Collaborative Research: An Integrative Course and Laboratory Research Experience: Embedded Multimedia Applications on FPGAs

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Computer Science (31)This collaborative project develops of a course and a laboratory that focus on the design, implementation, testing, and performance evaluation of Multimedia Applications using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). A principal project goal is to demonstrate that the proposed project can be implemented successfully in diverse environments. Intellectual merit: The project builds a new path for engineering and science education. Traditional curricular structures are fragmented in the sense that course inter-relationships or links between theories, methodologies, and practices, are not immediately recognized by the students. The completion of the course puzzle and the integration of course knowledge usually become evident only after graduation. This course course/lab presents a unique opportunity for students to experience the full spectrum of course elements, namely, fundamentals of theory, algorithmic design, hardware design and simulation, implementation and testing, and performance evaluation. Common student questions, such as how can this course help me and how does this course relate to my studies, are answered within a single course/lab framework. Furthermore, new course materials, including lectures, projects, code, software and documentation, and web-based materials, are developed.Broader impact: The project integrates research and education by introducing research concepts into the undergraduate curriculum. Students are educated in a flourishing research area, Multimedia processing on FPGAs. Students are encouraged to choose final projects based on research applications closely matching their learning styles and interests, publish their findings at conference proceedings, and extend their work through capstone projects. The appeal that many every day multimedia applications have to students of varied backgrounds and disciplines is undisputed and encourages wider participation in the sciences paired with higher levels of enthusiasm and academic performance. Project results are disseminated broadly through a website (containing lecture notes, lab projects, codes, software and documentation, and assessment/evaluation summaries), presentations/seminars to high school students, and college students and faculty, advisory boards, and educational and research conferences.