UH joins
research center
project

The alliance may spur
advances in wireless
communication

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Star-Bulletin staff

The University of Hawaii has entered a partnership with Arizona State University and the University of Arizona to plan an industry/university research center for advanced communications.

Officials of the universities were to meet today in Holmes Hall on the Manoa campus to begin planning the project under a National Science Foundation grant.

UH's Hawaii Center for Advanced Communications will provide expertise and facilities for the research and be the university's contracting arm.

"We strongly believe that this expanded collaborative effort will help enhance the research and educational activities within the group and will be of significant value in advancing the wireless communications technology and in establishing stronger ties with the industry," the group said in proposing the program to NSF.

Next-generation wireless communication technology requires technological breakthroughs, innovative contributions and research efforts that may cross the entire communication network layers, they said.

Faculty members from the participating universities represent "complementary research expertise" to confront the challenges, the group said.

New courses and programs also will be developed to attract industrial support and provide projects for undergraduate students.