The aim of this project is to integrate in a significant way the design and research component of engineering into the undergraduate education of students. Without sacrificing any of the present programs which have served so well in the past, it is desired to improve our students' practical experiences and engineering insight by providing interaction with state-of-the-art design methodology and tools. A design laboratory with facilities for computer-sided design, simulation, prototype construction and testing of electronic systems is being established. Students presently employ personal computers and instrumentation for data acquisition, control, analysis, design and display in a junior- level laboratory. Our senior-level design and research courses offer some capability for computer-aided design and simulation, but nothing for construction and testing of the resulting design. The new senior-level design laboratory would provide facilities for student design teams to carry out a term project from conception through construction and verification. The goal of this laboratory is to provide an engineering environment in which seniors can fully exercise their creative abilities and engineering background in the development of a physical electronic system.
