Research Project Descriptions
What Research Projects are available?
Dr. Stuart Asser, Chairperson and AMP Mentor
Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology Department
Title: Printed Circuit Board Development
An ET-560, Microprocessors and Microcomputers, laboratory building project requires students to build, test, and program a complete single-board microprocessor system. AMP interns developed the schematic diagram and PC board layout about ten years ago. ORCAD schematic diagram and PC board software were used to create the circuit diagram and PC board. Today the software is obsolete and will not run in the Windows environment. This project will revise the microprocessor circuit to incorporate new features. It will utilize new schematic diagram and PC board development software to revise the ET-560, microprocessor-building project and create a new PC board.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology has purchased MultiSim, schematic diagram development software and Ultiboard, PC board development software. In this project the student will use MultiSim and Ultiboard to revise and create a new schematic diagram and PC board. The student will first learn to use the MultiSim schematic diagram development software. They will then create a revised version of the ET-560 single board microprocessor circuit. They will then learn to use the Ultiboard PC board layout software. The Ultiboard software uses the MultiSim schematic diagram file to create and autoroute a PC board layout. The PC board layout file can be given to a PC board manufacturer to create the actual circuit board.
All of the resources to perform the project are already in place. The Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology Department operates up-to-date laboratories and equipment in electric circuits, semiconductors and electronics, electrical machinery, microwave and communications, feedback control systems, digital computers, robotics and computer-aided design. The laboratories contain professional level measurement and calibration equipment such as oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, function generators, power supplies, logic analyzers, and prototyping equipment.
Dr. Maryam Vulis, Assistant Professor and AMP Mentor
Mathematics and Computer Science Department
Title: Survey of Cryptography and Key Escrow Systems
Encryption is based on the use of mathematical procedures (algorithms) to scramble data so that it is extremely difficult, if not virtually impossible for anyone other than authorized recipients to recover the original “plaintext”. Properly implemented encryption allows sensitive information to be stored on insecure computers or transmitted across insecure networks.
One popular method is public key encryption. A message is encrypted with two keys: a public key, which is publicly displayed for anyone’s use to send an encrypted message, and a private key used to decipher those encrypted messages. Anyone can send a secure, encrypted message, but only the designated use can decrypt it. The original keys may be kept secure using a key escrow system.
Considerations:
- The effect of private, commercial, and possibly criminal use of cryptography.
- The advisability of key escrow, particularly in the area of privacy.
- The impact of key escrow on American business, both at home and abroad.
- Alternatives to key escrow.
This has current applications without a secure and trusted infrastructure; companies and individuals will become increasingly reluctant to move their private, business, or personal information online. An assessment of cryptography and in particular, key escrow systems impact on American society will be developed. Various cryptographic techniques will be analyzed.
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