The university is establishing a Cooperative Multimedia Computing Laboratory to support undergraduate education in the Department of Computer Science. The laboratory is using state-of-the-art equipment to create a new multimedia curriculum based on three courses: Software Engineering, Computer Graphics, and Computer Networks. Laboratory assignments are being designed to allow students to gain experience with large-scale, real-world applications involving multimedia software, multimedia interfaces, and multimedia communication. Initial laboratory sets are being drawn from environmental science, computer-assisted medicine, and automated manufacturing. The faculty involved in the establishment of the proposed laboratory have extensive experience in these application areas and in developing laboratory exercises that expose students to new technologies and computing methods. The Department of Computer Science, the College of Engineering, and the university are very committed to this project. Funds have already been allocated for a preliminary, small-scale version of the laboratory, summer salaries and course reductions for the three principal investigators, laboratory space, supporting personnel, and long-term maintenance of the equipment.
