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12-10-03 ENGIN112 - 1 Introduction to Computer Engineering
12-10-03 ENGIN112 - 1
Introduction to Computer Engineering
12-06-02 L12 - ENGIN112
Professor Tessier - Career Choices
l Age 8 - astronautl Age 12 - baseball playerl Age 16 - computer scientistl Age 21 - computer engineerl Age 31 - computer engineer/professorl Age 41 - park ranger?
12-06-02 L13 - ENGIN112
Why Computer Engineering?
l Afraid of heightsl Couldn’t hit curveballl Wanted to impress friends/parentsl Fascinated by computersl Hoped to make a good livingl Lots of opportunities in Massachusetts
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Computer Engineering
l All about designing and building computers–Silicon chip design–Combining chips into systems–Combining systems into networks–Helping systems recover from failure–Software design to help computers run faster
and more efficiently
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Integrated Circuit Design
l Involves physicsl Learn to work in teamsl Interact with software
designersl Requires skill, patiencel Learn to use advanced CAD
toolscourtesy: The Computer Museum
MC68000 die photo: circa 1979
RLH - Fall 199712-06-02 L16 - ENGIN112
VLSI Signal Processing
l Research supervised by Professor Burleson
l Chips process analog signals (video, audio)
l Important issues: power, performance
l Chip design a valuable skill as chips become larger Scheduling Co-processor
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Computing Systemsl Making chips work together to solve
problems (memories, processors, etc.)l Understanding the problems to be solvedl Interfacing with chip designers and
programmersl Learning the science of computer design
(models, implementation)
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Reconfigurable Computing Group
l Professor Tessierl Interested in using chips that
change their functionalityl Possible to connect multiple
chips together to form a systeml New challenges in software.
How often should it change? Field- programmablegate array
RLH - Fall 199712-06-02 L19 - ENGIN112
Multi-FPGA System
12-06-02 L110 - ENGIN112
Computer Networksl Develop techniques for computers to
communicate (software/hardware)l Especially important for multimedial Communication made through protocolsl Reliability is especially important
–ensure data received successfully
l Need for mathematical modelling
RLH - Fall 199712-06-02 L111 - ENGIN112
Multimedia Networks Lab
l Professor Ganzl Techniques for reliable data transport
–Is this what I expected?
l Wireless networks of computers–no more ugly cables?
l “Real-time” communication–I need it now!
l Software security–no peeking!
12-06-02 L112 - ENGIN112
Computer Fault Tolerance
l Professors Koren and Krishnal Test computers to determine problemsl Notify user if problem identifiedl Automatically fix problem if possiblel Often fix involves use of redundant
hardwarel Clever programming techniques can
also be used
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Software Engineering
l Graphical design and image processingl World wide web - new search techniquesl Communication protocols - how can we
compress data into smaller sizesl Compilers - is it possible to take advantage of
new chips/achitectures.l Design automation - Building systems is
complicated. Can an existing computer help?
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Computer Education
l On-line learning
l Engineering the interface
l Making it interactive
l Group effort
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Recommended Skills
l Basic understanding of circuitsl Knowledge of how a computer worksl Solid basis in mathematics/algorithmsl Programming knowledgel Patience/perseverancel Enthusiasm for the topic
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Your First Job
l Software developerl Web page designerl Integrated circuit engineerl Quality control engineerl Engineering managerl Marketing engineer
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Graduate School?l Learn to do researchl Explore advanced topicsl Master’s degree - short term project (2 years)l Doctoral degree - longer term project (4-5
years)–innovative research–become a professor?
l Technology changes rapidly - requires constant learning
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Summaryl Many opportunities for computer
engineering majors at UMassl Undergrad classes prepare students for
industry and grad school.l In addition to classes, opportunities exist for
undergraduate research. l Lots of exciting things happening. Check
out our web pages!
