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EXCEL Scholar Marvin Marbell ’02 of Accra, Ghana, researched ways to find more efficient routes of sending information along integrated computer circuits during the fall semester. Marbell assisted John Nestor, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.
“Marvin researched a method called accelerated maze routing, which essentially involves how to get from point A to point B; in this case, on the wiring in an integrated circuit,” says Nestor. “He used the Lee algorithm to help solve the problem.”
An electrical and computer engineering major, Marbell was pleased to work on what he terms a “real-world” project that semi-conductor companies continually research.
“When semiconductor companies manufacture integrated circuits, they need to connect the thousands or millions of components that comprise them,” he says. “Making the links between these components is called routing. Since there are thousands of components in some chips, this process could take a long time even for very fast computers.
“We looked at speeding up the routing process with some hardware logic. This involved interfacing the computer with some external hardware. Figuring out how to implement a hardware/software solution was challenging, and I have always wanted to do work that involved interaction between a PC and external hardware.”
In addition to the practical experience, Marbell appreciates the mentoring he has received from Nestor.
“This is an area of research that Professor Nestor has been involved in for some time. He determined which research I should focus on next and what to work on. I met with him regularly to review our progress and results,” he says.
The EXCEL work also proved to be good preparation for Marbell’s career plans.
“I hope to work in this area in the future,” he says. “This research provided an excellent opportunity for me to gain experience.”
He adds, “Lafayette’s small size makes it possible to work closely with highly qualified professors, and this was a big plus in this project.”
Marvin Marbell served as a Bible study leader in Lafayette Christian Fellowship during the fall semester and played bass guitar in the worship band at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Easton.
Marvin Marbell ’02 authored a senior honors thesis under the direction of John Nestor, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.