Award Data

Semantically Linked Data is widely seen as a revolutionary approach for maximizing the usefulness of existing and future information. In the materials domain, semantically linked materials data holds considerable promise with the ability to facilitate materials research and product development, improve communication, and open up avenues for new types of materials informatics. But realizing the pro ...

This effort proposes to develop a toolset to evaluate the effectiveness of a safety-controller that monitors a learning-based autonomous control system. The traditional use of deterministic verification techniques for real-time monitoring is not feasible in the presence of uncertainty. This effort would advance the recommended verification techniques to include non-deterministic approaches. The ...

Barron Associates has assembled a team of researchers that include Dr. Sayan Mitra of the University of Illinois and Dr. Ufuk Topcu of the University of Pennsylvania. They will spearhead three complimentary investigations into the development of verification and validation (V & V) approaches for adaptive systems protected by run time assurance (RTA) mechanisms. Two of these approaches involve us ...

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: ...

Pacific Science & Engineering Group (PSE) proposes to design, develop, and demonstrate a prototype human-autonomous system tool & #208;Operators Context and Trust in Automation Visualization (OCTAV) & #208; that will support improved transparency, trust, and human-machine team performance. OCTAV will automatically monitor human and autonomous system team context and task, visualize context-based s ...

A formal approach to the management of information involved in human-automation interactions is proposed. The mathematical formalism is enabled by employing the notion of hybrid systems. The information management involves ensuring correct information flow and shared cognition between human operators and machines. It is envisioned that the proposed algorithms will formalize the analysis of human-a ...

This SBIR proposal targets the western pine beetle (WPB) Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), the most destructive insect pest of ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex Lawson, in much of western North America. This insect causes high levels of tree mortality, inflicting millions of dollars in losses each year. One million or more trees, equivalent to more t ...

For sustainable forests, residues must be managed at low cost. If residues could be converted to a valuable energy product, then management costs would be offset, leading to improved forests. To create a valuable energy product from low density residues, they must be densified to reduce handling, transport and storage costs. In this project, the technical feasibility of the low cost Biomass Fuel B ...

Large areas of the Chesapeake Bay watershed support intense agricultural operations includingcrop farming, large poultry production facilities (LPPFs), and confined animal feedingoperations (CAFOs). Increasingly, these agricultural operations add significant amounts ofpollutants, from water run off into the watersheds, and infiltrate the groundwater. For example,the Shenandoah Valley has suffered ...

Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP) vectors citrus greening disease and is thus the most serious pest faced by the US citrus industry. The ACP has already severely affected Florida citrus production, has entered Texas, and is spreading into California, where citrus is a billion-dollar industry with a history dating back to the 19th century. However, current control approaches lack effective attractants for ...