A $250,000 grant from Texas Instruments will enable Rose-Hulman Institute of technology faculty to expand their work to improve wireless technology education nationally and internationally by creating new teaching materials and expanding partnerships with educational organizations and industry.

The grant will fund a three-year initiative to develop an advanced communications laboratory, new courses, Web-based education modules, multimedia simulations and tutorials, and a new textbook.  

The new advanced communications laboratory will be a source for the development of many of the new wireless technology education materials that will benefit teachers in virtually every grade level, according to Fred Berry, professor and chairman of the Rose-Hulman Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.   “We will develop a wide range of materials that will be useful to teachers in kindergarten through graduate school,” said Berry, who is the college's program manager for the grant.

“Our primary objective is to upgrade and expand the educational opportunities for our students,” Berry stated.  “We are also interested in working with our strategic partners in the industrial sector and the undergraduate engineering community to shape a wireless engineering curriculum and associated laboratories into a nationally recognized model for wireless education.”

The innovative teaching materials will be distributed nationally and internationally through a partnership between Rose-Hulman and the Global Wireless Education Consortium (GWEC) in Arlington, Va.   GWEC is a collaboration of wireless industry companies and nearly 90 academic institutions.  Rose-Hulman faculty will also partner with colleagues at the Academy of Electronic Media at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. to develop the Web-based educational materials.

The new laboratory will be created by remodeling existing academic space in Moench Hall at Rose-Hulman.   “The advanced communications lab will benefit 440 students who are majoring in electrical and computer engineering,” Berry emphasized.   The laboratory will enhance courses ranging from high-speed digital design to electromagnetic compatibility.

The grant will further develop two new undergraduate wireless technology courses at Rose-Hulman and make it possible for faculty to begin creation of two new graduate courses, Berry stated. 

The grant expands work done by GWEC industry members and education partners, including Rose-Hulman, that are being distributed internationally by the consortium. 

“One of our goals is also to develop or revise 20 more modules to define a set of senior-level, elective courses in the area of wireless technology that a four-year institution could use,” noted Berry, who is a member of the GWEC Board of Directors.  The material will be shared with other GWEC members.

Torrence Robinson, director of public affairs at Texas Instruments, said the success of previous work by Rose-Hulman faculty was one of the reasons the company is providing funds to create the new laboratory and help speed up the development of new teaching materials.

“Texas Instruments is well aware of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's tradition of excellence in undergraduate engineering, mathematics and science education,” he said.  “When Rose-Hulman approached us with the idea of creating an advanced communications laboratory and do so as part of a consortium that would extend the college's undergraduate wireless technology education into a global arena, we were very interested in being a part of such an educational effort,” Torrence stated.

This new initiative will educate an increasing number of college graduates who are needed to continue the growth of the wireless technology industry, according to Jeffrey McCreary, senior vice president for sales and world marketing at Texas Instruments. “Wireless technology is becoming the dominant force in the semiconductor industry,” said McCreary who is a Rose-Hulman alumnus and trustee.  “It is of unmatched importance to Texas Instruments and to our customers. We all have a stake in developing the skilled labor force necessary to support the continued growth of the wireless industry, and we are proud to associate with Rose-Hulman and GWEC in doing so,” he noted.

Susan Sauer Sloan, GWEC executive director, said the support from Texas Instruments will result in new or enhanced educational materials that will be well received by GWEC members.   “When Professor Berry suggested the alliance involving Rose-Hulman, GWEC and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, I knew that the result would be outstanding educational materials that will be developed in a very creative and engaging format.  The commitment by Texas Instruments will be a significant boost for our efforts to meet the growing need for a skilled global workforce,” she stated.