The Cockrell School of Engineering has received $1 million from Qualcomm Incorporated, furthering the company’s support of Texas Engineering over the past two years. This latest gift will provide funding for the construction of the new home of UT Austin’s Wireless Networking and Communications Group (WNCG), which will be housed within the Engineering Education and Research Center (EERC), opening in 2017.
Inside the new space, called the Qualcomm Wireless Networking and Communications Research Neighborhood, 20 faculty members, 130 graduate and undergraduate students and numerous researchers and industry partners will continue to advance the telecommunications industry through innovative, multidisciplinary research. WNCG researchers focus on technology areas that are transforming modern communications, including the development and enhancement of 5G cellular networks, social networks, video processing and transportation.
“Qualcomm’s gift will bring the innovative work of WNCG’s students and faculty to the heart of campus,” said Sanjay Shakkottai, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of WNCG. “With more space and sophisticated equipment, we will be able to expand partnerships and explore new methods that lead to more breakthrough discoveries.”
A longtime supporter of the Cockrell School and UT Austin, and consistent with its culture of fostering innovation, Qualcomm has provided student internship opportunities, sponsored design projects in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and made additional contributions to support the university’s Bill and Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex.
Of the more than 115 UT Austin alumni currently working at Qualcomm, more than 80 are Cockrell School graduates.