NIU engineering students will be able to work next semester on a new computer system worth about $350,000, which was given to the university by the Harris Corp.

The computer system, a Harris HCX-9, was given to the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology in the form of a grant which includes computer terminals, laser printers, disk drives and compilers, said Dr. Romualdas Kasuba, College of Engineering dean.

In addition, the Harris Corp. will provide two weeks of training on the use and operations of the system.

“This is a major grant by a major corporation,” Kasuba said. Only three or four universities, including Berkley University in California, have been granted Harris systems, he said.

NIU was chosen to receive the grant because the emphasis in the Midwest, specifically the Detroit area, and NIU’s engineering department focus on manufacturing, said Suendra Singh, manager of academic marketing at the Harris Corp.

The equipment will be used for development and research which will allow students to derive new systems in computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) and computer-aided design (CAD), Kasuba said.

Because of the size and speed of the Harris system, NIU will be able to provide the opportunity for students to improve their experience in designing and analyzing a variety of important mechanical engineering techniques, stated Dr. Sengoda Ganesan, coordinator of mechanical engineering, in a proposal to the Harris Corp.

One of the more practical operations students will be able to complete faster is sending designs developed in Sycamore to the machines located on campus in Still Gym.

The computer system division of the Harris Corp. designs and manufactures high performance computer systems and software equipment for engineering and scientific application, Singh said.

In exchange for the computer system, the College of Engineering will give the Harris Corp. several semi-annual research progress reports.

Although the grant was given to the university for use in the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology in Sycamore, Kasuba said the department will share the equipment with other colleges.