David Heckmann awarded $125,000 Department of Defense subcontract David Heckmann, assistant professor of electrical engineering, has been awarded a $125,000 Department of Defense flow-through subcontract from Packet Digital LLC, in Fargo, N.D., to investigate advanced power management techniques used in battery-powered devices. Packet Digital is investigating potential methods of optimizing battery power usage in military devices for the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA). As part of this large-scale project, UND electrical engineering graduate and undergraduate students will identify the myriad ways mobile military equipment such as handheld GPS receivers and radio communication devices can be configured to extend the life of their batteries and other potential power sources. The students are also studying commercial battery-operated products such as notebook computers, cellular telephones, and digital music players to gain additional insight into electronic power management strategies. The vast amount of information, gathered through patent and literature searches, will then be analyzed to converge on an optimal power management scheme that can be used in any wireless device. Heckmann joined the faculty in 2000 after receiving his doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Arizona in 1998 and spending two years at IBM Corporation in Rochester, Minn., working on high-frequency signal integrity issues related to printed circuit boards and digital interconnects. Packet Digital LLC is an innovator in the design, development, and marketing of advanced power management, smart radio frequency identification (RFID), and wireless solutions. The company is focused on creating products with high intellectual property content that match specific customer needs. Joel Jorgenson, president and CEO, serves as the principal investigator on the DoD contract titled “Advanced Power Management for Wireless Systems” from the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) located in McClellan Park near Sacramento, Calif. The DMEA is tasked with solving the problem of microelectronics replacement and upgrades in fielded systems for the Department of Defense.