Award Data

Atmospheric aerosols, also known as particulate matter (PM), play important roles in weather, climate and human health. Aerosol number, size and chemistry can all exhibit high degrees of spatial and temporal variability, thereby increasing the need for highly time-resolved analyses obtained over extensive time periods (weeks to years). Instrumentation for monitoring the physical characteristics of ...

Polyurethanes (PUs) are made by reacting two components, one of which has two or more hydroxyl (OH) groups (diol or polyol) while the second has two or more isocyanate (NCO) groups. Unfortunately, not only is the isocyanate component a powerful irritant, but sensitized subjects can suffer severe asthma attacks and even death when exposed to trace quantities that are well below permissible exposure ...

Small drinking water systems consistently provide safe, reliable drinking water to their customers. However, challenges of such systems include lack of financial resources, aging infrastructure, cost of scale, and technical/logistical challenges associated with regulation compliance. The deployment of new cost-effective monitoring technologies, such as improved, low cost, in-line, in situ, and rem ...

Existing physics-based device simulation tools are prohibitively expensive computationally, and therefore ill-suited for parametric analysis and design optimization of photonic integrated circuits (PIC). The proposed effort aims to develop and demonstrate an innovative, easy-to-use simulation tool for accurate, fast circuit/system analysis of PICs. The salient aspects of the proposed solution are: ...

SIFT proposes to develop CAMO (Cognitive Assessment and Monitoring of Operators), a zero-intrusion method for human-machine state assessment. Our unique approach utilizes behavioral data already be-ing generated and collected during normal task completion, eliminating the need for additional tasks and more importantly additional monitoring equipment attached to the human. We will utilize SIFT"s in ...

Students and adults with intellectual and other cognitive disabilities have a critical need for accessible technologies that can enable them to speak for themselves in all arenas of life, including academic settings, vocational settings, for leisure activities and for therapeutic purposes. There are, however, a significant number of people in the U.S. whose literacy deficits effectively prohibit o ...

Innovative Design Labs (IDL) proposes to create a system which helps guide wheelchair users along the best path through complex urban landscapes. Since the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) were established in 1990 the ability of wheelchair users to navigate has greatly improved. However, there are still many areas in which modification for accessibility was not “r ...

Efforts to increase independence and enhance quality of life for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) have been increasing throughout American society. As this population continues to make strides in achieving greater independence and access to the community, there is an increasing need for remote communication, e.g. “I made it to work OK” or “I just took my medication.” Smartph ...

The project will create an affordable system to monitor adolescent athletes in contact sports to identify individuals at risk for traumatic brain injury from continual sub-concussive impacts. The need is to reduce the risk of long term brain injury by providing tools to tell when it's risky/safe to play and find areas where strength training and technique may reduce risk on an individual level. Th ...

Mobile devices and cloud-based services are transforming the world we live in and bringing significant change to everyday technologies for those with and without disabilities. The explosion of Apps and mobile devices is revolutionizing the software industry as a whole and special education technology in particular as individuals with disabilities, families, and teachers are provided direct access ...