9452593 Perkowski This project involves the use of a Programmable Active Memory (PAM), the commercially-available prototype of the inexpensive hardware emulator/reconfigurable computer built in lookup-table FPGA technology. This allows the enhancement of topics already present in the curriculum. Moreover, it allows the introduction into several undergraduate classes the new topics of hardare emulation, reconfigurable computing, systolic processors, cellular automata, and their high-level hardware description in language VHDL. Fast prototyping technology allows students to concentrate more on the conceptual phases of design and not mundane ones. Students are motivated to learn to build more sophisticated systems of practical use. These curricular topics are taught to all Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering majors through laboratory demonstrations, regular experiments, and projects in the freshman, sophomore and junior years. Students wishing to specialize in digital design (particularly robotics) and communications, may take respective senior course sequences and associated capstone design projects and use the fast system prototyping technology to implement more advanced systems.
