AUB Establishes Virtual Instrumentation Center

Lab Combines Engineering Concepts and NI Technology for Hands-On Learning

The American University of Beirut and National Instruments (NASDAQ: NATI) have joined forces to provide students and faculty of engineering programs with the technology to design, test, and deploy projects through the establishment of a Virtual Instrumentation Center of Excellence. According to Professor Fouad Mrad of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, the new AUB center will enable students to use modern professional technology to expand on their classroom knowledge and implement engineering concepts. The facility of virtual instrumentation will allow users to create multifunctional and customizable test and measurement devices using a combination of modular hardware and easy-to-integrate software. The National Instruments (NI) software, pioneered by NI, can be used to manipulate and control the functions of hardware, allowing it to serve multiple users and functions.

"Supplementing a quality curriculum with NI tools gives students a hands-on experience that will further their knowledge and allow them to see theory in practice," says Michel Haddad, general manager of NI Arabia. "By implementing commercial-grade tools into a recognized learning environment, NI and AUB are joining forces to give students a strong advantage as future engineers."

The center will provide students with experience in areas such as control and instrumentation, DSP, RF telecommunications, and mechatronics. It is equipped with over 14 teaching and research lab instruments that will allow students to apply the theories they have learned in class, such as graphical programming, digital communications, and other powerful professional tools that will help the students visualize and implement engineering concepts and employ the same techniques widely used in the industry.