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What’s at the End of the Rainbow?A Pot of Golden Research

Ann Gordon-RossDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering

University of Florida, Gainesville

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About me ….• PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from the University

of California, Riverside in 2007

• Undergraduate and graduate experiences have lead me to an academic position– Undergraduate research opportunities

– Grader for many, many years

– Had a job offer after BS, but desired not to “leave the student lifestyle”

– Taught a programming course for 3 ½ years during graduate school

– Graduate student life is great!

– Excellent mentor and advisor! This is the most important choice you will make!!

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Graduate School ≠ Academic Position

• In today’s job market, you need higher education– Highly competitive, set yourself apart

– Lack of advanced degree limits progress

• MS degree– More hirable, likely a better position

– Higher starting pay (but some argue that the raises over those two years nullify the higher starting pay)

– Many non-thesis students, so thesis option sets you apart

• PhD– Large change to future job description

– You come up with the ideas instead of implementing another’s ideas

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Trials as a Woman in ECE• For me? None, but…..

• More challenging for women– Inappropriate stereotypes– Potentially a lack of family support– Prejudice from other students– Feelings of inadequacy

• How to cope?– Join organizations and be involved

• WECE – Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering

• SWE – Society of Women Engineers

• Phi Sigma Rho - National Society for Women in Engineering and Engineering Technology

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Does Luck Have It?• YES!!!!• Being a women almost “stacks the

deck” for you

Take advantage of luck, but

don’t rely on it!!!!

– More opportunities• Specific funding opportunities

• Special programs

• Increased peer support

• Targeted recruitment

• But luck will only get your so far– Success always requires hard work!

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Research Opportunities….Research Opportunities….What is CHREC?What is CHREC?

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What is CHREC?

• CHREC– Unique US national research center in RC field, established Jan’07– Leading research groups in RC for HPC/HPEC @ 4 major universities

• University of Florida (lead)• Brigham Young University• George Washington University• Virginia Tech

• Under auspices of I/UCRC Program at NSF– Industry/University Cooperative Research Center

• CHREC reviews & growth among best of any NSF Center on record

– CHREC is both a National Center and a Research Consortium• University groups serve as research base (faculty, students, staff)• Industry & government organizations are research partners, sponsors, collaborators, advisory

board, & technology-transfer recipients

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Reconfigurable Computing

?

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From Satellites to Supercomputers!

From Satellites to Supercomputers!10-100x speedups with 10-100x speedups with 2-10x energy savings 2-10x energy savings

not uncommon vs. FMCnot uncommon vs. FMC

Reconfigurable Computing

RC: Application-oriented, software-controlled, hardware-adaptive computingRC: Application-oriented, software-controlled, hardware-adaptive computing

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More Research More Research Opportunities….Opportunities….

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Power-Constrained Domains• Embedded Systems Domain

– Increased battery life

– Decreased cooling requirements

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Dynamic Optimizations

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Dynamic Optimizations Benefits• No user effort

– User doesn’t know what dynamic optimizations are

• No application-designer effort– Reduced time to market

– Reduced NRE costs

• System reacts to changing environment – Changes in input stimulus

– Changes in software/firmware

• Reduced power consumption– Longer battery life

– Reduced cooling requirements

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Questions??Questions??