Additional Calendars
Calendar Views
All
Athletics
Conferences and Meetings
Law School
Special Events

ECE Seminar* Speaker: Dr. Jill Nelson, George Mason University, Virginia

When: Friday, March 24, 2017
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Where: Science & Engineering Building, Lester W. Cory Conference Room: Room 213A
Cost: Free
Description: Topic: COGNITIVE SONAR: INTELLIGENT PROCESSING TO REDUCE OPERATOR BURDEN AND DECISION DELAY

Speaker: Dr. Jill Nelson, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, George Mason University, Virginia

Location: Lester W. Cory Conference Room, Science & Engineering Building (SENG), Room 213A

Abstract:
In active sonar systems, acoustic waveforms (pings) are transmitted, and reflections of those pings are used to locate objects in the ocean. Sonar surveillance systems perform two primary tasks: search and track. Historically, most systems have operated in a fixed manner that does not allow for adaptation to a given set of search and track goals. Our work focuses on developing models for incorporating high-level decision-making, or cognitive processing, in active sonar systems. We aim to leverage existing work in the artificial intelligence, optimization, and radar realms to develop potential models applicable to high-level sonar automation. Cognitive sonar systems will be designed to support high-level tasks from operators, e.g. a request to more closely monitor a particular object or a specified region of the surveillance space. Cognitive systems will translate such tasks to a set of parameter adaptations and will arbitrate among competing demands on the system. Initial models for intelligent systems will consider adaptation of waveform, ping rate, detection threshold, and beam steering. As this work is in its early stages, we will describe the motivation for the work and the proposed models for automated parameter adaptation. We will also present preliminary results on adapting detection thresholds based on environmental observations, and we will discuss challenges that arise in mapping environmental observations to parameter adjustments.

Biography:
Jill Nelson is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at George Mason University. She earned a BS in Electrical Engineering and a BA in Economics from Rice University and an MS and PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Nelson's disciplinary research lies in statistical signal processing, specifically detection and estimation for applications in target tracking and physical layer communications. Her work on cognitive sonar and target tracking is funded by the Office of Naval Research, and she is spending Spring 2017 at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, RI. Dr. Nelson is a 2010 recipient of the NSF CAREER Award and a 2014 recipient of the IEEE Education Society Mac Van Valkenburg Early Career Teaching Award. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, and the IEEE Signal Processing, Communications, and Education Societies.

The Seminar is open to the public free of charge.

*For further information, please contact Dr. John R. Buck at 508.999.9237, or by via email at jbuck@umassd.edu.
Topical Areas: General Public, University Community, College of Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering