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AIDC100 Evolution of an RFID Revolution Session 7 University/Industry Collaboration Panel Discussion RFID at Merrimack College by Charles R Kochakian Adjunct Professor Dept of EE. RFID at Merrimack College. Outline Our History Mission Statement Curriculum RFID capabilities Student Projects
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AIDC100Evolution of an RFID RevolutionSession 7University/Industry CollaborationPanel DiscussionRFID at Merrimack CollegebyCharles R KochakianAdjunct Professor Dept of EE
RFID at Merrimack College Outline • Our History • Mission Statement • Curriculum • RFID capabilities • Student Projects • Academic/Industry partnership • Research activities
Our History • RFID Seminar 2005 • RFID Short Course, Feb/Mar 2006 • First course given in Div of Cont Ed (DCE) Mar/May 2007 and again in 2008 • Required course in EE curriculum this coming Spring semester
Mission Statement • Provide Electrical Engineering, Business School and Computer Science graduates a foundation in RFID Technology and Business Solutions • Create a state-of the–art RFID Lab facility that will be used to support classroom lectures as well as provide a resource for conducting project development, pilot demos and specialized training
RFID as part of the Curriculum • The RFID offering is designed to provide a multi-disciplinary learning experience with Business and CS students • The course focuses on a number of key goals • Provide a solid introduction to RFID technology, utilizing lectures, demos, and lab work • Provide exposure to industry experts • The need for standards, security and privacy • To teach how to use the technology to design RFID solutions
Format of course • 2-credit course taken in 2nd semester of junior year by EEs • Required prerequisites: EE with E&M+Electronics, or CS major with junior standing, or business major with junior standing - enables multidisciplinary teams • Three sets of learning outcomes, one for each major are being prepared • Having EE, business and CS students included a multi-disciplinary team approach is realizable for senior projects
The Benefit of RFID • An educational opportunity that challenges our students with real-world problems • Learn how to synthesize solutions • Advantages of RFID as a required course include using it to introduce systems engineering concepts and introducing economic considerations and business benefits
Our RFID Capabilities • Several Companies (Symbol, Intermec, Tagsys, Zebra, Psion Teklogix, Fluke, Metrologic, Identec, Lairdtech and Radiance) have donated equipment • Readers, Tags, Antennas , SW • Active and Passive RFID Systems • RFID lab that enables hands-on training • Facilities that can be used for customized training and pilot testing and analysis
Student Projects Types • Senior Project, Course Project, Work Study Planning Requirements • What are the technical and business benefits? • What is the basis for the RFID solution and the ROI? • Which RFID technology is most appropriate? • Define the project schedule including major milestones • Identify required resources, materials and cost • Metrics for measuring system performance
Projects: Past/Present Completed • Several Course Projects • HF/UHF ACS Feasibility Study and P-o-C Demo for Massport In-Process - RFID pilots on campus • College library • ACS and RTLS for Mendel S&E Bldg • Cafeteria: Ease of entry and automated POS
RFID-Educated Graduates • Our juniors get trained in spring semester and prepared to do their senior project on a faculty-approved RFID topic • We are producing well trained graduate engineers with RFID experience to take a leading role in designing/developing RFID solutions
Academic/Partnership • Establish collaborative with MIT Auto-ID Lab, UML and MCC • Develop working relationships with other universities • Seek opportunities to work on university/industry initiatives
Industry Partnership • Massport – ACS and Baggage Recovery System • Tagsys – UHF/HF Tunnel and UHF EAS • Lairdtech – Test/evaluate antennas • Utilize Lab facility to support project development and testing • Can lead to job opportunities for students
Going Forward • Next generation technological developments we are interested in pursuing through university/industry partnership • Printable chip-less RFID tags • High performance printable antennas • Low-priced RFID reader chips • RFID tags with sensors • Item-level tags and smart shelves • Library and Security systems
Continuing Support • The AIDC 100 membership has provided a great deal of help, many having donated to our RFID Lab • We look forward to their continued support Thank You