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The Klouda family has supported several programs at IIT for two decades and has facilitated improvements in the ECE department for 14 years. Their new lab in Siegel Hall houses computer architecture courses, in which ECE students are learning to shape the future of computational devices.

"Computer architecture is an industry that evolves quickly and can take an extraordinary turn in a matter of months," says Professor Jafar Saniie, ECE department associate chair. "Our students are very fortunate to have alumni like Jim and Tom Klouda [EE' 85] who support the need for of-the-moment technology to stay competitive in such a fast-paced field. The Klouda family has had a significant long-term effect on the enrichment of our course offerings, and we thank them dearly for their contributions."

Undergraduate students in the Klouda Family Laboratory learn the fundamentals of designing and building hardware, logic systems, and computational devices. Using an array of equipment, including teaching systems designed by Saniie, the students are able to test their devices to evaluate their efficiency and speed.

"The developments our students are making may lead to faster, smarter, and more robust devices in countless industries," says ECE Bodine Professor and Department Chair Mohammad Shahidehpour. "We are happy to collaborate with the Klouda family in making this opportunity possible for our students."

Klouda and three of his sons work together at the family company Elite Electronic Engineering, Inc. in Downers Grove, Ill. He founded the company in 1954 and has made it the premier electromagnetic compatibility laboratory in North America by recruiting and retaining top engineers and investing constantly in state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.

Professor Guillermo Atkin (pictured right) and Professor Chi Zhou (center) are pushing the boundaries of how we can apply communications theories and systems to the world around us to improve our lives.

The BiITComm Laboratory, founded by Atkin, is a new research facility located in Siegel Hall that houses projects in the communications, information theory, and bioinformatics areas. Communication research is becoming more interdisciplinary by merging communication with networks, secure communications, and other areas of research. A relatively new field is the use of communication engineering ideas for understanding genetic information. Due to the increased availability of genetic data, professors in the BiITComm lab are developing computational methods based on Communication and Information Theory for identification and explanation of the functional elements in the genomes of single-celled (prokaryotic) and multicelled (eukaryotic) organisms. They are applying the principles of source and channel coding theory, information theory, and pattern recognition to analyze and model genetic structures. The research is a collaborative effort between ECE and biology faculty members and IIT's National Center for Food Safety and Technology.

Zhou is also working to create next-generation communications systems in new ways. She recently received a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop the Optical/Wireless Integration Laboratory, in which she is changing the way we use our existing communication networks.

"The next generation of communications systems is expected to provide high data rates up to hundreds of Mbps with ubiquitous access anytime, anywhere," Zhou says. "Rather than developing new technologies to meet the demands, we are working to seamlessly integrate existing networks together including optical high-speed SONET, 3G cellular, Wireless LAN, and WiMAX and make it a virtual single system equipped with all of the advanced technologies we already have."

Integration of these systems will require new solutions to issues like architecture design, billing models, and management of mobility, networks, and resources. Another challenge is that simulation is still the only way to evaluate improvements and system performance in these systems. Zhou plans to address these challenges using the experimental prototype consisting of SONET routers, a 3G wireless development kit, a WLAN module, and a WiMAX testbed.

The two professors are also collaborating with researchers at NEC Laboratories and Lucent Technologies to improve space-time coding, multiple-input multiple output communication systems, wireless sensor networks, and advanced modulation formats for bandwidth and power-efficient communications.

Also pictured is Professor Joseph LoCicero (left), who was instrumental in developing the new Wireless Network and Communications Research Center.

Zysk and Garcia received a grant to purchase a novel x-ray lens, which they will integrate into the experimental systems at the Medical Imaging Research Center at IIT.

The grant from the Optoelectronics Industry Development Organization will aid research in improving x-ray imaging techniques. Using in-line phase-contrast imaging methods, the team will be able to measure soft-tissue density variations within a patient, yielding a wealth of new diagnostic information.

Most of the village residents in Kasei are farmers, some are shopkeepers, and others are government workers. With only 2300 people in the village, more than 550 are school aged children. In Ghana, children can attend up to the equivalent of ninth grade for free, then must pay to attend grades 10-13 and go on to college. An issue larger than money, however, is finding time to go to school. Kasei, like many villages, has no reliable source of electricity except for the power being run to the school and hospital. The majority of the farm work is done by families during the day without technologically advanced equipment, making it more time consuming and labor intensive. 

For less than $50 per person and with the support of his very good friends at Brothers and Sisters in Christ (BASIC), Tonissen is working to change the villager’s lives using hydroelectric and solar power. Kasei is abundantly sunny with major aquatic resources. Tonissen estimates that with a single 5KW solar powered generator or a low head hydroelectric dam at the nearby river, the villagers could have one energy efficient light bulb per household and enough power to enjoy basic necessities like a refrigerator, radio, and internet access.

The world has seen the economic stimulus electricity can provide to remote areas, however in the past it was often provided in environmentally irresponsible ways. Relief groups provided kerosene and diesel powered generators, but the cost of fuel and the environmental impact of the generators have reduced their viability as an energy source. The solar and hydro systems to be provided by Tonissen’s group will use cost free renewable resources, giving the villagers a long-term sustainable solution.

So far, the group has developed a library and computer facility, sent textbooks for the children, and is providing training for teachers. The next step is to alleviate labor demands on the farms so young villagers can continue in school and farmers can more easily tend to their crops. Once power is provided, the group can create a long-term farming plan with the villagers. They have purchased more than 650 acres of farm land to begin economic development of the village. The farm will likely implement solar and hydro powered microgrids to provide power to housing, farm buildings, and outlying structures on the property. The entire project will cost roughly $500,000. BASIC and Tonissen still need support to reach their goals and change the lives of the Kasei villagers. To find out how you can help, contact Tonissen at 312-342-8895 or stonissen@smartsignal.com.

Professor Joseph L. LoCicero was recently named Motorola Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. LoCicero is recognized for his significant contributions to digital communications, collaborative work with industry, and dedication to academic excellence.

Professor Jafar Saniie was appointed as Filmer Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. This appointment recognizes Saniie's outstanding educational and research contributions in computer engineering over the last 24 years.