FY14 Real World Design Challenge-Kickoff Announcement

Today, I had the honor of representing Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU)-Worldwide at the FY14 Real World Design Challenge (RWDC) State Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Challenge Announcement in Washington, DC. We met with leaders from academia and industry, program supporters, and student participants to present the details of this year's challenge (design of a UAS to support precision agriculture using a systems engineering approach). The level of excitement from all those involved was high, while the identified focus of the challenge was well received (read about the challenge details here).

Earlier this year, RWDC asked ERAU-Worldwide to develop the FY14 challenge. Recognizing the opportunity to contribute to the furthering of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, our leadership agreed and made the necessary assets available. Over the last couple months I have worked with and led a diverse team of colleagues from ERAU-Worldwide, Sinclair Community College (SCC), and the RWDC Technical Team to establish the design and associated background details of the challenge. Thanks to the exceptional hardwork, dedication, and support from all those involved, we were able to create a highly relevant and interactive experience for the student teams. By participating in this challenge, the students will have an opportunity to gain a wide exposure to engineering, design, and business concepts, while they work in collaborative team environments.

I look forward to our continued involvement in the coming months as we lead a series of webinar discussions covering the background details of the respective challenge areas, including the composition and operation of UAS designs, basic aeronautical and engineering design principles, the application of UAS for precision agriculture, creation of a business case, and challenge design tools. I'm also excited about our role to develop both the National challenge component of this year's competition (judging occurs November 2014) and the subsequent design challenge scenarios in the years to come. Competitions such as RWDC offer an amazing opportunity to introduce students to exciting educational focus areas (i.e., major and minors of study) and career fields that they otherwise may never have exposure to. It is through participation in collaborative exercises promoting creative thinking, innovation, leadership, and communication that students will build the priceless experiences that serve as guides on the path to success. For more detail regarding this year's challenge, please visit the RWDC Getting Started page. To read about the announcement, check out the ERAU-Worldwide news release.

Members of the ERAU RWDC Design Team with RWDC and ERAU-Worldwide Leadership. Left to right, Dr. Brian Sanders (ERAU), Anthony Coppola (RWDC), Dr. Ken Witcher (ERAU, Dean, College of Aeronautics), Dr. Ralph Coppola (RWDC), Dr. John Watret (ERAU, Chancellor, Worldwide), Dr. Brent Terwilliger (ERAU), Dr. Andrew Shepherd (SCC), and Dr. Adeel Khalid (ERAU). 

Citing a Single Source Within a Paragraph

I was recently prompted with a question regarding how to cite a single source within a paragraph: "How do you best cite all the material in a paragraph, when it is from a single source?" I have been seeing this question (and resulting issue) more and more with the citation being placed at the end of the paragraph, without any context. Unfortunately, this is not the most appropriate or correct manner to provide the citation as it indicates the source is only applicable to the final sentence (University of Washington, PYSWC, 2010).

Instead, I suggest creating an introduction to the paragraph that indicates you will be referring to the same (i.e., single) source all through the paragraph (University of Washington, PYSWC, 2010, p.5). If you start the paragraph with the identification that you will be paraphrasing from a single source, it will be unnecessary to provide subsequent citations within that paragraph (Eastern Illinois University, n.d., p.3). Keep in mind that with this method you will need to close the paragraph with the relevant citation and re-introduce it for every new paragraph the material is used in (Eastern Illinois University, n.d., p. 3). The result will be a consistent, easier to read style of writing that is dependent on the use of a single citation.

The acceptable alternatives to this method are:

1. Paraphrase the material down into a single sentence with subsequent citation (McAdoo, 2011)
2. Provide a citation reference at the end of each applicable sentence (McAdoo, 2011)
3. Use parenthetical citation, where the author and year are identified in the first sentence and only the author appears in subsequent references in the paragraph (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Academic Support Center, n.d.). 

Whichever method you plan to use, focus on maintaining consistency throughout your paper or article. I suggest that you avoid switching between methods unnecessarily or your writing may appear awkward or confusing to the readers. For my own writing, I tend to cite everything at the individual sentence level and then use the final sentence in the paragraph to state my interpretation of the presented, paraphrased, quoted, and cited material.

REFERENCES
Eastern Illinois University. (n.d.). American Psychological Association (APA) guide. Charleston, IL: Author. Retrieved from http://www.eiu.edu/~edadmin/apa.pdf

McAdoo, T. (2011, March 18). Citing paraphrased work in APA style [ Web log post]. Retrieved from http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/03/citing-paraphrased-work-in-apa-style.html

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Academic Support Center. (n.d.). APA style citations. Chicago, IL: Author. Retrieved from http://ego.thechicagoschool.edu/s/843/index.aspx?gid=14&pgid=583

University of Washington, Psychology Writing Center. (2010). APA style citations & references: A guide for psychology undergraduates. Seattle, WA: Author. Retrieved from http://www.psych.uw.edu/writingcenter/writingguides/pdf/citations.pdf

ERAU-Worldwide 2013 Atlanta: Spending Time Getting to Know My Colleagues

This week I'm attending the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide Conference in Atlanta, GA. So far I've been able to spend quality face to face time getting to know my fellow professors, leadership, and coworkers a little better. We've been attending briefings, enjoying meals together, and performing collaborative, team-building exercises. It isn't all fun and games though, we are spending plenty of time discussing goals and strategies to improve our programs, research, and teaching. Tomorrow, I will be briefing my colleagues in the College of Aeronautics on my experience incorporating concurrent development concepts into Embry-Riddle's online course development process. In the meanwhile, back to the fun. We are preparing to depart soon for the World of Coke in Downtown Atlanta for an evening sampling various beverages Coca-Cola produces and further strengthen the important relationships among colleagues at the premier aviation University, ERAU-Worldwide.

My team's solid control tower design, to lift and support a large cup filled with M&M's:

AUVSI 2013-Washington DC

As I sit at Reagan National Airport waiting to board a flight home, my first year attending the AUVSI show is drawing to a close. I had a very productive couple of days meeting with UAS developers/manufacturers, attending relevant and timely presentations, networking with fellow alumni, and of course seeing the wide variety of unmanned air, ground, and maritime systems on display. Wow, what a show! 

Thanks to some early preparation with the AUVSI show mobile app, I had a detailed (and dynamically changeable) plan to attend several specific presentations, including:

-Who are the Navy's future unmanned aircraft operators and how will they be trained and integrated? (Stout, 2013)

-Closing the research gaps for UAS sense and avoid (Cook & Davis, 2013)

-Evaluating human-robot implicit communications using psychophysiology (Reinerman-Jones, 2013)

-ISIS+: A realistic ATM-UAS simulation environment (Pastor, 2013)

-Four operational barriers to integrating UAS into the NAS (Barstow, 2013)

-Unmanned aircraft system (UAS) airspace integration using notices to airmen (NOTAMs) for airspace user awareness (Harris, 2013)*

-Key considerations for the operation of commercial UAS airfields (Brooks, 2013)*

*Author/presenter was an ERAU alumni

One of the more interesting presentations I attended was from one of an ERAU-Worldwide colleague, Dr. David Ison, covering privacy implications associated with UAS operations, the 4th ammendment, and established case law precedents ("Privacy and Unmanned Aerial Systems Integration in the National Airspace System," Ison, Liu, & Vincenzi, 2013). The major take away I had from his well-received presentation was that it is not unreasonable to expect to see law enforcement use of UAS over 400 to 500 feet, as long as they do not use technology not readily available to or affordable by the general public. In other words, standard or high definition (HD) video is fine, while forward looking infrared (FLIR) or other thermal imaging is not (for now). 

While walking the floor I also had the opportunity to see some great examples of innovative and unique designs (e.g., hybrid fixed-wing/rotary-wing systems) from established firms (e.g., Lockheed Martin, Boeing/Insitu, AAI/Textron, ISR Group), small-emerging companies, and student design competitors (including multiple ERAU student teams). The show tends to spread the focus of coverage across the three major unmanned operational environments (e.g., air, ground, and maritime). So given my role with ERAU-Worldwide (UAS Discipline Chair), I opted to concentrate on air and UAS related exhibits/presentations. See below for some of the more interesting pictures from the floor of the show.

Please note that AUVSI will be changing format next year as it moves from August to May (12-15th) and returns to sunny Orlando, FL (Orange County Convention Center). So mark your calenders, get those Bermuda shorts ready, and start that long-distance walking regime (conferences are notoriously rough on the feet) because you will not want to miss it!

Preparing to Attend the 2013 AUVSI Show in Washington, DC

This year's Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) show starts on Monday (12 Aug) and runs through until Thursday in Washington D.C. During my initial preparations I found their mobile phone application, which they have provided to assist attendees plan and log their activities.

Google Android Version: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=a2z.Mobile.AUVSI&hl=en

Apple iOS (iphone/iPad) Version: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/auvsi-2013/id453098337?mt=8

After spending an hour with the iOS (iPhone) version of the app, I have been able to:

1) Build and store the list of presentations I plan on attending (note in Sessions, stores in Planner->My Itinerary)

2) Build and store the list of Exhibitors (vendors) I would like to see on the floor (note in Exhibitors, stores in Planner->My Exhibitors)

3) Identify and store any meetings I have planned with Exhibitors (note in Exhibitor)

4) Review the floor plan to determine where specific Exhibitor booths are located

The app also has sections to record notes, review speaker biographies, separate information by tracks (i.e., domains; e.g., air, ground, and maritime), and stay apprised of current show news or information (e.g., Buzz or Twitter feed). I'm looking forward to attending this event to meet with and hear from some of the foremost experts in unmanned aerial system (UAS) development, research, and integration. Look for updates next week detailing some of the interesting topics and systems I see at the show.

Use of Modeling and Simulation to Evaluate Unmanned Aerial System Asset Allocation and Assignment

Modeling & simulation (M&S) can be used to support the assessment of UAS asset allocation and assignment to meet specific missions or tasks by providing the means to examine potential usage strategies (i.e., use cases) and effectiveness determination (in terms of cost and performance) of various UAS platforms or combination of platforms. Through the use of a simulation framework, terrain data specific to the operational environment, and models of mission specific objects (e.g., UAV platforms, vegetation, and subject/target objects), it would be possible to run multiple scenarios, platforms, and search patterns virtually; providing an opportunity to observe how the aircraft and associated sensors (e.g., Day TV, infrared [IR], and synthetic aperture radar [SAR]) would interact with the specific target environment. The results of such a research project may provide the framework for the development of a system to determine advantages and limitations of M&S use for UAS asset assignment evaluation, while identifying appropriate UAS platforms and flight profiles to obtain maximum mission effectiveness.

An example where the value of such M&S use could be exhibited is in support of a radiological disaster recovery and monitoring UAS project NASA has been discussing with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for the 2020 Mars Rover launch. A baseline for evaluation could be established for this specific project by modeling the terrain (i.e., Kennedy Space Center), environmental conditions (e.g., wind, precipitation, and temperature), size and location of exploded radioactive debris, and capabilities and operational flight profile of several UAS (group 1-5). By observing the interactions of the subject UAS in this scenario, it is envisioned that a recommendation could be made to NASA regarding what UAS assets would be most appropriate to support the mission, categorized by cost (e.g., asset acquisition, support, and operation) and capability (e.g., sensor acuity/fidelity, range, duration, and speed). Such a demonstration may provide the opportunity for further refinement of the concept (i.e., UAS asset allocation and assignment evaluation) and eventual development of a system or product to meet the needs of public and private UAS operators (e.g., government agencies, military, researchers, and commercial users).


This research is in the proposal stage and the team is looking for further contributors and partners from Industry, Academia, and Government.

Link to Abstract...

Reporting from IITSEC Paper Review - Struck with Inspiration

Today, I'm participating in the review of paper submissions for the Interservice/Industry, Simulation, and Education Conference (IITSEC) - Simulation subcommittee. This is my first year as a reviewer and it has been a great experience working with experienced simulation industry and Government representatives to evaluate this year's submissions. While preparing for this meeting, I started thinking of how modeling & simulation (M&S) could be used to support the development and use of UAS for a radiological disaster recovery and monitoring project NASA has been discussing with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. M&S could provide the means to examine potential usage strategies (i.e., use cases) and determine the effectiveness (i.e., in terms of cost and performance) of various UAS platforms (or combination of platforms). Through the use of a simulation framework, terrain data specific to the launch environment, and models of mission specific objects (e.g., UAV platforms, vegatation, and radiological debris), it would be possible to run multiple scenarios, platforms, and search patterns virtually; providing an opportunity to observe how the aircraft would interact with the subject environment. The results of such a research project may provide the ability to determine advantages and limitations of M&S use for UAS asset assignment evaluation, while identifying appropriate UAS platforms and flight profiles to obtain maximum mission effectiveness.