[Starting this week, I’m adding
two regular
features to my weekly announcements.This one will be used to talk about activities or issues
that are
important to the School but that may not rise to the level of
“news”.The other,
“Upcoming Events at the Volgenau
School” will list events in the next few weeks that might be of
interest; you
can find it below.]
This might seem a quiet time for
the Volgenau
School.We just re-opened
after a
two-week break.Classes
don’t start
until January 23.Few
students are on
campus.It’s easy to find
a parking
space.It’s not so easy to
get a
latte.
But this is one of the busiest
times for the
School’s Student Services office.The
grades from the fall semester can have an impact on our students’
academic
plans.We are admitting
hundreds of new
students for the Spring semester.We had
a December 15 deadline to apply to our PhD programs for Fall 2017,
and we are
working to get decisions and offer letters out.Here and there department chairs are scrambling to handle
various
academic crises that must be resolved before the first day of
classes.
As I look outside my window the
campus is
serene.But inside our
offices there is
a buzz of activity.
For
Mason senior, a short-term assignment creates a long-term
goal.
After a winter 2015 trip to Guatemala, where
she helped repair and maintain medical equipment, Mahsa
Layazali, a
bioengineering major, hopes to return to the country one day
to do that work
full time.
Whether you're looking for a
specific event
or browsing, our calendar lets you know what’s happening at
Volgenau. Here is a
sample of what’s coming in the next several weeks. For more
information visit
our calendar
on the web.
From this page you can share the event on social media, get
updates, forward to
friends, or save it to your own calendar.
National Institute of Standards
and
Technology's (NIST's) Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
(SURF) program
for students majoring in science, engineering, and mathematics
This program is hosted at NIST’s
Boulder,
Colorado, campus and NIST's Gaithersburg, Maryland, campus.
Applications for participation
in the SURF
program are accepted only from colleges or universities and not
from individual
students or faculty. I recommend that you contact Art Pyster ([log in to unmask]) so that he can coordinate applications
from VSE.Art will work
with Mason’s Office of
Sponsored Programs to prepare a single proposal to the SURF
program. (A
separate proposal is required for SURF Boulder and SURF
Gaithersburg.)
Application due date:Friday, February 15, 2017
(**Only electronic
application submissions will be accepted via Grants.gov until
11:59 p.m. (ET)
on the due date)
Eligibility Requirements:
Be a U.S. citizen and
Permanent U.S. Resident
with a valid green card
Must be enrolled as a
full-time undergraduate
(freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior) at a U.S. College or
University
Considering pursuing a
graduate degree in a
STEM discipline
Research Opportunities Matching
Students applying to the SURF
Boulder program
will be matched to opportunities in the Boulder divisions:
Applied Chemicals and
Materials Division
Public Safety Communications
Research
Division
RF Technology Division
Applied Physics Division
Quantum Electromagnetics
Division
Time and Frequency Division
Students applying to the SURF
Gaithersburg
program will be matched to opportunities in the Gaithersburg
laboratories:
Center for Nanoscale Science
and Technology
(CNST)
Communications Technology
Laboratory (CTL)
Engineering Laboratory (EL)
Information Technology
Laboratory (ITL)
Material Measurement
Laboratory (MML)
NIST Center for Neutron
Research (NCNR)
Physical Measurement
Laboratory (PML)
For additional information and
application
materials about the NIST SURF Program, please visit: https://www.nist.gov/surf
Note: The SURF Program will host
webinars on
January 11, 2017 and January 24, 2017. Please visit https://goo.gl/0gqmK6 for exact times and registration
information.
Full Proposal Window:March 15, 2017 - March 22,
2017
From the program synopsis:
The BIGDATA program seeks novel
approaches in
computer science, statistics, computational science, and
mathematics, along
with innovative applications in domain science, including social
and behavioral
sciences, education, biology, the physical sciences, and
engineering, that lead
towards the further development of the interdisciplinary field of
data science.
The solicitation invites two
categories of
proposals:
Foundations (F): those
developing or
studying fundamental theories, techniques, methodologies, and
technologies of
broad applicability to big data problems, motivated by
specific data challenges
and requirements; and
Innovative Applications
(IA): those engaged
in translational activities that employ new big data
techniques, methodologies,
and technologies to address and solve problems in specific
application domains.
Projects in this category must be collaborative, involving
researchers from
domain disciplines and one or more methodological disciplines,
e.g., computer
science, statistics, mathematics, simulation and modeling,
etc.
Funding Opportunity:… Data Intensive Research in Education (NSF)
Opportunity Title:Building Community and
Capacity in Data
Intensive Research in Education (BCC-EHR) Sponsor:Directorate for Education and Human Resources/NSF Deadline Date:15-Mar-2017 Program URL: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2017/nsf17532/nsf17532.htm
Synopsis:As part of NSF's Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21st
Century Science
and Engineering (CIF21) activity, the Directorate for Education
and Human
Resources (EHR) seeks to enable research communities to develop
visions, teams,
and capabilities dedicated to creating new, large-scale,
next-generation data resources
and relevant analytic techniques to advance fundamental research
for areas of
research covered by EHR programs. Successful proposals will
outline activities
that will have significant impacts across multiple fields by
enabling new types
of data-intensive research. Investigators should think broadly and
create a
vision that extends intellectually across multiple disciplines and
that
includes - but is not necessarily limited to - areas of research
funded by EHR.
Funding Opportunity:Cybersecurity of Traffic Management Systems (TRB)
Opportunity Title:NCHRP Request for Proposal -
Cybersecurity of
Traffic Management Systems Sponsor:Transportation Research Board Sponsor Number:NCHRP 03-127 [RFP] Deadline Date:14-Feb-2017 Program URL: http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4179
Synopsis:With over 400,000 traffic signals deployed throughout the
United States,
traffic signal operations have a profound impact on the safety and
efficiency
of traffic flow for all road users. Recent threats in
cybersecurity have made
our industry more aware of potential damage that such threats can
cause.
Multiple researchers have found that our existing traffic signal
systems, if
not protected properly, can be easily hacked. For example,
sometimes systems
are used without any encryption for communication between a
central traffic
control management system and field traffic signal control units,
allowing an
attacker to directly change traffic signal indications. Another
example
involves wireless detectors that could be manipulated to feed
traffic control
systems with fake data and trigger incorrect options in their
operations. …
Synopsis:The goal of the CPS program is to develop the core system
science needed
to engineer complex cyber-physical systems that people can use or
interact with
and depend upon. Some of these may require high-confidence or
provable
behaviors. The program aims to foster a research community
committed to
advancing research and education in CPS and to transitioning CPS
science and
technology into engineering practice. By abstracting from the
particulars of
specific systems and application domains, the CPS program seeks to
reveal
cross-cutting fundamental scientific and engineering principles
that underpin
the integration of cyber and physical elements across all
application sectors.
To expedite and accelerate the realization of cyber-physical
systems in a wide
range of applications, the CPS program also supports the
development of
methods, tools, and hardware and software components based upon
these
cross-cutting principles, along with validation of the principles
via
prototypes and testbeds. The sponsor has also seen a convergence
of CPS
technologies and research thrusts that underpin Smart &
Connected
Communities (S&CC) and the Internet of Things (IoT). These
domains offer
new and exciting challenges for foundational research and provide
opportunities
for maturation at multiple time horizons.
Opportunity Title:STEM + Computing Partnerships
(STEM+C) Sponsor:Directorate for Education and Human Resources/NSF Deadline Date:29-Mar-2017 Program URL: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2017/nsf17535/nsf17535.htm
Synopsis:As computing has become an integral part of the practice of
modern
science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the STEM
+ Computing
Partnerships program seeks to address the urgent need to prepare
students from
the early grades through high school in the essential skills,
competencies, and
dispositions needed to succeed in a computationally-dependent
world. Thus,
STEM+C advances the integration of computational thinking and
computing
activities in early childhood education through high school
(pre-K-12) to
provide a strong and developmental foundation in computing and
computational
thinking through the integration of computing in STEM teaching and
learning,
and/or the applied integration of STEM content in pre-K-12
computer science
education.
Funding Opportunity:… Using Robotics … for Individuals with Disabilities
(DHHS)
Opportunity Title:Disability and Rehabilitation
Research
Projects (DRRP) Program: Using Robotics and Automation to Improve
Accessible
Transportation Options for Individuals with Disabilities Sponsor:Administration for Community Living/DHHS Sponsor Number:HHS-2017-ACL-NIDILRR-DPGE-0205 Deadline Date:09-Feb-2017
Program URL: https://acl.gov/Funding_Opportunities/Announcements/Index.aspx
Synopsis:The Administrator of the Administration for Community
Living establishes
a priority for the funding of a DRRP for Using Robotics and
Automation to
Improve Accessible Transportation Options for Individuals with
Disabilities to
(a) advance the application of robotics and automation to enhance
accessible
transportation for travelers with disabilities and (b) improve
opportunities
for a seamless travel chain that meets the needs of the diversity
of travelers
with disabilities, e.g., mobility, vision, hearing and cognitive
disabilities.
One of the outcomes of this work will be the identification of
technology
solutions in robotics and automation that enhance and improve
transportation
alternatives for individuals with disabilities including veterans
with
disabilities and older adults. Products should emphasize
principles of
universal design and inclusive information and communication
technology (ICT).
George Tecuci, Mihai Boicu, Dorin Marcu,
Patrick McKnight,
Vivian Motti, & Thomas Winston Receive Major Funding from
IARPA The Learning Agents Center (LAC)
has received
a major award from IARPA.The
researchers: George Tecuci (LAC and Computer Science Department) Mihai Boicu (LAC and Information Sciences and Technology
Department) Dorin Marcu (LAC) Patrick McKnight (Psychology Department) Vivian Motti (Information Sciences and Technology
Department) Thomas Winston (Information Sciences and Technology
Department) received $7.4M from IARPA for
their project,
“Co-Arg: Cogent Argumentation System with Crowd Elicitation.”
[A news story about this award
is in
preparation.]
Itamara Lochard of the C4I &
Cyber Center
received $70K from NATO for her project, “Senior
Leadership ATC on Military and Defence Aspects of Border Security
in South East
Europe.”
Jessica Lin & Huzefa Rangwala Receive
Funding from
Strategic Analysis Inc. & NRL
Jessica Lin and Huzefa Rangwala
of the
Computer Science Department received $44K from Strategic
Analysis,Inc. and the
Naval Research Laboratory for their project, “Trajectory Pattern
Mining and
User Behavior Characterization on Large-Scale Track Data.”
Mike Hieb Receives Funding from EOIR
Technologies Inc.
& Dept. of Defense
Mike Hieb of the C4I & Cyber
Center
received $54K from EOIR Technologies, Inc. and the Department of
Defense for
his project, “Simulation Interoperability to Mission Control
(SIMCI).”
Celso Ferreira Receives Funding from
Virginia Inst. of Marine
Science & Dept. of Commerce
Celso Ferreira of the Sid and
Reva Dewberry
Department of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering
received $5K
from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the U.S.
Department of
Commerce for his project, “Assessing Future Storm Surge Flooding
with Projected
Climate Change and Sea Level Rise: Bringing Ecosystem Services
into Mainstream
Decision Making Processes for a Climate Resilient Coastal
Virginia.”
Tod Levitt & Kathy Laskey Receive
Funding from
Opto-Knowledge Systems Inc. & Missile Defense Agency
Tod Levitt & Kathy Laskey of
the C4I
& Cyber Center received $78K from Opto-Knowledge Systems, Inc.
and the
Missile Defense Agency for their project, “Post Intercept
Assessment (PIA).”
--
===============================================================
Stephen G. Nash
Senior Associate Dean
Volgenau School of Engineering
George Mason University
Nguyen Engineering Building, Room 2500
Mailstop 5C8
Fairfax, VA 22030
[log in to unmask]
Phone: (703) 993-1505
Fax: (703) 993-1633
https://volgenau.gmu.edu/profile/view/10248