OSU wins NSF/IUCRC Center in Surveillance
Ohio State has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry/University Collaborative Research Center (IUCRC) in surveillance. The mission of the Center for Surveillance Research is to develop a principled theory and advanced practice for modern surveillance systems. CSR is a collaborative effort by academia, government and industry to conduct pre-competitive research and to train students as the next generation of technology leaders.
The Center for Surveillance Research has two university sites: The Ohio State University (OSU) and Wright State University (WSU). This is the second IUCRC in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and supports the department’s efforts to increase research in the sensors area. Lee Potter, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, is director of the center, with Randy Moses, professor of electrical and computer engineering and associate engineering dean for research, as co-director. CSR currently supports seven PhD students.
The Center’s Mission
Surveillance and situational awareness are critical technologies needed to address societal needs of safety and security. Surveillance is used to provide our nation with both international and homeland security, situational awareness for disaster mitigation/ management and environmental monitoring. The key to addressing these crucial issues lies in the effective use of sensors and sensor systems. While individual sensor technology is advancing, there is a compelling need to understand composite surveillance systems. The challenge is to design quantitative tools that aid in designing surveillance systems to achieve particular inference goals and to develop a theory for predicting surveillance performance. The center has seven members: the Air Force Research Laboratory, Army Research Laboratory, Boeing, Raytheon, SAIC, SET Corporation and Etegent.
The Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers Program
The Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers (I/UCRC) program develops long-term partnerships among industry, academe, and government. The centers are catalyzed by a small investment from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and are primarily supported by industry center members, with NSF taking a supporting role in the development and evolution of the center. Each center is established to conduct research that is of interest to both the industry members and the center faculty. An I/UCRC not only contributes to the Nation's research infrastructure base and enhances the intellectual capacity of the engineering and science workforce through the integration of research and education, but also encourages and fosters international cooperation and collaborative projects.
