The project is designed to enhance the undergraduate Computer Science curriculum with parallel processing and graphics courses and laboratory work. The laboratory will be equipped with a reconfigurable transputer-based multicomputer system which consists of 32 IMS T800 nodes each with 1 Mbyte RAM. The system supports concurrent programming using OCCAM-2, parallel- C, and parallel-Fortran languages to implement parallel algorithms under various fixed or dynamically variable topologies. Two SGI INDIGO workstations are used as the host machine which provides for the system network accessing function and supports graphics capabilities. The facility will be shared by a class of 35 students and serve seven undergraduate courses in Computer Architecture, Programming Languages, Computer Algorithms, and Computer Graphics. The laboratory will also help undergraduate students gain hands-on experience of parallel processing, concurrent programming, and computer graphics. The systems are also suitable for conducting special course projects under the supervision of a faculty member. The dissemination plan will emphasize a workshop with participation of all interested colleges and universities.
