Purdue University College of Engineering Implements Tektronix Instruments in New Lab for Embedded Systems Design

BEAVERTON, Ore., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tektronix, Inc. , a leading worldwide provider of test, measurement and monitoring solutions, announced that the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) program at Purdue University will install and utilize the latest Tektronix test and measurement instruments. Purdue has purchased test equipment for the laboratory and Tektronix has supplemented this by also making a significant donation. This donation will provide industry leading test equipment for EPICS' new engineering laboratory that will open in fall 2007 in the newly constructed Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering. The lab will support projects for the design of embedded systems applications.

EPICS is a nation-wide interdisciplinary engineering program which was started at the Purdue electrical engineering department in 1995. The program connects teams of undergraduate students with local community agencies. The teams are then given real-world design tasks. For example, projects have included the development of sensors for law enforcement and creation of hardware, electromechanical and software solutions which enable children with disabilities ages 3 to 21 to function more independently and to enjoy a better quality of life. With faculty supervision, multidisciplinary teams design solutions and then deliver them to the requesting agency. All projects solve an engineering, technology, or computing-based need of the local not-for- profit. Nineteen universities and nineteen high schools currently implement EPICS projects at their respective institutions.

"To be successful in today's global economy, students need a broad range of skills. In addition to a firm grounding in their disciplinary knowledge, they need to be able to work with and communicate across disciplines and cultures," said William Oakes, Director of the EPICS Program, Purdue University. "To acquire these skills, students need authentic experiences like they get in EPICS as they work with non-profit organizations to design technological solutions that address needs in the local community. Tektronix' generous donation of industry leading test instruments has greatly contributed to the future success and efficiency of our program and to the development of upcoming leaders in tomorrow's world."

The donation from Tektronix includes AWG7052 Arbitrary Waveform Generators, AFG3000 series Arbitrary Function Generators, DPO7054 Real-time Oscilloscopes, RSA3408A Real-time Spectrum Analyzers, as well as EMC Ancillary Devices and one RTPA2A Probe Adapter. The donation was arranged through the Tektronix University Relations Program, which aims to enhance and upgrade the quality of education worldwide.

"Embedded devices have become pervasive in everyday services and are greatly changing the way the world works," said Craig Overhage, senior vice president, Instruments Business, Tektronix. "Tektronix is proud to provide our resources to EPICS at Purdue, an organization dedicated to community service while simultaneously educating tomorrow's engineers to prepare for a new digital world."

About Purdue University -- Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) Program

Founded in Fall 1995, Purdue University's EPICS Program is an engineering design program operating in a service learning context. EPICS students participate in design teams that design, build, and deploy real systems to solve engineering technology-based problems for local non-profit and educational organizations in the community. For more information on the EPICS Program please go to http://epics.ecn.purdue.edu/.

About Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering

Designed to be the flagship of the College of Engineering, Armstrong Hall provides a welcoming northern gateway to Purdue University's campus. This 200,000 square foot building has more than 20,000 square feet dedicated to research labs and more than 60,000 square feet of undergraduate teaching facilities, including discipline-specific and multidisciplinary design labs. Each of the more than 6,500 undergraduate students will pass through the doors of Armstrong Hall to take advantage of classrooms that feature learning spaces which facilitate student teamwork and introduce students to the latest technology.

About Tektronix

Tektronix is a leading supplier of test, measurement, and monitoring products, solutions and services for the communications, computer, and semiconductor industries -- as well as military/aerospace, consumer electronics, education and a broad range of other industries worldwide. With 60 years of experience, Tektronix enables its customers to design, build, deploy, and manage next-generation global communications networks, advanced and pervasive technologies. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix has operations in 19 countries worldwide. Tektronix' Web address is http://www.tektronix.com/.

Tektronix is a registered trademark of Tektronix, Inc. All other trade names referenced are the service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.