DOD MI Research and Education Program
Abstract
The primary objectives of this project are: (1) to enhance research programs and capabilities in earth sciences (ES) and computing science (CS), being disciplines critical to the national security functions of DoD; (2) to enhance the capacity of Rutgers University Newark (RUN) to participate in DoD research programs and activities; (3) to increase the number of underrepresented (URM) graduate students in computing science and earth sciences, fields that are critically important to the DoD mission. The project will transfer expertise/infrastructure built up through basic and applied research under other DoD programs to address critical basic research questions of direct relevance to two Army Research Office (ARO) divisions. In tandem, the project will address the deficiencies in diversity of ES and CS population at RUN using lessons learned from the strong record of success in increasing diversity in the undergraduate population at the most diverse national university in the United States. Students engaged in this project will enhance existing DoD funded research programs/capabilities at RUN by engaging in basic research in CS and ES that will also provide new knowledge to ultimately feed into more applied research efforts. The project will provide stipends, tuition, travel and a research allowance to four graduate students: two 2-year postdoctoral fellowships (1 in ES and 1 in CS) and two 2-year MS or PhD studentships (1 in ES and 1 in CS). Research projects will focus on two specific ARO programs. CS students will perform basic research within the scope of the Information Processing and Fusion program whereas ES students will perform basic research within the scope of the Earth Materials and Processes program. CS students will conduct the basic research needed to facilitate human learning and decision-making and to advance the state of the art in machine learning. ES students will investigate the fundamental interrelationships between the complex electrical properties, pore geometric characteristics and the mechanical properties of soils and unconsolidated sediments. The project will further enhance the capacity of RUN to participate in DOD research programs. A summer internship program established with the Cold Regions Research Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USSACE) will provide 1-2 students an opportunity to understand the relevance of their basic research to the DoD mission needs and to engage with DoD STEM professionals. Beyond the 4 students funded by the project, the project will also engage URM undergraduate research students as mentees, with the postdoctoral scientists serving as mentors. Professional development will include travel to DoD facilities to engage with DoD STEM professionals and attendance at professional technical meetings to communicate research results. Effective recruitment of students will leverage highly successful undergraduate student recruitment and retention programs firmly established at RUN and interfacing with a network of minority serving community colleges throughout northern New Jersey. An evaluation plan will assess project effectiveness and also inform strategies for continuing the project beyond the period of DoD funding.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 14, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1810442
Entities
People
- Lee D. Slater
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- Rutgers University