LabView becomes part of Virginia Tech curriculum

Blacksburg, VA - National Instruments (NI) recently announced that students at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) department of mechanical engineering are gaining hands-on programming experience using NI's LabView graphical development software as part of its curriculum.

By Control Engineering Staff March 28, 2003

Blacksburg, VA – National Instruments (NI) recently announced that students at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) department of mechanical engineering are gaining hands-on programming experience using NI’s LabView graphical development software as part of its curriculum. With a LabView donation from NI, all junior-year mechanical engineering students also receive licensed copies of the software to use in completing assignments in the lab and at home.

”The donation of LabView software from NI and the company’s ongoing support of the university are opening many doors for our students,” said Dr. Harry Robertshaw, professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech. ”Our students have the opportunity to gain in-depth, hands-on experience using industry-standard LabView software, an invaluable skill in today’s marketplace.”

NI donated copies of LabView software for every student in Mechanical Engineering Lab I, a required course for mechanical engineering students at Virginia Tech. The student’s use LabView to configure virtual instruments (VIs) and acquire, analyze and present data for a variety of applications from calibrating a pressure transducer to opening a soda can.

According to Dr. Robertshaw, with LabView installed on students’ personal computers, they can quickly and conveniently create VIs for lab assignments. As part of its commitment to Virginia Tech, NI is also training faculty and offering technical support.

”Learning how to program with LabView and build virtual instruments gives students an edge after graduation, and working with Virginia Tech is an exciting chance for us to give students that opportunity,” said Ray Almgren, National Instruments vice president of product marketing and academic relations. ”Now, with access to LabView outside the classroom, students can explore its intuitive features and develop programming skills that can go beyond the curriculum.”

For more information, visit www.ni.com

Control Engineering Daily News DeskDave Harrold, Senior Editor dharrold@reedbusiness.com