RICHARDSON, Texas (Sept. 9, 2004) — An electrical engineering professor at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to investigate new methods for broadband multimedia wireless communications.
Dr. Naofal Al-Dhahir, an associate professor in UTD’s Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, received the award, which covers a four-year period and is worth $250,000, from the NSF’s division of Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF).
Al-Dhahir plans to investigate new techniques for the wireless transmission of multimedia — including video, interactive voice and interactive data such as video conferencing — over multiple antennae, instead of the traditional one antenna that is standard with present-day technology.
According to Al-Dhahir, the current method is subject to higher rates of failure both in terms of the rate and reliability of data transfer, and additional antennae could allow data to travel through different paths, increasing the probability that the information will reach its desired destination.
“With multiple antennae, we can create multiple independent channels,” Al-Dhahir said. “Even if one channel is bad, it is unlikely that the other channels also will be bad at the same time. And multiple antennae could convert the harsh wireless medium from a narrow to a wide data pipe, thus improving transmission.”
“It is my hope that this research will help to improve broadband wireless communication and increase the rate and reliability of data transfer.”
Al-Dhahir joined UTD in the fall of 2003. He earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Prior to joining UTD, he worked at General Electric Research and Development Center in New York and AT&T Labs-Research in New Jersey.
About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 14,000 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s Web site at www.utdallas.edu.