SDSU Awarded R&D Contract By Spawar Systems Center San Diego: Potential Value $10.2 Million

Potential Projects Include High-Performance Computing, Signal Processing, Sensor Development

Faculty at San Diego State University have received part of a multiple-award contract with a potential value of $10.2 million from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego (SSC San Diego) for research, engineering and analysis on a range of projects over the next two years. The contract is one of the largest SDSU has ever received from SSC San Diego.

"This new contract will enable us to work with SSC San Diego on many different cutting-edge technologies that will enhance homeland security and defense efforts and one day may have public applications in areas such as personal computing and communications," said SDSU assistant physics professor Matt Anderson, the contract's associate project manager. "SDSU has worked with SSC San Diego on research and development in numerous areas for decades, and we're looking forward to adding this new chapter."

Faculty and staff from SDSU's colleges of Sciences and Engineering, and potentially other schools and departments, will support scientific projects at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego; Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR); the Naval Health Research Center; and other government research and development activities. Anderson said he expects half of the work will be done on the SDSU campus, and half will be subcontracted.

Research project areas listed in the contract include:

• High-Performance Computing: Developing algorithms and writing and testing software to take advantage of parallel computing architectures in the solution of "high throughput" signal, data and information processing problems.
• Intelligent and Fault-Tolerant Processing: Developing algorithms, writing and testing software and building hardware that employs artificial intelligence, neural networks, genetic algorithms and similar techniques for solutions to problems in pattern recognition, robotics and other mechanical disciplines.
• Advanced High-Speed Processing Hardware: Performing studies, designing, building,testing and demonstrating advanced applications of very large scale integration (VLSI) technology, including wafer-scale integration, three-dimensional computing and high-speed electro-optical interconnects.
• Advanced Sensor Development: Investigating new materials and designs for the development of state-of-the-art sensors across acoustic, radio and optical frequency ranges for use in sonar, radar, lidar (a detection system that uses light to gauge movement and composition of objects), and communications applications.
• Advanced Signal and Information Processing: Developing advanced concepts in signal processing, information processing and data fusion concepts, including nonlinear filtering, imaging and information display techniques.
• Advanced Communications: Researching new methods of communications, employing new information channels and message processing techniques that have less chance of error or being intercepted.
• Modeling and Simulation: Simulating advanced military technological systems and their operating environments to determine potential performance in previously untested scenarios.
• Analysis of Personnel Performance Factors: Examining how intelligence, training, health, stress and other factors affect the ability of military personnel to carry out their duties, and developing tools to determine which personnel are right for certain tasks/responsibilities.
• Environmental Analysis and Prediction: Modeling and analyzing the environmental effects of military operations.
• Marine Engineering: Modeling, analyzing, designing and testing components, vehicles, structures and facilities used in marine environments.