Department of Computer Science and Engineering

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Get Involved - Industry Partners

Industry Partners

In 2008 several funded projects and joint initiatives, including scientific forums, have strengthened the collaboration of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering with industry in the Reno area.

Bally Technologies of Reno

One of the projects that expanded this collaboration was “Exploration of Research Directions in Software Quality Assurance,” funded by Bally Technologies of Reno and the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE ) Applied Research Initiative (in total $112,900).

The project involved applied research exploratory work by a team of Computer Science and Engineering faculty members (Dr. Sergiu Dascalu P.I., with co-P.I.’s Dr. Dwight Egbert, Dr. Eelke Folmer, and Dr. Bobby D. Bryant) in collaboration with industry professionals from Bally Technologies. The project was aimed at identifying appropriate ways of providing new and efficient solutions for improving quality assurance in the gaming industry. It has also led to the familiarization of University faculty with the current quality assurance activities and practices in this industry and has helped identify and prioritize areas of possible improvement. Moreover, it has outlined specific research directions to be pursued further in collaboration with our partners from Bally Technologies. In spring 2008 a joint Bally Technologies-Department of Computer Science and Engineering Research workshop concluded this initial research collaboration which is expected to continue and grow in the future.

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering organized a “Transcending Gaming Technology” workshop in March 2008 and concluded an initial collaborative research project between Bally Technologies and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. The purpose of the workshop was to explore research and development challenges that not only are faced by gaming technology but also transcend local and specific endeavors and rise to the level of national and general interests. The workshop enjoyed an attendance of more than 70 people and featured several presentations by experts from industry and academia, including Mr. Jim Hunt from Bally Technologies and Dr. Eelke Folmer from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. The workshop culminated with talks by Mr. Gavin Isaacs, chief operating officer of Bally Technologies, and by Dr. Alan Hevner, NSF program director, who was a special guest at this event.

Sponsored Senior Projects

There are a number of collaboration projects with industry partners from the Reno/Tahoe area that have taken the shape of sponsored senior projects in Computer Science and Engineering. The purpose of such collaborations is to have our senior undergraduate students involved in real-world, industry-strength applications and support them as they develop high quality group projects in capstone courses CS425, CS426, and CPE426.

Over the last academic year PC Doctor, Inc., of Reno, has sponsored two such projects involving seven undergraduate students by providing professional advisement as well as stipends for students (about $17,000). For 2008-2009 we have not only PC Doctor, Inc., committed to advise and sponsor another senior project group but also Bally Technologies ($12,300 expected funding) and General Electric, of Minden, Nev. ($8,000 expected sponsorship). Such joint projects with the local industry will provide the basis for larger scope collaborative endeavors, including some joint proposals to national departments and agencies such as the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, NASA and the National Science Foundation, and will help streamline the transfer of technology and workforce from our college and university to the industry.

International Gaming Technology (IGT)

Also in 2008, the department’s traditional collaboration with International Gaming Technology (IGT) of Reno, included the joint organization of the Third Annual Spring Symposium IGT-CSE/UNR. The symposium, held in May 2008, focused on major development challenges for the gaming industry, and featured three well-received talks by experts in areas important to the industry. Dr. Dinesh Varma from the Stevens Institute of Technology discussed aspects of synthesis, analysis, and evaluation involved in systems engineering and architecting, Dr. Jan Bosch from Intuit delivered a talk on the variability, integration, and organization of software product lines, and Dr. Eelke Folmer surveyed challenges and issues encountered in current game development. More than 100 people from IGT and the University attended this symposium that has become a fixture in our annual calendar of research events.