Intel donates computers to EECS to support research and teaching in computing systems and logic design

Intel Corporation has donated $25,000.00 to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan to purchase computers to support the research and teaching activities of Prof. Peter Chen in the areas of Computing Systems and Logic Design. The grant comes from the Intel® Higher Education Program.

The funds will be used to purchase 22 new computers for a lab that was established by Intel five years ago. The lab is used by two core courses in engineering (Engineering 100 and EECS 270) and serves about 450 students per year. This section of Engineering 100 introduces students to the principles and design of computing systems. EECS 270 teaches students what digital devices are, how they operate, and how they can be designed to perform useful functions. The laboratory is an integral part of the course that shows how the theory of digital design learned in lectures is applied in practice to construct real digital systems.

It is anticipated that the new computers acquired through the funding will reduce the time needed to synthesize digital system projects by 50%. This will enhance the student’s experience in building digital systems and will enable them to carry out more interesting and complex projects than is currently feasible.