ACM - Special Issue on Education

Alan Burns, Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli — 2006-08-31T08:54:04Z

Guest Editors Alan Burns - University of York Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli - UC Berkeley

Embedded systems applications now include a very large proportion of the advanced products designed in the world, spanning transport (avionics, space, automotive, trains), electrical and electronic appliances (cameras, toys, television, washers, dryers, audio systems, and cellular phones), process control (energy production and distribution, factory automation and optimization), telecommunications (satellites, mobile phones and telecom networks), and security (e-commerce, smart cards), etc.. The relative weight of software in the value of embedded systems is constantly expanding. The extensive and increasing use of embedded systems and their integration in everyday products marks a significant evolution in information science and technology.

There is now a strategic shift in emphasis for embedded systems designers: from simply achieving feasibility, to achieving optimality. Optimal design of embedded systems means targeting a given market segment at the lowest cost and delivery time possible. Optimality means seamless integration with the physical and electronic environment while respecting real-world constraints such as hard deadlines, reliability, availability, robustness, power consumption, and cost. In our view, optimality can only be achieved through the emergence of embedded systems as a discipline in its own right.

An important factor for the emergence of embedded systems as a discipline is the existence of integrated curricula for training engineers and researchers, able to tackle a range of topics which until now had been spread across many different areas, including: general computer science and engineering, real-time computing, systems architecture, control and signal processing, security and privacy, networking, mathematics, electronics.

This special issue of the ACM Transactions in Embedded Computing Systems aims to provide the basis for integrated undergraduate and graduate curricula covering the essential areas of knowledge for tomorrow's embedded systems engineers and researchers.

See this document online!

Access the ACM TECS page here.

94. Artist International Collaboration Days 2003 - Education

Bruno Bouyssounouse — 2003-10-11T13:27:00Z

Education in Embedded Systems Design October 11th 2003 - Philadelphia

Objectives This was an open meeting to discuss important action lines in the area of Embedded Systems - in which strong synergy between international teams had the greatest benefits. Work over the first year had concentrated on discussion between top researchers in the field, summarized in white papers that were presented and discussed here.

Participants The list of participants is available here.

Conclusions This was a very successful meeting - gathering some outstanding figures in the area, including representatives from the European Commission (Tom Clausen) and the NSF (Helen Gill), the Editor in Chief of the ACM Transactions on Embedded Systems Journal (Wayne Wolf) and the Chairman of the ACM of the SIGBED (Special Interest Group on Embedded Systems) Janos Sztipanovits.

There is a strong willingness to collaborate on Education for embedded systems. An international working group has been set up, led by Alberto Sangiovanni and includes Wayne Wolf (Princeton), George Papas (Upenn), Ed Lee (UC Berkeley), Alan Burns (York), Paul Caspi (Verimag), Hans Hansson (Mälardalen). This working group will prepare a call for a Special Issue on Education of the Transactions on Embedded Systems Journal. The guest editor for this special issue is Alan Burns.

Programme and Slides

Chair: Joseph Sifakis, VERIMAG

Helen Gill - National Science Foundation Challenges in Interdisciplinary Education for Embedded Systems
Tom Clausen - European Commission, IST Programme IST in the 6th FP
Bruno Bouyssounouse - VERIMAG ARTIST International Collaboration Days Education
Paul Caspi - VERIMAG Guidelines for a European Graduate Curriculum in Embedded Systems
Alberto S. Vincentelli - University of California at Berkeley A Graduate Embedded System Education Program

Chair: Bruno Bouyssounouse, VERIMAG

Hans Hansson - Malardalen University, ARTES European Summer School on Embedded Systems '2003 - Experiences and Perspectives
Giorgio Buttazzo - Università di Pavia ARTIST Summer School On Real-Time Scheduling October 11th, 2003 Philadelphia
Wayne Wolf - Princeton University Thoughts on Curriculum for Embedded Computing
Hermann Kopetz - TU Vienna An Outline of a Course on Safety-Critical Embedded Systems
Moon Hae Kim - Konkuk University Human Resource Development in the area of Embedded Systems in Korea

Chair: George Pappas, University of Pennsylvania

Ed Lee - University of California at Berkeley Are 'Embedded Systems' Just Systems Made with Small Computers?
Alan Burns - University of York The Role of Programming Languages in the Curriculum for Teaching Embedded and Real-Time Systems
Gábor Péceli - Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BUTE) Major in Embedded Information Systems Engineering at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics: Experiences, short- and long-term considerations

Panel Discussion Moderator: J. Sifakis Alan Burns Paul Caspi Hermann Kopetz George Pappas Alberto Sangiovanni Wayne Wolf

Co-organized with George Pappas - University of Pennsylvania

ArtistDesign NoE

ACM - Special Issue on Education

94. Artist International Collaboration Days 2003 - Education

Programme and Slides