EECS News Final 1.30.indd - Electrical Engineering and Computer ...

Research
Good Things Really Do Come in Small Packages
EECS Researchers Develop Embedded Elements
The contradictory notion of smaller electronic devices offering increased services is made possible
by embedded systems. A combination of computer hardware and software, embedded systems are
found in everything from automobiles, medical equipment, and airplanes to vending machines, toys,
and mobile phones. EECS researchers specialize in creating new systems, tools, and design methods
for fielding next generation embedded systems.
Since computer systems design (CSD) was formally established as an EECS area of concentration in
2004, investigators have secured 12 federal grants and published peer-reviewed articles in 5 journals
and 24 conference proceedings. The following highlights a few EECS researchers specializing in
CSD.
EECS Assistant Professor Prasad Kulkarni is the latest addition to the Department’s growing CSD
focus area. With expertise in compilers, embedded systems, and computer architecture, he will help
advance the state of the art in CSD technology. (For more information on Kulkarni, please see page
10.)
EECS Professor Perry Alexander and his research team are developing the official IEEE (Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) industry standard for Rosetta, the system-level design
language he created. Rosetta facilitates a more efficient production process. Different vocabulary
and engineering processes make communication between different disciplines involving complex
electronics difficult. Each individual model from each design domain must be consistent with all
other system models. Rosetta enables interaction between disparate system models, enabling tools
to find errors that only appear when considering multiple perspectives simultaneously.
Alexander’s student research assistants, who have travelled to Australia and Europe to collaborate
on Rosetta, participate in the standards process along with refining the system-level design
language.
A student research assistant works on a
field programmable gate array (FPGA) board.
FPGA chips can be repeatedly reconfigured
even while in use. The ability to reprogram
these chips is critical to the success of
embedded systems, a focus of CSD research.
Photo by Megan E. Gannon
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