96 A PERSONAL HISTORY OF THE UM COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

The Computer Aided these experiences, I was convinced that the College simply had to break Engineering Network away from the University’s MTS system and build its own computing The College faced a very major environment, more suited to its needs. challenge in building a modern I was convinced that the digital computing environment for its computer would rapidly evolve from students, faculty, and programs. Part simply a tool for scientific computation of the problem was developing an and information processing into an appropriate vision for a state-of-the-art information technology infrastructure system and then financing it. But we absolutely essential to all of our also faced a challenge because of the activities, from research to instruction very success of the University-wide to administration. Hence, to build a Michigan Terminal System (MTS). The Michigan Terminal System (MTS) Computer System leading engineering college, we would Developed with IBM in the 1960s, have to become a leader in information this had long been one of the nation’s technology. This view was shared by leading time-sharing systems. Yet it This was a topic of personal interest, many members of the College. was an inhouse system, adopted by since my own career had largely Dan Atkins assumed the leadership few other universities, and during the paralleled that of the digital computer. for this effort, assisted by Dick Phillips, 1970s it rapidly lost ground to the new My particular area of research, nuclear Lynn Conway and other members of generation of minicomputers such as energy systems (nuclear reactors, the faculty. We set a rather ambitious DEC’s VAX systems for science and nuclear rockets, thermonuclear fusion), goal: To build the most sophisticated engineering applications. By the end was not only heavily dependent upon information technology environment of the 1970s, most engineering and state-of-the-art computing, but it had of any engineering college in the science departments at top research actually driven much of computer nation, an environment that would universities had acquired their own development. During the 1960s and continually push the limits of what VAX systems. Yet, Michigan remained 1970s I had done much of my work could be delivered in terms of power, not only moored to the increasingly using Atomic Energy Commission ease of use, and reliability to our aging mainframe-based MTS system, supercomputers at AEC laboratories students, faculty, and staff. The system but also to centrally administrated such as Los Alamos and Livermore. was called CAEN, the Computer Aided computer policies that prevented Although my research made use of Engineering Network, a name that academic programs from breaking the very fastest computers in the reflected its functional architecture away and acquiring more advanced world, several of our faculty members as a sophisticated information computing environments. In fact, every (including Dick Phillips and Bill technology network integrating the purchase of a computer had to be Powers of Aerospace Engineering) got Colleges’ instruction, research, and approved by a central committee at the me interested in the use of the first administrative activities together University. microcomputers such as the TRS-80 with both oncampus users (students, and Apple II for instructional purposes. faculty, staff) and off-campus In fact, I taught one of the very first participants (industry, government, introductory computer courses on alumni). More technically, CAEN was these systems in the late 1970s. From envisioned as a distributed intelligence, COMPUTER AIDED ENGINEERING NETWORK 97 hierarchical computing system linking for research (Apollo, Sun, HP, Apple personal computer workstations, Lisas, Silicon Graphics). We faced a superminicomputers, mainframe very major challenge in providing computers, function-specific machines adequate computing resources for our (CAD/CAM, simulation) and gateway students, since our large enrollments machines to national networks and (6,000) would require a massive facilities such as supercomputer investment. To address this, we took centers. The network was designed two very important steps: First, as I to support not only general mentioned in the previous chapter, we scientific computing, but computer- persuaded the University to allow us aided instruction, administrative to charge students a special $100 per The Apple Lisa Lab in the Chrysler Center services, and access to technical and term computer user fee to help support bibliographic databases. their computing environment. We first had to fight a battle on This generated $1.5 million each The second element of our plan State Street to allow us to break away year that we then could use to buy for students involved developing a from the University MTS system. Not (or even debt-finance) computer mechanism to help them purchase surprisingly, this involved many of equipment. We made absolutely their own personal computers, since our old foes in the kingdom of the certain that every penny of these fees we realized that the College would vice president for research, since they (along with significant contributions never have sufficient assets to equip ran campus computing at that time. from the College) went entirely to all 6,000 students. We explored the Fortunately it was easy to convince equip numerous student computing possibility of negotiating very deep Harold Shapiro and Bill Frye that they clusters around the College that discounts (60% or more off list price) needed to encourage more diversity would be restricted solely for the use with key vendors such as Apple and in computing, and in particular, of engineering students. To provide IBM. They were quite willing to do allow some units to move far out on a vivid demonstration of just what this, but the principal hangup was the curve of advanced computing the students were getting for their with the University, nervous that the as pathfinders for the rest of the fees, we converted two large lecture local computer stores might complain University. Engineering and Business rooms on the first floor of the Chrysler to the state legislature that we were Administration were given the go- Center into a gigantic computer cluster, undercutting their business. After ahead to build their own environments equipped with over 100 of the new considerable effort, we finally managed (which would eventually lead to the Apple Lisa workstations. This was to convince Shapiro and Brinkerhoff disappearance of MTS, although it quite a sight—probably the largest that the leading universities would would take almost a decade). collection of Apple Lisas that ever be achieving massive deployment I have already mentioned some of existed—and it really impressed the of personal computers to students our early steps to build CAEN. We students.1 We adopted the philosophy through such bulk discounts, and that first provided every member of the that these were the students’ Michigan would rapidly fall behind faculty with a personal computer computers, without any constraints if we did not do the same. Since I (a choice of either an IBM PC or an on how they could use them. Similar suspected that the impact on local Apple II computer). We next began to computer clusters were built around retailers would be very positive from acquire several networked clusters of the College.2 the secondary hardware and software state-of-the-art computer workstations sales stimulated by the student 98 A PERSONAL HISTORY OF THE UM COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

program, we negotiated a separate We invested heavily in building an agreement with them to sell their wares instructional center (library, computer when the students picked up their center, instructional television) in computers through the University. the unfinished basement of the Dow Since the first major deliveries occurred Building (with only a minor setback early in the fall, we began to call these when the underground facility for events the Fall Computer Kickoff Sale. the HVAC equipment collapsed from It was quite a hit with the students, faulty materials and design midway particularly when new systems such as through the project). Chuck Vest the Macintosh appeared. The number pushed for more student facilities, of University students acquiring their including a small vending/study area own computers began to rise rapidly, The launch of the Computer Aided Engineering next to the EECS Building (we all called stimulating both the College and Network (with Bill Poduska of Apollo Computers it Chuck’s Bar and Grill although it and Steve Jobs of Apple Computer) the University to install appropriate was later named as a memorial to one networking capability in the residence of our young faculty, Jonathan Laitone, halls and University buildings. (The environments of any University in who was lost in a climbing accident Fall Computer Kickoff Sales continue to the world, a fact of major importance on Mt. Ranier my first year as dean). A this day.) to recruiting outstanding faculty and connector laboratory was built between The final step in bringing CAEN students. the Dow and G.G. Brown Laboratories to the level of sophistication we had for bioengineering, a major addition envisioned was made possible by a $2 was built for the North Campus million gift from General Motors that Commons (later named the Pierpont allowed us to acquire over 350 high- Completion of the North Commons), and the Space Physics end computer workstations, connected Campus Move Research Laboratory was doubled and with high speed networks, to serve then tripled in size. the advanced needs of students and As we discussed in the previous faculty. Our philosophy was simple: chapter, all of the key steps necessary We were determined to stay always at to complete the long-sought (and the cutting edge, but with a very strong endured) move of the College to service focus. We sought to remove all the North Campus were in place by constraints on computing, with no limit mid-1983. We needed only to finish whatsoever on student and faculty the construction of the massive use. We went with a multivendor Engineering Building I (now the environment, moving with whatever Electrical Engineering and Computer technology was most powerful. Science Building), and this would occur Needless to say, these were highly in spring of 1996.3 The Dow-GGBL Connector controversial issues in the early Of course, although the move 1980s, particularly at the University of all of our faculty, students, and of Michigan. But as a result, by the programs was complete, there was mid-1980s the College could boast one still more to do to improve the quality of the most sophisticated computing of the North Campus environment.