9452068 Qazi The Research Foundation of the State University of New York, for and on behalf of the SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, requests $51,496 from the National Science Foundation to develop a cost effective, real-time multimedia communication facility. We propose to link the Institute's image processing and fiber optic communication laboratories by an optical network to improve undergraduate instruction. The SUNY Institute of Technology has committed $25,748 in matching funds for this project. The proposed project is intended to serve the needs of undergraduates enrolled in the five electrical engineering technology (ETC) courses that will be enhanced through this project. Undergraduate students majoring in electrical engineering technology, computer technology, photonics, and telecommunications will also benefit from the improved curricula. The enhanced laboratory environment will permit students to acquire hands-on experience using a real-time system for the transmission of voice, video, and data; to study the design of this facility; and to evaluate its merits. Students will also learn how to capture, store, playback, and process multimedia data on a personal computer using a fiber optic local area network. Students will gain knowledge in the areas of fiber optics, image processing, data compression, and networking, all of which have become vitally important to business and industry today with the emergence and rapid growth of multimedia technology. Real-time lab experiments with software and hardware will be used to achieve a stimulating hands-on education. The duration of the project will be 30 months.
