NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – A major problem U.S. military counter-insurgency operations face is the ability to easily identify hostile enemy group intent and hidden dangers in obstructed environments.

Such group activities are generally embedded in clutters in urban locations, involving well-trained individuals who blend in with the general population to carry out their mission. The results usually are surprise attacks and high civilian casualties.

A Tennessee State University mechanical engineering professor thinks he has the answer.  As a result of a proposal to the U.S. Army Research Office, he has won a $334,000 defense grant to investigate the possibility of developing an advanced technology that improves the capability of automated surveillance systems.

Dr. Amir Shirkhodaie, professor in the College of Engineering and director of the Center of Excellence for Battlefield Sensor Fusion, said his research will develop a new capability for behavioral pattern learning of partially obscure group activities that take place in confined, obstructed spaces.

“The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a robust information-theoretic framework with supportive techniques that can detect obscure group activities in areas such as inside a vehicle, boat, airplanes or corner alleys of urban areas,” said Dr. Shirkhodaie.

He said this could greatly reduce the false alarm rates in surveillance operations that frequently occur as a result of miscalculation of enemy intent, and help shift the “balance of power” in peacekeeping operations.

“If we can deliver this kind of technology to the battlefield, this is a game-changer,” said Maj. Jay Deason, an aviator with the Tennessee Army National Guard, who has served two tours in Iraq, flying Black Hawk Helicopters.

He said while this technology would have limited application for air reconnaissance operations, it would be greatly useful to ground forces and civil affairs specialists, who identify critical requirements needed by local citizens in combat or crisis situations.

Civilians would also greatly benefit from this technology in homeland security, crowd control, and anti-drug and anti-crime operations, Dr. Shirkhodaie said.

Maj. Deason, who has also served one tour along the southwest U.S. border flying UH-72 helicopters, said this technology will greatly help the civilian population and in border patrol operations.

“This is very exciting. This technology has the capability to save lives,” Deason added.

The main objective of Dr. Shirkhodaie’s proposal, “Detection of Partially Observable Group Activities (POGA) in Confined Obstructed Spaces,” is to develop context-based taxonomy and ontology schema for coherent analysis and inferences of POGA.

The investigation will take place in three phases, including the development of a robust Adaptive Image Processing technique for detecting and tracking of behavior pattern of POGA; a Computational Intelligence technique based on a hybrid neuro-fuzzy system architecture; and a Multi-Layer Hidden Markov Model technique for probabilistic spatiotemporal state transition modeling that leads to context-aware discovery on anomalous group activity.

In student learning, Dr. Shirkhodaie said the project would greatly enhance research opportunities for TSU students in this area, as well as offer scholarly training opportunities for underrepresented minority students in the STEM disciplines.

The Dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. S. Keith Hargrove who also announced three new research projects with Boeing for more than $500,000, congratulated Dr. Shirkhodaie on his award, adding that the grants represent the dedication and commitment of faculty to research and attracting students to the College of Engineering.

“The opportunity for academia and industry to collaborate to solve industry problems makes the company more competitive, and enhances the quality of our engineering programs for students and faculty,” said Dr. Hargrove.

The three Boeing projects include using artificial intelligence for the development of aircraft propulsion controls; the development of resilient control mechanisms to mitigate cyber attack in engineering embedded systems; and the development of mathematical models for energy harvesting and storage.

The faculty members involved in these projects are Drs. Sachin Shetty, Mohammed Saleh Zein-Sabatto, both professors of Eleectrical Engineering; and Dr. Landon Onyebueke, professor of Mechanical Engineering.

NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – Loréal Spear did not choose Environmental Engineering as a major at Tennessee State University by accident.

“I just love preserving the natural esthetics of the environment,” said the graduate student from Nashville.

Building on the “Think, Work, Serve” mantra, Spear said her interest also allows her to serve as a way of giving back to the community and helping to improve the environment in and around her hometown.

“I have actively participated in TSU’s Service Day and Hands On Nashville service events throughout my undergraduate and graduate career,” she said.

So, it came as no surprise on Saturday, March 23, when Spear joined nearly 200 TSU students, faculty and staff in a day of service as they worked to restore the natural habitats of the community.

The event was part of the Go Green North Nashville program and Hands On Nashville, where volunteers spread out into the surrounding community areas and took part in “Diggin’ It,” a day devoted to planting and rejuvenation.

Dr. Linda Guthrie, acting director of the Center for Service Learning, said the annual spring volunteer day is important not only for TSU, but also to the community that surrounds the University.

“Our community is close-kit and caring,” said Guthrie in an earlier statement. “We try to teach our students to look unselfishly beyond themselves, and to reach out to others and the world. The North Nashville area has supported the University from the beginning. We want to build lasting connections with our neighbors, and aid in the restoration of the natural habitats that surround our community.”

Projects included the TSU Riparian Reforestation, where volunteers replanted native trees along the flood-damaged banks of the Stones River; and Building TSU Rain Gardens, where volunteers dug and planted rain gardens to slow rainwater runoff into the soil.

Spear and fellow graduate student Jamal Henderson, a Civil Engineering major from Bridgeport, W.Va., joined others in TSU Energy Savings Tree Plantings, where volunteers strategically planted tress around the North Nashville community to provide shade and help cut energy costs.
“Giving my background in Architectural and Civil Engineering, these tree planting projects are very relatable as far as helping to improve the beauty and esthetics of the land,” said Henderson. “They improve energy usage and the environment.”

Another project was TSU Tree Potting, where volunteers planted tree seedlings into pots to be stored until the next fall planting season.

Service learning and community service is nothing new to the students, faculty and staff at the University. According to the Center for Service Learning, TSU offered 93 service-learning courses last year, while more than 2,000 students performed 20,000 community service hours at an estimated value of $400,000.

Just recently, TSU was named for the fifth year in a row to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.

NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University graduates continue to make great inroads in industry and career achievements.

At the recently ended 27^th annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Global Competitiveness conference (Feb. 7-9) in Washington, D.C., four TSU graduates were recognized in several key categories of the prestigious awards.

The awards recognize the achievements of African Americans in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). It also encourages young black Americans to pursue careers in STEM fields.

This year’s award ceremony was hosted by the Council of Engineering Deans at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Lockheed Martin Corporation, US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine, and Aerotek.

Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, Dean of the College of Engineer, who was at the conference, is a member of the Council of HBCU Engineering Deans.

The conference, which is attended by hundreds of “elite” professionals and students representing the top tier of people in STEM, allows participants the opportunity to acquire and retain talent, and to learn and network among the best and brightest technology minds in the country.

The TSU graduates and recipients of 2013 Black Engineer of the Year Awards include:

Modern Day Technology Leader award: Lamar Blackwell – a 1996 TSU graduate with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering – As systems engineer staff, Blackwell is the Flight Controls Airworthiness Certification Lead at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. He also holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Sheldon Rashad Greene – 2006 M.S. Electrical Engineering. Recognized for his “proven” ability to stand out as a technical contributor in the defense system and industry, Green is Senior Systems Engineer at Raytheon. He develops software architecture and requirement specifications at the giant defense contractor. He is also part of the engineering program at Northeastern University in Boston, where he is pursuing a master’s degree in Engineering Management and Leadership. Green recieved his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Florida A&M University.

Tretessa Johnson – 1995 B.S. in Electrical Engineering. Johnson is Senior Staff Reliability Engineer at General Dynamics C4 Systems in Scottsdale, Ariz. She also holds an MBA degree from Arizona State University.

Community Service award: Rhonda Thomas – 1980 B.S. Electrical Engineering. Thomas is a General Engineer with the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C.

“On behalf of the College of Engineering, we want to congratulate these alumni for representing a high level of technical competence complemented by leadership skills in the workplace, said Dr. Hargrove. “Our educational challenge is to continue to produce quality graduates through innovative instruction and experiential learning that acknowledges an employment investment of our major industry and government recruiters.”

This is not the first time TSU graduates have been recognized at the BEYA awards. Previous two-time BEYA award recipient Terrence Southern – 2003 B.S. Computer Science – was recognized in the Modern Day Leader category in 2007, and at the 2012 conference he took the award for Most Promising Engineer.

In talking with the award winners, one thing is common. They all credit their TSU preparation for their academic and career successes.

“TSU provided me with the foundation that has allowed me to thrive academically and professionally,” said Thomas, adding that her involvement with the alumni association has taught her the importance of giving back especially to the youth.

For Southern, the two-time BEYA award winner is particularly thankful for the mentoring and leadership skills he developed at TSU as a resident assistant and founder of a professional organization.

“I find that to be successful in academia or in the work place, one must learn to prioritize, complete tasks, and learn to efficiently use time,” he said. “My TSU family prepared me for great challenges after college, which have helped me along the way.”

NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – John Brew is giving back to his alma mater …in a big way.

Since graduating from Tennessee Sate University in 2005 with a degree in Civil Engineering, Brew has remained a frequent presence in the College of Engineering.

He mentors students, attends career fairs, and helps with capstone design project presentations and recruitment ….all while maintaining a busy, full-time work schedule.

In fact, as the TSU “Champion” with Gresham, Smith and Partners, a Nashville-based architectural firm with more than 15 offices around the country, where Brew has worked since his days as a student at TSU, he interacts with students and faculty to identify “the best and brightest” students to recruit for his company.

“Giving back to the University and those students who seek my advice is very rewarding, and I am always glad to do so,” said Brew. “I also feel that it is part of my responsibility as an alumnus to help better prepare the graduates of the program that helped me in my profession.”

Well, giving back to his community and helping younger students achieve their goals have earned the Nashville native recognition not just from his former professors and dean in the College of Engineering, but also the American Society of Civil Engineers.

At the Society’s just ended (Feb. 8-9) ASCE 2013 Eastern Region Younger Member Council Meeting in Warwick, R.I., Brew was presented with the Outstanding ASCE Practitioner Advisor Award. The award is given to members who are involved in the development of local younger members in their communities, and who participate in student chapter activities such as educational conferences and seminars.

“I am very excited and humbled by this award and will continue to work even harder to help our young students,” said Brew.

The Dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, described Brew as an example of “our students who continue to demonstrate a high level of technical competency and leadership” in the work place and in the community.

“In the tradition of ‘Think-Work-Serve,’ Mr. Brew represents the attributes of a TSU alum in job performance, work ethic, continuous education, and service to the community,” Dr. Hargrove said.  “We commend his contribution to the development of current students, and his relentless pursuit of excellence in a rewarding career as an engineer.”

Brew, who also holds a master’s degree in Structural Engineering from TSU, has remained active with the ASCE Student Chapter since his college days at TSU. A member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Brew serves on the advisory boards of the Tennessee State University Engineering Alumni Association, and the Civil Engineering Department. He is a member of the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers.

After holding several different responsibilities at Gresham, Smith and Partners, where he has worked since obtaining an internship while an undergraduate at TSU, Brew is now assigned in the Structural Design Department of the firm.

He is married to his former high school classmate, Julie.

NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – More than 325 middle and high school students from across Metro Nashville are expected to converge on the College of Engineering at Tennessee State University on Saturday, Feb. 16 for the Regional Science Olympiad, a premier national science competition.

According to event organizers, the Science Olympiad includes rigorous, standards-based challenges aimed to enhance science education. Teams of up to 15 students compete in nearly 23 different age-related events over the course of the day.

Competition covers all areas of science including anatomy, experimental design, helicopter construction, astronomy, materials science and circuit lab, among others.

The competition at TSU is being held in partnership with the Volunteer State Community College and Nashville State Community College. Sponsors include Boeing and General Motors.

Time and Location of Events 

Registration:            7 a.m.-7:45 a.m.

Events:           8 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.

Lunch:            Noon – 12:45 p.m.

Awards ceremony: 1 p.m.

All events will be held in the Physics, Math and Chemistry Building

For more information contact:

Kevin R. Woods
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Phone:            (615) 512-7023
Email:                        krwoods@tnstate.edu

NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – More than 15 students and faculty members from the College of Engineering at Tennessee State University participated in the Centennial meeting of the Tennessee Academy of Science November 16 at Vanderbilt University and presented their on-going research in engineering and environmental science.

The College of Engineering had 10 students compete in the Engineering & Technology Section, and received three awards for first and second place finishes by competing with public and private universities in the state.

Students receiving awards included:

• 1^st Place: Heather Housel, civil and architectural engineering major; Review of Incident Transportation Emergency Evacuation Systems for Populated Areas
• 2nd Place: Cornel Zlibut, electrical engineering major; Real Time Wireless Video Transmission Using Software Defined Radio
• 2nd Place: Hung Wai Ho, civil and architectural engineering major; Sorption isotherm of copper and quaternary ammonia compounds to zeolite-perlite-granular activated carbon in a storm water filter

“Our engineering students continue to demonstrate a high level of technical competence, knowledge and leadership ability with their interaction with faculty, and academic performance to prepare them for the careers of the 21st century,” said Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, Dean of the College of Engineering. “They develop outstanding research skills that transfer to the ability to think critically…which is an asset for any college graduate in any occupation.”

The Tennessee Academy of Science serves as collegial organization to promote scientific research within the state among colleges and universities. It involves faculty across the state, and also encourages the active engagement of student research and other professional development opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The College of Engineering became active with this organization two years ago, and has since received numerous accolades based on student research presentations and posters.

Faculty researchers including Drs. Sachin Shetty, Thomas Byl, Liang Hong, Roger Painter, Dafeng Hui, and S. Keith Hargrove led the students through the conference and presentations.

NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) –The College of Engineering at Tennessee State University was one of 22 Historically Black Colleges and Universities and six Department of Energy sites to recently receive part of a $4 million grant from the National Nuclear Security Administration.

The funding launches NNSA’s new Minority Serving Institution Partnership Program, a consortium program organized to build a sustainable Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics pipeline between DOE plants and laboratories, and HBCUs.

The partnership program is designed to enrich the STEM capabilities of HBCUs in a sustainable manner that aligns with the broad interests of DOE sites and emphasizes the entire career pipeline. The partnership also provides STEM students with the cutting edge resources and technology housed at DOE facilities, ultimately increasing STEM student retention.

“Hands-on participation in research is imperative for students in the STEM field,” said Dimitri Kusnezov, NNSA’s chief scientist. “The MSIPP will provide an opportunity for students to be exposed to state-of-the-art facilities and research, creating an opportunity to expand their knowledge and further prepare them for a career in STEM fields.”

The College of Engineering will benefit from this funding with research in nano-materials.  In partnership with the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, the College will begin to examine ways to better engineer materials for capturing energy, more specifically; using platinum-based nanostructures. Research has demonstrated catalytic activity to harness energy for multiple applications, including fuel cells.

Led by Dr. Lizhi Ouyang, Assistant Professor of Physics, a team of undergraduate and graduate students will conduct experiments to advance the knowledge of catalytic novel materials, particularly in platinum-based battery research.  These efforts support the research agenda of the new TIGER (TSU Interdisciplinary Graduate Engineering Research) Institute, to advance research in cyber-security, computation, nano-materials and renewable energy systems.

“An interdisciplinary approach to address and solve problems in science and engineering is critical to shortening the product development cycle from laboratory to commercial use,” said Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, Dean of the College of Engineering and Director of the TIGER Institute. “We are promoting STEM faculty to do more collaboration and aggressively pursue opportunities that exist with federal laboratories and industry to enhance the quality of our academic curriculums for our students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.”

The College of Engineering also recently continued a partnership with Boeing to further research of aircraft systems, providing nearly $600,000 worth of funding, and received a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to promote research in applied mathematics and curriculum development.

The National Nuclear Security Administration was established by Congress in 2000 as a separately organized agency within the U.S. Department of Energy, and is responsible for the management and security of the nation’s nuclear weapons, nuclear nonproliferation and naval reactor programs.

NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – Since arriving to Tennessee State University in 2009, Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, Dean of the College of Engineering, has remained focused on growing the College of Engineering in research activities, student achievement and resource development to contribute to the needs of the state of Tennessee to produce more engineers.

As an alumnus of TSU in mechanical engineering, he has worked in industry and as a researcher at three major federal research laboratories.  He decided to pursue a career in academia to continue to impact and grow the number of underrepresented groups in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) occupations, such as engineering. As the state of Tennessee struggles to attract and produce more STEM professionals to grow a more educated workforce, he believes academic institutions must continue to play a major and strategic role to meet this urgent and important economic challenge.

Recently, Dean Hargrove discussed the mission of the College, its future and how it serves the community and the state.

TSU News Service: How old is the College of Engineering?

Dean Hargrove: The Division of Engineering was established in 1948, and has emerged for more than half a century to include several engineering and technology programs. It was changed to a School of Engineering in 1951, and graduated its first student in Civil Engineering a few years later.  The School of Engineering was one of six original engineering programs established at an HBCU (Historically Black College & University).  The school later added electrical, mechanical and architectural engineering.  In some respects, our engineering program represents the historical significance of the founding of TSU as “Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal College”.

TSU News Service: What are the current programs in the College of Engineering?

Dean Hargrove: The College of Engineering now has four accredited engineering programs that offer Bachelor of Science degrees: Architectural, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.  We have the only accredited engineering programs at a public university in Middle Tennessee.  We also have an accredited program in Computer Science, Aeronautical & Industrial Technology, and recently added Mathematical Sciences.  The college provides a graduate degree for working professionals (Master of Engineering), and the Master of Science, and unique PhD degree in Computer & Information Systems Engineering (CISE).  This program helps prepare graduates for careers in systems engineering with the defense industry and the IT field.

TSU News Service: What kind of research initiatives is the College pursuing?

Dean Hargrove: The College of Engineering has been engaged in several emerging research areas.  More specifically, with recent research grants and contracts in cyber-security with the Air Force and the Department of Homeland Security, we are developing solutions relative to detecting cyber attacks within the cloud environment, and with mobile phones.  Other research is being conducted in sensor networking, robotics, intelligent health monitoring, transportation systems, environmental remediation, and aircraft seat design with organizations such as Boeing, Army Research Laboratory, EPA, Rolls Royce, and the Tennessee Department of Transportation.  Our research activities enhance our undergraduate programs via laboratories and faculty expertise.  We recently opened a new laboratory to focus on research themes promoted by the National Academy of Engineering and supported by the National Science Foundation.

TSU News Service: How is the College involved in the community?

Dean Hargrove: TSU has a long history of community service and civic engagement.  In fact, it is part of our motto “Think – Work – Serve”. The College of Engineering is collaborating with the Pencil Foundation to support schools such as Stratford Magnet STEM High School.  We are assisting them with the development of a simulation and gaming laboratory, and working with the middle school STEM Preparatory Academy (charter school) to help with tutoring and mentoring students.  We are also part of the Go-Green Nashville Initiative to promote energy efficient homes, and Hands-On Nashville.

TSU News Service: What are the future goals for the College?

Dean Hargrove: Our goals are consistent with the strategic initiatives of Tennessee State University.  We want to continue to provide access to students from diverse communities, promote academic quality, enhance our research funding that complements our curriculum, and be engaged with improving our quality of life.  The College also promotes gaining a global education with its study abroad program. We had several students go to China, Korea and Germany during this past summer. We also want to expand our facilities in the future to increase enrollment and partnerships with local businesses and other academic institutions.  As employment opportunities grow in healthcare, Information Technology, and manufacturing in the automotive industry, we plan to continue to prepare graduates with the necessary skills in programming, critical thinking, and innovative technologies to help industry grow within the state and make them more business competitive.  It is also critical that we continue to support the state’s STEM Initiatives in K12 and higher education.