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V. Oklobdzija Offers IEEE DL Talk and Keynote Address to PEECS Symposium in Western Australia Microprocessors in the Past and Future Explored at November Meetings By Adam Osseiran, Edith Cowan University,
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rofessor Vojin Oklobdzija, an IEEE Fellow and Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society gave a seminar entitled “Future of Microprocessors: Retrospective and Challenges” to the electronic and computer communities in Western Australia on Monday, 6 November, 2006. The venue was the Innovation Centre WA at the Technology Park in Bentley. Twenty five researchers and professionals from Perth attended the lecture. In his talk, Professor Oklobdzija presented a retrospective of modern microprocessor development. He addressed advances in enabling technology that have brought unprecedented growth and gave a perspective for future development. The features which have enabled the development of modern microprocessors, guiding principles and contributions made by modern microprocessor architecture were discussed, as well as the move into super-scalars with respect to performance and implementation difficulties. Professor Oklobdzija then addressed the one billion transistor challenge and the impact of the computer entry into consumer market, representing new potentials and new challenges. An interesting discussion between Professor Oklobdzija and the participants, and among the participants themselves, followed the talk and
Winter 2007
From left, Dr. Vojin Oklobdzija, Dr. Adam Ossieran, and Dr. Lance Fung.
continued outside at a reception in his honor provided by the IEEE local section. On the next day, Professor Oklobdzija gave the keynote address "Directions in Computer Engineering" at the 7th Post Graduate Electrical Engineering Computer Symposium (PEECS) for researchers and postgraduates from the four Western Australian Universities. The Symposium was organized by Associate Professor Lance Fung, who is the IEEE Western Australia Section Chair. More than 100 participants filled the auditorium. Professor Oklobdzija put the computer engineering discipline into a historical perspective and showed how computers have seen an unprecedented expansion since the first electronic computers were built some 50 years ago. He later explained how computers are playing a major part in our lives and are fuelling economic
growth. He then outlined major milestones and achievements in computer development and continued by showing trends and sharing his view on where growth and expansion in this area may be expected. At the end, he offered some recommendations for the university computer engineering programs. The visit of Professor Oklobdzija to Western Australia concluded with a discussion about a proposal to initiate a new joint IEEE chapter of SSCS and EDS, which should become two distinct chapters later. Current developments in the research communities in Western Australia in the fields of microelectronics, photonics, solid states and electron devices with new nanotechnology and nanomaterial for applications such as military, medical, and general sensing applications justify the establishment of a new IEEE chapter.
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