ECE2019/2020 CONNECTIONS BUILDING THE NEW COMPUTER USING REVOLUTIONARY NEW ARCHITECTURES Page 16 ECE CONNECTIONS DIRECTOR’S REFLECTIONS: ALYSSA APSEL Wishna Robyn s I write this, our Cornell scaling alone isn’t the answer to more community is adapting powerful and more efficient computers. to the rapidly evolving We can build chips with upwards of four conditions resulting from billion transistors in a square centimeter the COVID-19 pandemic. (such as Apple’s A11 chip), but when My heart is heavy with attempting to make devices any smaller the distress, uncertainty and anxiety this the electrical properties become difficult to Abrings for so many of us, and in particular control. Pushing them faster also bumps seniors who were looking forward to their up against thermal issues as the predicted last semesters at Cornell. temperatures on-chip become comparable I recognize that these are difficult to that of a rocket nozzle. times and many uncertainties remain, Does that mean the end of innovation very nature of computation by building but I sincerely believe that by working in electronics? No, it’s just the beginning. memory devices, algorithms, circuits, and together as a community, we will achieve Instead of investing in manufacturing devices that directly integrate computation the best possible results for the health and that matches the pace of Moore’s law, even at the cellular level. The work well-being of all of Cornell. Although we major manufacturers have realized highlighted in this issue is exciting in that are distant from each other, our work in that it is cost effective to pursue other it breaks the traditional separation between ECE continues. approaches such as graphics processors, switches and gates, between memory and Around 1965 Gordon Moore, the innovative computing architectures, novel computing functions, all the way down to co-founder of Intel, predicted exponential devices, new materials, hybrid chips, AI, the device level. increases in computer performance which and quantum computing. Cornell ECE This new way of thinking is not amounted to doubling of processor speeds is at the forefront of many of these new only fascinating research, but it also every two years. This prediction was technologies. flows into how we teach our students. astonishingly accurate for approximately Our faculty and students are By injecting examples from research and the next 45 years, only starting to break conducting groundbreaking research in cutting-edge design into the classroom, down in the last decade. new hardware accelerators with “brain- students understand technology and The field of Electrical and Computer like” functions that enable machines to engineering as an evolution instead of a Engineering developed around supporting learn and make fast associations. Others static, unchanging set of principles. In this and benefiting from Moore’s Law. We are understanding what makes a machine way, Cornell ECE is again at the forefront engineers worked on scaling down learning algorithm work and how to of designing better systems, and giving devices, lithographic solutions, modeling optimize it. Still others are exploring our students the opportunity to be change and scaling up new processes, and how to improve computing with new leaders. architecting and building faster machines. heterogeneous platforms made up of As the next era of electrical and We utilized these exponentially faster different types of devices. computer engineering unfolds, we machines to support telecommunications In this issue of Connections we explore celebrate the exciting and innovative work and ever more complex algorithms and a small part of what Cornell ECE faculty of Cornell ECE’s amazing students, faculty systems. are doing to revolutionize computing by and staff. Recently it has become apparent that rethinking the way memory and logic these assumptions no longer hold, and interact. ECE researchers are changing the TABLE OF CONTENTS INSIDE THIS ISSUE ECE News ............................................2 New Faculty ........................................8 Twenty Years of ECE .......................11 A Challenging Semester .................12 HOW WILL YOU Engineering Ethical Students ......14 Building the New Computer .........16 MAKE AN IMPACT? CSL: Breaking Silos ........................20 Alumni Spotlight obody knows better the impact a gift can make than a former Cornell student. .............................24 Ph.D. Spotlight You walked these halls, you studied in these classrooms, you worked in these .................................26 Undergrad Spotlight labs. You’ve seen the names on the signs and plaques that remind us of the .......................27 N ECE Awards .......................................28 contributions people have made to the educational experience and research excellence in Electrical and Computer Engineering. How will you make an impact? ECE Connections is published by the Graduate Student Support Robotics Lab School of Electrical and Computer Research funding for our faculty often Robotics is a top priority for the future Engineering. requires matching funds for graduate of the school. Support for our growing Executive Editor and Designer: student support. These graduate students robotics lab will ensure our students Eric Laine are the future leaders of our technology have the resources needed to excel in this Editors and Contributors: Alyssa Apsel, economy, so it is critical for the nation, and challenging interdisciplinary field. Mark Buckler, Chris Dawson, Jessica for Cornell’s ranking, that we attract and Graduate Student Seminars: Edmister, Syl Kacapyr, Melanie Lefkowitz, recruit the right students to our program. Electronic Devices Society Dawn McWilliams, David Nutt Revitalize Office Space (EDS) and ECE Colloquium We welcome feedback from readers. Email us at [email protected] Phillips Hall was built in 1955 with three Series floors of identically sized offices. We want These events regularly bring our faculty Cover image supplied by the Cornell to modernize the second and fourth floors, and students together to stay on top of NanoScale Science & Technology as we did the third, to be aligned on the developments inside and outside of our Facility (CNF), a member of the beams of the building, yielding 200 square field and create a continued sense of National Nanotechnology Coordinated foot rooms to better accommodate center community across the school. Infrastructure (NNCI), which is administration, graduate students and supported by the National Science TA meeting rooms for class support. The Foundation (Grant NNCI-1542081). upgrades will also allow better power Hilary Diekow, Associate Director and HVAC upgrades and eliminate less of Alumni Affairs and Development Cornell University efficient window air conditioners. Offices 258 Carpenter Hall, (607) 255-6702 School of Electrical and Computer will be constructed with some form of [email protected] Engineering window to enliven the hallways with 229 Phillips Hall natural lighting and activity. Ithaca, NY 14853-5401 Visit ece.cornell.edu/ece/alumni © 2020 Cornell University 1 | ECE Connections ECE NEWS ECE alumna leads NSF Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering The National Science helped me see the excitement Director France Córdova Foundation (NSF) has selected and importance of deep, said, “Her experience as an Margaret Martonosi ‘86 to curiosity-driven explorations innovative researcher and serve as head of the Directorate of computer systems and a leader who has worked to for Computer and Information of the broader world,” said improve STEM education and Science and Engineering Martonosi. “I look forward the workforce make her ideal (CISE). Martonosi received her to working at NSF and with for this role.” Margaret Martonosi ‘86 bachelor’s degree in electrical the community to catalyze As one of Cornell’s engineering from Cornell further generations of CISE Andrew D. White Professors- the Way Forward.” University before moving on to researchers.” at-Large she is considered a Currently, Martonosi is Stanford for her Ph.D. CISE supports research full member of the Cornell the Hugh Trumbull Adams “I am honored to have across all areas of computer faculty, and visited campus ’35 Professor of Computer been selected to take this CISE and information science two years ago to deliver a talk Science, Department of leadership role. My time as an and engineering. Describing entitled “Science, Policy, and Computer Science at Princeton undergraduate at Cornell ECE Martonosi’s selection, NSF Services: Some Thoughts on University. ECE robotics teams thrill crowds at annual event Crowds filled the Duffield More than one hundred morning competition. Each avoiding walls and other Atrium to cheer student teams engineering students let off round featured four robots robots. The information under the direction of ECE some end-of-semester steam equipped with sensors and each robot recorded was lecturer and senior research and tried not to blow any navigation algorithms that then transmitted wirelessly associate Carl Poitras, who gaskets at the annual Robotics were placed in a 9-by-9-foot to a base station, which oversaw the maze competition Day competition Dec. 10 in maze. Over the course of six decoded the transmission and as part of his Intelligent Duffield Hall atrium. minutes, the robots attempted visualized the map. Physical Systems (ECE 3400) The day kicked off with to map the maze by following course. the “Robotic Maze Runners” a grid of