The Atmospheric Phenomena Laboratory: connecting electrical and computer engineering through undergraduate research

Abstract

This paper describes the development of software tools for the automation of data collection, processing, display and storage of information for the Atmospheric Phenomena Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM). Undergraduate Electrical and Computer Engineering students have had a key role in the development of hardware and software tools for a lightning location system. Students developed software applications using Oracle, Access, Labview and Visual Basic. These applications completed the prototype network of the lightning location system, which consists of three remote stations, linked through the University of Puerto Rico's computer network. These software tools provide lightning detection and location capabilities that will contribute to the development of an isokeraunic map and a custom model to predict lightning occurrences. Students gained a meaningful research experience in which they learned and applied electrical and computer engineering concepts in the solution of complex software problems.