Undergraduate Programs – Laboratories

PHO110 Control Systems Laboratory         This laboratory houses 4 ECP model 220 Industrial Plant Emulators for studying the control of practical systems. These systems consist of an electromechanical apparatus including an adjustable mechanical mechanism (plant) with actuators and sensors. Various types of controllers (e.g. PID, State- Feedback, LQR) can be designed and implemented in either continuous or discrete time formulations using a DSP-based real-time controller with a Windows XP graphical interface. Non-ideal conditions that are often present in real-world applications can be studied. Integrated with the systems are MATLAB and SIMULINK design tools, which can be used to design control systems that can then be implemented in the hardware. Analytical models of both the "plant" and the "controller" can be validated with actual hardware responses. Faculty: Pisano Contact staff: Kleptsyn

PHO305 Electronic Design Automation / VLSI Laboratory     617/353-5890     The VLSI Instructional Laboratory of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) is involved in almost all aspects of digital design. We have a wide range of CAD tools available for student use, including Cadence, Synopsys, and the NCSU Design Toolkit. Faculty: Hubbard, Herbordt, Kincaid, Knepper, Roziner, Taubin Contact staff: Albro

PHO105 Electronics Laboratory     617/353-1243     The Electronics Laboratory has 30 stations, each equipped with a PC, GPIB-controlled Agilent test instruments and National Instruments ELVIS development stations linked by LabVIEW. Sixteen stations have LeCroy touch-screen color digital scopes. Agilent MSO mixed signal oscilloscopes are available at six stations. This facility supports introductory ECE courses in analog and digital circuits and electronics with modern industry-standard equipment and software. The lab also supports more advanced experiments in signals and systems, communications, electromagnetics, and photonics. Senior design and project students use the lab on an open basis, and several freshman EK131/132 modules are held here. A small parts window sells common discrete components. OrCAD software including PSpice supports circuit simulations, schematic capture and PCB layout. ENG students may generally use the PC stations during open lab times. Faculty: Nawab, Carruthers, Fahim, Horenstein, Knepper, Kotiuga, Lee, Oliver, Roziner, Ruane, Sergienko Contact staff: Kleptsyn

PHO207 High Performance Computing Laboratory         The High Performance Computing Laboratory at Boston University was created with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in order to support the development of undergraduate courses in parallel and high performance computing. The courses offered at Boston University serve as a national model for computational science education. The lab features a network of multimedia graphics workstations linked at high speed to the supercomputers at the Center for Computational Science and the Scientific Computing and Visualization Lab. Faculty: Giles, Brower

PHO209 High Tech Tools & Toys Laboratory     617/353-8740     HTTTL is the instructional laboratory associated with Boston University's NSF-funded Engineering Research Center, the Gordon Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems (CenSSIS). The laboratory houses a variety of PC-based imaging camera systems, machine vision systems and acoustic imaging systems. Software for imaging includes MATLAB, Image Processing Toolbox, Image Builder, and LabVIEW 8.5. The HTTTL supports freshman EK131/132 modules in imaging and subsurface imaging, senior design capstone projects in imaging, and experiments in senior level electives related to imaging. The lab also hosts summer research through UROP, REU, RET and High School Honors programs. Some undergrads are supported during the academic year to work on improving stations in the HTTTL. Faculty: Ruane

PHO309 IMSIP Instructional Laboratory     617/358-0536     This laboratory serves graduate instructional needs of the department in the areas of multidimensional signal processing (including image and video processing), statistical signal processing, pattern recognition, as well as earth and space sciences. The laboratory provides advanced computational resources and associated software packages. Fast, dual processor workstations connected through a gigabit network form a computational backbone while high-capacity monochrome and color printers serve the hardcopy needs. State-of-the-art processing and optimization software is available. This laboratory was developed with funds from the National Science Foundation, and is currently being upgraded with departmental funds. Faculty: Karl, Konrad, Nawab, Oliver

PHO117 Microprocessor and PC Laboratory     617/353-6441     This lab features instruction in the programming and interfacing of microcomputers and digital controllers. Higherlevel courses emphasize the design of systems using microprocessors. Various simulators, and analysis packages are available. Faculty: Toffoli, Giles, Skinner, Taubin

Network Computing Laboratory         The Network Computing Laboratory studies interconnection network topologies; routing, network flow control, and deadlocks in multicomputer networks; multicast and broadcast, fault-tolerance in interconnection networks; modules for realization (nodes and routers); performance metrics and scalability; message passing interference, protocols and programming, scalable coherent interfact (SCI), and distributed shared memory; network of workstations (NOW), case studies of high performance scalable networks, and cluster computing. Faculty: Karpovsky

PHO701 Photonics Laboratory     617/353-9964     The Photonics Instructional Laboratory supports introductory and intermediate level courses in the MS in Photonics program. Four stations each have a vibration isolated optical table, HeNe and semiconductor lasers, fiber components and systems, electronic test equipment, and GPIB-connected PCs for LabVIEW data logging and instrument control. Shared equipment exists for experiments and demonstrations in interferometry, spectrometry, diffraction, holography, acoustic and electro-optic modulation, and optical spectrum analysis. A secure annex room houses two additional isolated tables, electronics and optical equipment to support thesis and senior design projects that require long-term setup of apparatus. Faculty: Ruane, Bigio, Morse, Paiella, Saleh, Teich, Ünlü

PHO113 Senior Project Laboratory     617/353-1286     This lab connects to PHO111 and supports our senior design teams, serving real-world customers such as NASA, Analog Devices, Boston public schools, social service agencies, artists, and small businesses, as well as faculty and staff across the University. Each team has twenty-four hour access to a permanent bench setup with a networked Pentium PC, benchtop GPIB-based HP test equipment, and professional software for schematic design, simulation, and PCB layout. Electronics and shop support is provided. Shared tools include high speed scopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, E-prom, PLA and FPGA burners, and various compilers and crosscompilers for DSP and micro-controller development. Software from MSDNAA is available for all teams. In summer, this lab houses the BUSAT teams, competitors in the USAF Nanosat 5 competition. It is also home to our middle school summer outreach program, U-Design. Faculty: Ruane, Knepper, Pisano Contact staff: Kleptsyn

PHO307 Signals and Networks (SIGNET) Laboratory     617/358-0535     This laboratory provides instructional facilities for courses in the areas of signal processing and communication networks. This laboratory houses numerous workstations for digital signal processing, image processing, and various real-time applications covering the complete audio frequency spectrum. Equipment includes Linux-based workstations, microphones, DSP boards, speakers, amplifiers, digital cameras, and software packages such as MATLAB and Hyperception. The courses served by this laboratory include SC401 (Signals and Systems), SC415 (Communication Systems), SC416 (Intro to Digital Signal Processing), SC 512 (Digital Signal Processing), and some ECE modules in EK130 (Introduction to Engineering). On the communications side, experiments involving data communication links, local-area networks, and wide-area networks are supported. Powerful computer-based simulation and analysis tools are available to compare and evaluate network designs. Facilities are also provided for experimentation with local-area network switching and routing hardware. Faculty: Bystrom, Carruthers, Kincaid, Konrad, Nawab Contact staff: Albro

PHO115 Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL)     617/353-6441     An instructional and research lab, the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) supports courses and research on the economical design of reliable software for large-scale and embedded computerbased systems. The lab is comprised of more than twenty-five Silicon Graphics and Gateway 2000 networked workstations, plus four Motorola embedded computer development systems. The laboratory provides a network of workstations running Windows XP and provides students with state-of-the art development and modeling tools for the design, implementation and testing of distributed software systems. Faculty: Brackett