Published: July 21, 2004

The University of Colorado at Boulder announced today it has received a donation of $250,000 worth of advanced equipment and five $30,000 graduate student fellowships from Agilent Technologies.

The gift supports education and research in several engineering departments and programs related to Agilent's strategic interest areas of communications, electronics and life sciences, and further establishes the company as one of the College of Engineering and Applied Science's key corporate partners.

"We are very grateful to Agilent for this support," said engineering Dean Robert H. Davis. "The graduate fellowships have allowed us to recruit and support some of the best Ph.D students in the country, and the equipment has helped keep our teaching and research laboratories at the forefront of modern technologies. Agilent continues to be a key corporate partner with the University of Colorado as we provide the highest levels of training for our students."

A worldwide technology leader with a major presence in Colorado, Agilent has donated more than $1 million in funding and equipment to CU since 2000. More than 110 CU graduates are currently employed at the company.

"The University of Colorado's engineering and applied sciences program exemplifies the type of innovation and excellence that Agilent pursues in strategic, long-term university partnerships," said Jack Trautman, Agilent senior vice president and CU executive liaison. "This is a relationship that yields both technology and top talent for our company."

Agilent donated new equipment to the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory (ITLL), the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program and the departments of computer science, electrical and computer engineering and mechanical engineering. Agilent's gift also supports three fellowships in electrical and computer engineering and two fellowships in chemical and biological engineering.

The Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory will use the new equipment to expand the capabilities of its 62 data acquisition and analysis lab stations and to ensure that its computer network-probably the largest and fastest on campus-continues to run at full capacity. The ITLL supports 50 to 60 courses and about 2,800 students a year, along with a variety of summer programs for K-12 students and teachers.

Equipment provided to the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program will be used to enhance student exposure to wireless, optical and voice over IP technology. Students in the departments of electrical and computer engineering and mechanical engineering will be able to use more advanced equipment in designing and testing digital electronics and electro-mechanical systems.

Research on wireless sensor networks involving undergraduate and graduate students from computer science and electrical and computer engineering also will benefit from the use of Agilent equipment, which will allow students to test and verify their wireless communication designs.

The College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU-Boulder is a tier-one engineering school enrolling more than 2,600 undergraduate and 1,100 graduate students. U.S. News and World Report ranks the college's undergraduate program 29th and the graduate program 33rd among engineering schools with doctoral programs nationwide.