9417659 Espinosa The ECE Department of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez has a tradition of producing highly qualified Computer Engineering graduates with the necessary skills, knowledge, and expertise to succeed in either graduate school of the industrial environment. Involving undergraduates students in research as; increased their enthusiasm and interest in their studies, provided them with additional knowledge and experience, increased their employment opportunities, and motivated them towards graduate school. Besides continuing this successful undergraduate research program, the major goal of this project is to develop the research environment needed to start a Ph.D. program in Computer Engineering and to increase minority participation in graduate school and research. To maintain an excellent research environment and to accomplish the CISE II-MI program's goal of increasing minority participation the following activities are planned: * to create a proposal, during the first two years, to establish a Ph.D. program in collaboration with the Math Departments of the Rio Piedras and Mayaguez Campuses: * establish a plan to retain and increase minority participation; conduct research and establish a productivity plan for researchers; * establish a plan for faculty development; * acquire new research equipment; and * establish a Computer Engineering Center to administer and coordinate the proposed activities
