Track Chairs

We've organized our classes by track to help you plan your schedule and find the subjects you need to know. Each track was built by industry leaders, our ESC Track Chairs, to ensure the fundamentals of embedded technologies and the most current solutions are covered.

Build Your Own Embedded System
C and C++
Commercial and Open Source Operating Systems
Consumer Electronics
Debugging and Verification
Design Team Management
Designing for Power Efficiency
Graphics, Displays and Lighting
Improve Productivity at the HW/SW Interface
Industrial and Automation
Multi-core, Multi-threading, and Virtualization
Multimedia and Signal Processing
Programmable Logic
Real-Time Development
Security
Sensors (including MEMS)
Software Development
System Integration and Test
System-Level Design Issues (Hardware and Software)
What Engineers and Developers need to know about IP
Wired and Wireless Technologies (Connectivity)

Build Your Own Embedded System
Richard Nass

Director of Content/Media
TechInsights

Rich's key responsibilities include setting the content direction for all properties within TechInsights. This includes EE Times, EETimes.com, Embedded Systems Design magazine, Embedded.com, the global Embedded Systems Conferences, and all custom events. Rich also handles the editorial for EE Times Europe and Embedded Systems Design Europe. He's been in the Electronics OEM industry for over 20 years. Before taking on the top editorial role for the TechInsights, Rich oversaw the Embedded and Custom groups, and the TechOnline DesignLine network of design engineering Web sites. Prior to that, he spent six years as the Editor-in-Chief of Portable Design magazine, where he drove the
editorial to new heights while launching a magazine and technical conference in China. Preceding that, Rich was a Technology Editor with Electronic Design magazine. He holds a BSEE degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

C and C++
Dan Saks

President
Saks & Associates

Dan Saks is the President of Saks & Associates, a training and consulting company specializing in C and C++ and their use in developing embedded systems. He is a contributing editor for Embedded Systems Design magazine and Embedded.com. He has also written columns for the C/C++ Users Journal, The C++ Report, Software Development magazine and the Windows Developer's Journal. Dan is co-author of C++ Programming Guidelines and co-developer of Suite++: The Plum Hall Validation Suite for C++. He served for many years as secretary of the ANSI and ISO C++ standards committee, and continues to follow the committees' activities. More recently, he contributed to the CERT Secure C and C++ Coding Standards.

Commercial and Open Source Operating Systems
Jean Labrosse

President,
Micrium

Jean Labrosse is President of Micrium, a provider of high quality embedded software solutions. He is a regular speaker at the Embedded Systems Conferences and is also the author of two books: MicroC/OS-II, The Real-Time Kernel and Embedded Systems Building Blocks, Complete and Ready-to-Use Modules in C. He has written numerous articles for magazines. Labrosse has an MSEE and has been designing embedded systems for many years.

Consumer Electronics
Maury Wright

Consultant

Maury Wright is a veteran technology journalist and marketing consultant with expertise that ranges from microprocessors and digital-media-centric consumer applications to power management. Maury has served as site editor for TechInsights' Digital Home and Power Management DesignLines. Previously Maury was Editorial Director and Editor-In-Chief of EDN Magazine. Maury was also the founding editor of CommVerge Magazine - a publication dedicated to the convergence of voice, video, and data in networks and connected products. Maury has an electronic engineering degree from Auburn University and also took a number of graduate level DSP courses at San Diego State University. Maury is a technology enthusiast and early adopter - installing a wireless network in his home back in 1998 long before the first 802.11 spec was completed. Maury has won numerous ASBPE regional and national awards for columns, feature articles, and magazine departments.

Debugging Techniques and Tools
Patrick Mannion

Editorial Director,
TechOnline Network

Patrick is Editorial Director of EETimes' TechOnline Network where he is responsible for guiding the editorial direction of TechInsights design franchise. Prior to joining TechOnline, Patrick served as the Editor of EE Times, where he ran the day-to-day editorial and production operations of the leading industry news weekly. He has also served as an executive editor on EE Times; communications editor at Electronic Design magazine; and as a staff editor with Electronic Products magazine. Mannion holds electronic engineering degrees from the Sligo Institute of Technology and Dundalk Institute of Technology, both of Ireland.

Design Team Management
Jack Ganssle

Chief Engineer,
The Ganssle Group

Jack Ganssle writes for Embedded Systems Design and has written six books on embedded systems and one on his sailing fiascos. He started developing embedded systems in the early '70s using the 8008. Since then, he's started and sold three electronics companies, including one of the bigger embedded tool businesses. He's developed or managed more than 100 embedded products, from deep sea navigational gear to the White House security system. Ganssle now gives seminars to companies worldwide about better ways to develop embedded systems.

Designing for Power Efficiency
Allan Yogasingam

Technology Analyst,
TechInsights

Allan Yogasingam is a technology analyst and contributing writer for EETimes. Allan is a graduate from the University of Manitoba with a degree in computer engineering specializing in wireless protocol. Allan is also the site manager for the Green SupplyLine - a site dedicated to all news related to clean and green technology, with an emphasis on energy harvesting and power efficiency.

Graphics, Displays and Lighting
Jon Peddie

President,
Jon Peddie Research

Dr. Peddie is one of the pioneers of the graphics industry, starting his career in computer graphics in 1962. He covers multimedia, computer graphics, and convergence. He advises PR professionals, " After the successful launch of several graphics manufacturing companies, Peddie began Jon Peddie Associates in 1984 to provide comprehensive data, information, and management expertise to the computer graphics industry. In 2001, Peddie left JPA and formed Jon Peddie Research (JPR) to provide customer-intimate consulting and market forecasting services. Peddie lectures at numerous conferences on topics pertaining to graphics technology and the emerging trends in digital media technology. Recently named one of the most influential analysts, Peddie is frequently quoted in trade and business publications, contributes articles to numerous publications, and has appeared on CNN and TechTV. Peddie is also the author of several books including Graphics User Interfaces and Graphics Standards, High Resolution Graphics Display Systems, and Multimedia and Graphics Controllers and a contributor to Advances in Modeling, Animation, and Rendering.

Improve Productivity at the HW/SW Interface
Frank Schirrmeister

Director, Product Marketing,
Synopsys

As Director, Product Management at Synopsys, Inc., Frank Schirrmeister is responsible for the System-Level Solutions products Innovator, DesignWare® System-Level Library and System Studio with a focus on virtual platforms for early software development. Prior to joining Synopsys, Frank held senior management positions at Imperas, ChipVision, Cadence, AXYS Design Automation and SICAN Microelectronics. Most recently he served as VP of Marketing at Imperas, a provider of solutions for multicore software development. At Cadence he served as Group Director of Verification Marketing in the Design and Verification Business Unit and was instrumental in market introduction and proliferation of innovative products like Virtual Component Co-Design, Verification Cockpit and Incisive.

Industrial and Automation
Steve Bitton

Technology Analyst for EETimes, TechInsights

Steve Bitton is a Technology Analyst for TechInsights and Editor of the Industrial Control DesignLine. Steve is involved in the creation of TechOnline’s “Fundamentals of” series of technology courses and contributes his expertise to TechInsight’s many product offerings including the Industrial Control DesignLine, TechOnline, EE Times, and Embedded.com. Previously, Steve spent many years as an electronics engineering roles with different companies including: systems analyst at Semiconductor Insights, test and product engineer with Potentia Semiconductor, product engineer at Alphamosaic (acquired by Broadcom), and test engineer at Symagery Microsystems.

Multi-core, Multi-threading, and Virtualization
David Kleidermacher

Chief Technology Officer,
Green Hills Software

David Kleidermacher is Chief Technology Officer at Green Hills Software where is responsible for technology strategy, platform planning, and solutions design. Kleidermacher is a leading authority in systems software and security, including secure operating systems, virtualization technology, and the application of high robustness security engineering principles to solve computing infrastructure problems.

Multimedia and Signal Processing
Kenton Williston

Freelance Editor and Analyst,
KentonWilliston.com

Kenton Williston has been covering the DSP technology since 2001. You can find his musings at DSPrelated.com and in the new book "Digital Signal Processing: World Class Designs.” Kenton is also Editor-in-Chief of the Embedded Innovator magazine. He previously served as editor of the DSP DesignLine and as a DSP Analyst at BDTI. Kenton received his degree in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla.

Programmable Logic
RC Cofer

Field Applications Engineer,
Avent

RC Cofer is a field application engineer for Avnet with 19 years of embedded design experience including real-time DSP algorithm development, board design, debug and integration, transition to volume production, systems engineering, and embedded design project management. His technical focus is rapid system design and prototyping. Utilizing FPGAs in designs allows maximum flexibility while also reducing risk and schedule. He holds a BSEE from Florida Tech, a MSEE in communications and DSP from the University of Florida.

Programmable Logic
Ben Harding

Technical Lead, SEDware,
AMRDEC

Benjamin Harding is the Technical Lead for the AMRDEC SEDware Laboratory. This lab is a leading research and development facility for Model Driven Development (MDD) with FPGA, ASIC and parallel computing devices involving DO-178B and DO-254 certification. Benjamin has extensive embedded design experience in hardware and software across multiple technologies including FPGA, DSP, multi-core and OS/RTOS. He has implemented embedded system designs and algorithms with many design techniques and tools including Model-Based design with Matlab/Simulink. He has a BSEE from University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH) and is currently working towards a PHD in Electrical Engineering at UAH. Benjamin is a Track Chair for the Hardware including Programmable Logic track of ESC. He is a co-author of Rapid System Prototyping with FPGAs, Elsevier 2005 and has written and presented internationally multiple FPGA design and technology articles.

Real-Time Development
Dave Stewart

Director of Software Engineering,
InHand Electronics, Inc.

Dave Stewart is the Director of Software Engineering at InHand Electronics, a developer of small, low-power electronics solutions for handheld and wireless device designers. He has over 20 years of experience in embedded systems development. Prior to joining InHand, he co-founded and served as CTO of ERS, Inc. His experience is diverse. Currently, he is leading the development of advanced power management software for wireless and battery-powered devices. His main areas of expertise include the full software life cycle, requirements generation, system architecture, real-time operating systems and executives, device drivers, hardware-software co-design, component-based software engineering, real-time design and analysis, and debugging techniques for embedded systems. He has significant experience in numerous market segments, including mobile computing, wireless sensor networks, aerospace, industrial control, consumer electronics, transportation, physiological monitoring, and environmental monitoring. Stewart earned his PhD in computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to 2000, Stewart was a computer engineering faculty member at University of Maryland.

Security
Larry Mittag

Lead Consultant,
Mittag Enterprises

Larry Mittag has more than 25 years design and development experience with embedded systems. He is one of the leading experts in the field of embedded systems, including embedded internet and wireless technologies, and is often invited to lecture and consult in the US and abroad. He is a regular class instructor for the Embedded Systems Conferences and regularly contributes to Embedded Systems Programming. Mittag holds a degree in physics and education from Wright State University.

Sensors (including MEMS)
Patrick Mannion

Editorial Director,
TechOnline Network

Patrick is Editorial Director of EETimes' TechOnline Network where he is responsible for guiding the editorial direction of TechInsights design franchise. Prior to joining TechOnline, Patrick served as the Editor of EE Times, where he ran the day-to-day editorial and production operations of the leading industry news weekly. He has also served as an executive editor on EE Times; communications editor at Electronic Design magazine; and as a staff editor with Electronic Products magazine. Mannion holds electronic engineering degrees from the Sligo Institute of Technology and Dundalk Institute of Technology, both of Ireland.

Software Development
Niall Cooling

Principal,
Feabhas

Niall Cooling has worked within the field of real-time embedded development for over 15 years. Having started his career working on defense systems, he moved to work for a major real-time operating system vendor. Since founding Feabhas in 1995, Cooling has furthered his experience of OO techniques for embedded systems. Cooling now lectures many Feabhas courses and has trained and offered UML, C, C++ and RTOS consultancy services to many major clients. Cooling is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and a member of the BCS, IEEE and ACM.

System Integration and Test
Rob Oshana

Director of Global Software Research and Development,
Freescale Semicondutor

Rob Oshana has over 28 years of experience in the real-time embedded industry in both applications as well as tools technology development. He is currently Distinguished Member of Technical Staff and Director of Global Software Research and Development for the Networking and Multimedia group at Freescale Semiconductor. He is widely published in the industry and speaks regularly at the embedded systems conference. Rob has chaired international standards committees in the embedded space and is a licensed professional engineer. He is also an adjunct lecturer at Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas.

System-Level Design Issues (Hardware and Software)
Bill Wong

Software Tech Editor,
Electronic Design magazine

Bill Wong is the Embedded/Systems/Software Technology Editor for Electronic Design Magazine. He has managed system software groups and was the first director of PC Labs at PC Magazine. He has a BEE degree from Georgia Tech and MS Computer Science degree from Rutgers University.

What Engineers and Developers need to know about IP
Mike McLean

Vice President of Professional Services
Semiconductor Insights

Mike McLean, Vice President of IPinsights at Semiconductor Insights, was promoted to his current role in July 2005 after holding a series of progressively senior positions. Mr. McLean’s technical and management posts have included Director of Intellectual Property, Patent Engineer, IP Account Manager, and IP Operations Manager since joining the company in 1996. Mr. McLean holds a Bachelor of Science, Engineering with First Class Honors from Queens University and is a licensed member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario. In recognition of his strong technical and business acumen, Mr. McLean has served as an expert witness in several intellectual property suits on behalf of Semiconductor Insights’ clients.

Wired and Wireless Technologies (Connectivity)
Christian Legare

Vice President,
Micrium

Christian Legare has a MS degree in electrical engineering from the University of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. In his 22 years in the telecom industry, he was involved as an executive in large scale organizations as well as start-ups, mainly in engineering and R&D. He was in charge of an Internet Protocol certification program at the International Institute of Telecom (IIT) in Montreal, Canada as their IP systems expert. Christian joined Micrium in 2001 for the development of TCP/IP stack where he is presently vice-President. Micrium is the home of uC/OS-II, the real-time kernel.