Peter Chen

Peter M. Chen is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. His research interests include operating systems, computer security, and fault-tolerant computing. His current research applies and extends virtual machine technology to problems in computer forensics and security. He loves to teach and supplements university teaching by teaching children at church and home-schooling his three children in math and science.

Professor Chen received his Ph.D. (1992) in Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley.

Prof. Chen's work has been selected as an exemplar of innovative engineering education at the University of Michigan. In his presentation, he will will describe a new course "Microprocessors and Music: An Introduction to Computing Systems", which can be taken by first-year engineering students at the University of Michigan. Teams of four students implement a simple microprocessor on a field-programmable gate array; write device drivers for a speaker, microphone, monitor, keyboard, and mouse; and implement a music synthesizer in assembly language that runs on their microprocessor. Student projects have included numerous creative features, such as graphical visualizations on a musical staff, polyphony, record/playback, and games.