergraduate levels (freshman to senior) to participate in learning and experimenting in the State-of-the-art laboratory and are encouraged to be involved in research and graduate studies.

The motivation

Current fiber-optic technology will soon be augmented to allow transmission of data at 40 Gb/s over a single communication link. 40Gb/s is soon the state-of-the-art of the electronic systems2,3. Comparing this to several decades ago when a single link, early versions of a twisted copper pair, would transmit data in the rate of 100 kb/s, we see that these new communication links will transmit in the range of a half-million times the data of those very early systems in a unit of time. The whole area of electronics’, optical networking and communication, system design, and even device related electronics and optoelectronics are being affected due to the needs for higher speed and data transmission rates. At high speed engineering will be dealing not only with traditional electronics and optoelectronics challenges but also with many new challenges that are characteristics of high speed systems. The area of high speed system engineering and consideration is going to be inseparable to any of the future developments in VLSI, Electronics, Optical systems, networking, communication, and devices developments. However, most of the engineering school still has traditional tracks for each major specialization. Consequently, in many cases the students will have very limited exposure to high speed system considerations.

Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright ©2005, American Society for Engineering Education

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Weber, R., & VanderHorn, N., & Bahuguna, R., & Somani, A. K., & Mina, M. (2005, June), High Speed Systems Engineering: A New Trend In Electrical And Computer Engineering Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--15043