INDUSTRY

ATLANTA - The Center for Experimental Research in Computer Systems (CERCS) at Georgia Tech will host a planning workshop on experimental computer systems at the Manufacturing Research Center on the Georgia Tech campus October 2-3. As part of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) program, CERCS is hosting the workshop to bring together leading researchers from academia, industry, and government to discuss research projects and opportunities and educational programs. The workshop will include presentations and demonstrations of technologies being developed by CERCS researchers; discussions of technology needs and trends; and working groups that help guide future research programs. Attendees will have an opportunity to interact with CERCS faculty and student researchers and other participants to gain a better understanding of ongoing programs, and to help shape the future directions of the Center. Currently, the technical focus areas of CERCS could be broadly classified as embedded and mobile systems, middleware and information systems, and trusted systems. Under each of these areas, CERCS researchers are investigating a large range of topics ranging from hardware to software and from standalone to whole system solutions. "I'm very pleased about the fact that our industry partners and attendees include both information and computing technology providers - like Dell, HP, IBM, Intel, and Microsoft - and companies that have strong application-driven requirements for new technologies - such as Delta Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines and Schlumberger," said Karsten Schwan, CERCS director. "This is an excellent match with the principal goal of CERCS, which is to develop and understand novel technologies as well as their deployment in complex systems." The NSF I/UCRC Program develops highly leveraged industry/university research centers focused on industrially relevant fundamental research topics by supplying seed funds to these centers. The industrial and government center members supply the bulk of the center funding, and the I/UCRC Program is expected to become independent of NSF funds within a 10-year period. Founded in Fall 2001, CERCS is led by directors Karsten Schwan and Calton Pu of the College of Computing (CoC), and Douglas M. Blough and Sudhakar Yalamanchili of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). The Center brings together 13 faculty members from ECE and 16 faculty from CoC, constituting one of the largest experimental systems programs in the U.S. The principal missions of CERCS are to promote experimental research in computer and software systems; produce high quality students trained in the experimental method of systems research and development; foster high impact and multi-disciplinary research efforts using shared personnel and facilities; and support researchers and educators at Georgia Tech and its affiliated institutions. To date, CERCS has attracted nine industry members, and its directors anticipate that this workshop will attract additional industrial members. Current industry members are Boeing, Dell, Delta Technology, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Raytheon, and Siemens. In addition to its industrial partnerships, CERCS carries out numerous research projects funded by agencies such as DARPA, NSF, and the U.S. Department of Defense, many of which are cooperative efforts between faculty from both ECE and CoC.