Dr. Andrew Marshall

Dr. Andrew Marshall

International leaders in the field of circuits and systems will converge on UT Dallas starting Sunday for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Dallas Circuits and Systems Conference. During the two-day conference, they will explore the latest research and trends toward the Internet of Things — a time in the very near future when trillions of electronic devices will be connected to the Internet.

“The Internet of Things refers to the trend for everything to be uniquely interconnected through the Internet, not just computers, phones, IP cameras, but household appliances, home security, medical apparatus, cars, sensors and any other thing you can think of, and many you can't,” said Dr. Andrew Marshall, research professor in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and a general chair of the event.

“The Internet of Things thus brings up all sorts of questions, that range from infrastructure concerns, to security to communications protocols, and opportunities for new products, applications, even what to do with all the data generated from all these ‘things,’ ” Marshall said. “The theme, hugely relevant to the circuits and systems community, is, quite literally, enormous, and of tremendous importance to the electronics, software and semiconductor industries in North Texas, and the electronics and computer science departments in the area.”

Dr. Rama Venkatasubramanian

Dr. Rama Venkatasubramanian

This is the 10th year of the conference, but it’s the first year it will include papers being submitted, reviewed, presented and published.

“It’s a natural progression for the workshop,” said Dr. Rama Venkatasubramanian, an adjunct faculty member in the Jonsson School and program chair of the event. “And the field is ready for it — we have accepted eight papers from researchers in other countries, and they will all be here participating.”

Venkatasubramanian said the conference is especially important for the students in attendance from UT Dallas, Southern Methodist University, the University of North Texas and University of Texas at Arlington.

“Sometimes students graduate without understanding the complete field and how to look for jobs,” he said. “We hope to help students gain a better understanding of careers in the field and get them connected with researchers.”

The keynote speakers include Greg Astfalk, chief scientist at HP, who has expertise in data analytics and the hardware that will enable the Internet of Things; Dr. Raj Rajkumar, a professor from Carnegie Mellon University who was one of the first from academia to demonstrate an autonomous car; and Dr. Joe Paradiso, from the MIT Media Lab, a pioneer in the field who has been predicting the Internet of Things for decades.

The event is free for UT Dallas students. Registration prices increase the day of the conference.