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Mentor Graphics University Design Contest 2011

This competitive design contest is aimed to provide an opportunity for engineering students from different technology streams to participate in the contest and demonstrate their technical capabilities, problem solving, project management and design skills in a contest against their peers. Provide all participants with new perspectives on how design teams from different disciplines and different regions of the country approach a common design problem. Provide engineering students with a chance to meet experts to showcase and present their ideas, and also network with fellow participants to discuss newer ideas of working on a project.

Awards
The top three winners of the University Design Contest will earn a Certificate of Recognition. There will be one Winner team followed by two runner-up teams. The winning team will be awarded a cash prize of US$3000, Runner-up US$2000.

Project Proposal - The Design Problem


The meteorological department receives image data from satellite at fixed, reasonably long intervals. The image is a 7-bit grayscale bitmap of size 8x8. What this means is that the image is composed of 8x8 pixels, with each pixel value varying from 0 (for black) to 127 (for white). The receiving station receives this bitmap data through an 8-bit input port. The MSB of this data is always zero since the maximum value of an individual pixel is 127. The receiving station has to transmit this data to the lab for analysis. Since the image does not differ much between successive receptions, hence it is wasteful to transmit the received data as it is over the communication channel. Instead, 2 consecutive frames are stored and information regarding a given pixel is transmitted only if its value has changed with respect to its previous value. This reduces the volume of communication since only the incremental changes in the image are actually transmitted. The changes in data are encoded using Hamming code and then transmitted over a serial link. On the other side (the lab), this encoded data is received over the serial link. The data is decoded and error detection and correction is done on this decoded data (Assume that only single bit errors may occur). This incremental data is then used to reconstruct the image that was originally sent by the satellite.

The Contest Design & Structure


The contest follows a three stage process. Each stage will focus on communicating the team's ideas through a different channel, as follows:

Teams will submit a short project paper (10 pages maximum) describing their solution to the project proposal. University Design Contest Technical committee will review and evaluate all the submissions. A maximum of 10 teams will be selected for the next stage.

Shortlisted teams will be expected to send a presentation outlining the entire description. The proposed solution will be reviewed by the University Design Contest Technical committee. The Technical committee will select 5 teams to participate in the final contest. The 5 finalists will have to give a presentation on their proposed solution/design to the technical committee. Based on the criteria below, the competition judges will rank and identify an overall winner of the competition and one runner-up team.

Steps to Enter
Stage 1: Preparation and Submission of Paper/Project
Teams should prepare a paper/solution document (10 pages maximum) written in the Extended Abstracts format. This document should be submitted as a single PDF by September 15th, 2011, tou2u_india@mentor.com or atwww.mentor.com/India This paper must include: Description of the proposed solution, including the approach taken and the design process followed

Any reference to design principles and theory where appropriate Appropriate imagery to illustrate the design solution Acknowledgement of any assistance drawn from outside the team (advisors, faculty, domain experts, existing solutions, users, etc.) Acknowledgement of partial or incomplete solutions

All submissions must be in English and must include title and author information, including the contact details. Please be sure that submissions do not contain proprietary or confidential material and do not cite proprietary or confidential publications. The submitted PDF version will be considered the final version of the paper.

Stage Two: Poster Presentation


Only 10 shortlisted submissions will be invited for the second stage of the contest based on the technical committees rating and judgment. Teams should send their presentation within the stipulated timeline and format. Teams will be expected to host their presentation and discuss their approach, design method and solutions with the Technical committee if required. The Technical committee will thereafter select 5 teams to present orally present their proposed solutions. Specific guidelines for preparing presentations: Each presentation should not have more than 15 slides.

Audiovisual and computing equipment will be supplied. Power outlets will be available.

The presentation must include: The proposed solution's name, team name, University/College affiliation

The perspective taken to address the Project/Design challenge A concise description of the proposed solution Clear illustrations of key aspects of your proposed solution Compelling, effective visual design

Final Stage: Paper/Project Presentation


Five teams selected following the Presentations will present their design process and solution during a short presentation to the Technical committee. Presentations will be limited to 45 minutes plus a subsequent 15 minutes to answer questions from the judges and audience. Presentations must include: The design process that was followed

A concise description of the proposed solution Reference to design principles and theory where appropriate Acknowledgement of partial or incomplete solutions Reviewing Criteria Participation Team/College/University Requirements

Teams must consist of at least two, but no more than five, students. There is no limit to the number of teams that may compete from any given University. Submissions are invited from all students at all stages of their university careers, from undergraduate to post-graduate. The University/College should be Mentor Graphics Higher Education Program (HEP) Partner. All submissions should have the proof of Mentor Graphics tool/technology usage. To be eligible for the contest, all participants must provide a signed letter from their academic supervisor. All students must provide proof of their student status on or before the deadline of 15 September, 2011.

For more details contact: A.Zade (9860173683) Amith Thriphati (8055070502) Somulu G (9021235561)

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