Elie Nicolas, a Computer Engineering alumnus, has achieved a significant milestone when his master’s thesis was accepted for publication in the Journal of Supercomputing by Springer on May 08, 2024. His research was conducted under the supervision and mentorship of Dr. Rafic Ayoubi, an Associate Professor at the Computer Engineering Department who is also the co-author of the published paper.

Graduated in 2023, holding a Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Balamand, Elie was a dedicated student with a graduating GPA of 3.9. His paper was titled: “Chebyshev Approximation Technique: Analysis and Applications”. This paper addresses the challenge of implementing complex functions on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) by utilizing approximation techniques, specifically the Chebyshev polynomial approximation. The study thoroughly investigates this technique and proposes an efficient FPGA implementation. The proposed method focuses on improving parameters such as accuracy, speed, and design size compared to other approximation methods. Practical applications, including the approximation of the sigmoid function for machine learning, signal processing, and filter design, are explored to demonstrate the efficacy of this approach.

Vice President for Internationalization and Engagement and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Professor Rami Abboud extended his heartfelt congratulations to Elie and his supervisor Dr. Ayoubi for their achievement. The latter consolidates our continuous improvement to promote the research capabilities of our top-level students and instructors, showcasing the faculty’s commitment to high quality research and academic excellence.