Physics Laboratory Enhancement in Computer Interfacing and Instrumentation

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The university offers an advanced undergraduate laboratory course entitled "Computer Interfacing and Instrumentation," which explores the methodology for linking a digital computer to the analog world of the laboratory. Students learn about the concepts, principles, and techniques for using interfaced computers in making measurements, controlling experiments, and processing stored data. The course has an interdisciplinary character, as it develops skills in electronics and computers, as well as experimental methods for research in physics and related fields. This project provides funds for the modernization of the laboratory, through the acquisition of state-of-the-art instructional technology. The scope and emphasis of the course is being significantly extended, with the inclusion of a wide range of new experiments and possibilities for individual student projects. Blind students and others with disabilities can be accommodated. The sections of the course dealing with noise, signal averaging, and spectral analysis are being expanded, and a set of experiments is being developed in video data acquisition and analysis. The new course prepares students for careers in which they will be able to meet the challenges of laboratory computerization.