WNCG and Circuits Faculty Receive $1.2M in Federal Grants

U.S. Representative Lamar Smith toured The University of Texas at Austin's wireless research lab on January 17 while announcing he had obtained a $1.2 million appropriation for electrical engineers to create advanced wireless communications devised for military use. The research will be lead by Dr. Ted Rappaport, the founding Director of the Wireless Networking and Communications Group (WNCG) and the leader of the RF integrated circuits lab that Smith toured. Rappaport will collaborate with Dr. Sriram Vishwanath from the WNCG, and Dr. Jacob Abraham and Dr. Ranjit Gharpurey, circuits experts in UT's Computer Engineering Research Center (CERC).

"This grant will encourage novel interdisciplinary research between the wireless and circuits research centers at The University" said Dr. Jeff Andrews, WNCG Director, "and help the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department be at the forefront of developing integrated circuits capable of a 10-fold higher data rate than the best current circuits."

In addition to being useful for military communications, these circuits could lead to new commercial chips that impact cell phones and other current devices, and foster new products that include wireless video/TV screens, and high-definition video systems for homes.

The $1.2 million grant will fund the first year of what might become a three-year project supported by federal and private sources. Initial funds will primarily cover salaries for faculty and 15 students to streamline a prototyped Ultra Wide Band wireless device.

Companies with an interest in broadband wireless will provide student educational opportunities and other support for the wirless research. Support has also come from the Army Research Laboratories in Bethesda, Md., which provided $919,000 in 2005 for equipment that will benefit the project.