UCF will aid in the development of this technology through a new regional research hub led by the ����ֱ�� of Florida. The goal is to use digital twins, virtual representations of physical objects or processes, to optimize semiconductor manufacturing. The Florida/Caribbean hub is one of seven research hubs across the U.S. that comprise the Manufacturing USA institute called SMART USA, which was funded through a $285 million award from the federal administration earlier this year.

The funding was highly competitive and is a result of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Manufacturing USA Institute competition, which selected the SMART USA proposal from dozens of entries. SMART, which stands for Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins, is led by the Semiconductor Research Corporation.

“The focus of this hub is going to be on digital twins,” says Professor Reza Abdolvand, the chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering who co-led UCF’s portion of the proposal alongside Grace Bochenek ’98PhD, the executive director of the Pegasus Research Institute and the director of the Institute for Simulation and Training. “The goal is to accurately virtualize the manufacturing process so we can find out what could go wrong before starting the costly and time-consuming manufacturing process.”

The Problems With Semiconductor Manufacturing

Semiconductor chips aren’t simple to make. They are fabricated in huge facilities called semiconductor fabrication plants which consist of highly controlled environments called cleanrooms. Here, the air is constantly filtered to remove small particles that could create defects in the final product. Most chips are made from silicon wafers, which are more brittle than glass, and the process of turning these silicon substrates into semiconductor chips is lengthy and complex — it can take hundreds of steps and up to six months to produce one batch of silicon wafers from start to finish.

“Mistakes in this process are very expensive and they can be made in many steps,” Abdolvand says. ���� the design, for example — if what you design is faulty, the end product will be faulty and you could lose billions of dollars.”

Currently, the industry can and does use modeling and simulation in the design process, so they can better predict if the final product will work as intended. But this technology has not caught up to the manufacturing process.

“Manufacturing is basically trial and error until you’re happy with what you see,” Abdolvand says. “The hope is to extend the modeling concept to what the tool can do with the substrate. What if we can simulate what the tool does before it happens?”

The tools used in the manufacturing process can become outdated and obsolete very quickly, which have also posed challenges for the industry, specifically increasing the modeling reiteration cost for manufacturing.

UCF’s Role in the Research Hub

Advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning now allows for development of realistic models that could solve the semiconductor industry’s challenges. AI-enabled digital twins can be used to mimic the manufacturing process, allowing tech businesses to predict what errors could be made before they occur, saving both time and money.

Abdolvand and Bochenek are leading the charge for the university. Together, ECE and IST researchers will gather, collect, analyze and interpret data that can be used to create a digital twin.

“We’re excited about this partnership and UCF’s contributions to SMART USA’s effort to achieve national security goals through innovative digital transformation,” Bochenek says. “This region will be key in ensuring the U.S. global competitive advantage in this semiconductor chip manufacturing.”

Bringing semiconductor manufacturing to the U.S. is a key goal for the institute, to not only remain dominant in the global market, but to be more cost effective.

“The largest companies with semiconductor business are in the U.S. They do the design here, but the manufacturing is outside the U.S.,” Abdolvand says. “The plan is to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. If manufacturing cost could be reduced through digital twining, manufacturing can be done in the U.S. and still be very cost competitive.”

The funding comes from DARPA’s Trapped Accurate microSystems (LeviTAS) program, which aims to explore the feasibility of replacing a spring anchor with a levitation system to trap a mass roughly the size of a sugar cube within a volume about the size of a Rubik’s cube for use in defense systems.

The specific project awarded to UCF and UF is called Full Levitation In MAgnetically Stabilized Systems (FLi-MaSS), and is one of eight teams selected as part of DARPA’s LeviTAS program.

Jaesung Lee, an assistant professor in UCF’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Philip Feng, a professor in UF’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and graduate faculty Department of Physics, are collaborating on the project.

Through their FLi-MaSS project, Lee and Feng are hoping to transform levitated systems by achieving unprecedented stability and performance metrics crucial for next-generation navigation sensors that may be applied for defense and civilian uses.

The team plans to achieve this through diamagnetic levitation or a “hovering” effect. Diamagnetic materials are materials that are repelled and stabilized by a magnetic field.

Lee and Feng will also experiment using a  set of materials and technologies to engineer and maintain the levitation system.

“We aim to establish FLi-MaSS as an innovative solution with implications for inertial sensing for the Department of Defense and other applications,” says Lee. “The project may enable a significant move forward in the realization of stable levitation systems and unlocks new possibilities in high-performance inertial sensor technology.”

Inertial sensors can measure various parameters of a moving object including velocity, acceleration, orientation and gravitational forces. They’re commonly used in military applications as well as in smartphones, automobiles and airplanes.

The team’s vision for future work is to expand the application of their levitation technology beyond the performance of current inertial sensors. Lee and Feng plan to explore its potential in other fields such as precision measurement systems, quantum engineering and advanced communication technologies.

Additionally, they aim to refine the system for improved scalability and integration into commercial and industrial products with low size, weight and power consumption requirements for potential use in sensors.

By advancing the fundamental understanding and practical implementation of levitation systems through FLi-MaSS research, the researchers say they hope to pave the way for new innovations in various high-tech industries.

UCF Researcher’s Credentials

Lee joined the UCF Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2023 as an assistant professor. He earned his doctoral degree in electrical engineering from Case Western Reserve ����ֱ�� and has recently received several funding grants from Sandia National Laboratories and the Department of Energy.

The two-week program, sponsored by Intel and hosted by UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, exposed students and local educators to the field of semiconductor manufacturing through a series of comprehensive and hands-on experiences.

Semiconductor chips manipulate and store electromagnetic energy, making them essential components in electronics such as computers, medical devices and smartphones.

Intel supported the workshops financially and through its Intel Scholars program at UCF, which offers undergraduates interested in semiconductor manufacturing paid internships and opportunities to work in UCF’s cleanrooms.

Intel scholars and faculty guided the participants through four separate modules that included the history of semiconductor electronics, the CHIPS and Science Act, semiconductor materials and a thorough look at the fabrication process.

There is a great need to prepare the emerging national workforce to meet the growing domestic and international demand for semiconductors, says Reza Abdolvand, UCF professor and chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department and SMART workshop coordinator.

“We have identified a gap in training that is not unique to UCF,” he says. “It’s across all educational institutions in the U.S. and that gap is training in semiconductor manufacturing. Institutions, including UCF, are trying to help the industry by creating workforce development programs that focus on this demand.”

The SMART workshop aimed to address that gap in training and is a testament to UCF’s willingness to do so, Abdolvand says.

“We’ve planned and executed the SMART workshop as part of the program this past summer,” he says. ���� this workshop, we are compressing a huge amount of information and conveying it to participants in two weeks with the goal of reintroducing this training to a larger audience including undergraduate students, K12 teachers and college instructors.”

The workshop covered many complex topics over a short time. Although it wasn’t a full education, it was crucial for igniting participants’ passion for furthering their semiconductor manufacturing knowledge, Abdolvand says.

“What I would like to see is for them to get excited about the topic,” he says. “It’s not about whether or not they totally understood what we’re talking about, but to get excited and interested.”

Educators at UCF and other higher learning institutions in the U.S. still have work to do in keeping pace with semiconductor manufacturing demand, Abdolvand says.

“[Over] the past several decades, semiconductor manufacturing has moved outside of the U.S.,” he says. “Educational institutions, for the most part, didn’t invest enough [in training] undergraduate students in that domain. The U.S. is pursuing a revival of leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and that has recently come to the forefront of everyone’s mind in regard to technology leadership.”

Will Goodman, a Valencia College electrical and computer engineering technology lab supervisor, says the workshop was easy to understand and translate to others.

“When you break the production of semiconductors down, you realize how approachable some of the steps can be,” he says. “That’s what made me feel like although this is a complex subject it can be very approachable.”

The proliferation of semiconductors in everyday life is what prompted Eric Apfel, a Wekiva High School physics teacher, to attend SMART.

“The technology is growing and growing on a scale I couldn’t have imagined 20-30 years ago,” he says. “The devices that students carry around use semiconductors and it’s important to keep making them more efficient, better and smaller so they can continue introducing the technology to the next generation.”

Apfel says he’ll implement both the knowledge and the instruction methods that he learned at the workshop to his students.

“I plan to use everything in this workshop to give students an idea of something they may be interested in but may not even know about yet,” he says.

Melyia Ingram and Labiba Ibrahim, both Intel scholars, say it was gratifying to teach others about semiconductors and enrich their own knowledge, too.

“It’s mainly about bringing people together about semiconductors,” Ingram says. “We learned about semiconductors and the nitty gritty of the process. This was a chance to get exposed to that and to teach others.”

“SMART 2024 is a workshop that allows you to learn more about chip manufacturing and have an opportunity to gain that experience at an undergrad level,” Ibrahim says. “I met all kinds of people, and they all had different perspectives. They asked us a lot of different questions and it helped reshape my perspectives, too.”

Namisha Jagmohan ’24, a student in the ECE department and a cleanroom co-op, says the workshop was a great way to make the complex topic of semiconductor manufacturing much more accessible.

“The world of semiconductor manufacturing is very daunting on the outside,” she says. “The more that you steep in it, the more you learn you have to keep asking questions and you’ll eventually catch on to how everything works. We had the opportunity to demonstrate the whole manufacturing process from start to finish.”

The student participants also had a fulfilling experience, with their interest in semiconductors piqued.

“Once I got to UCF, … I found a lot of interest in semiconductors, as it’s an interconnect in fields such as physics, materials sciences and more,” says Christian Turner, an electrical engineering student at UCF. “Getting to go into the labs and feel like a researcher was different from going to class and just listening to a lecture.”

The interactive portions of the SMART workshop provided UCF electrical engineering student Thomas Parker with a new perspective and real-world experience with semiconductor manufacturing, he says.

“The part I found most engaging was how hands-on the experience was,” Parker says. “I wasn’t all that aware of what semiconductor manufacturing involved. It was great being in those cleanrooms and seeing how it was with building and creating these parts.”

Overall, the SMART workshop accomplished its goal in empowering and inspiring students and faculty to pursue semiconductor manufacturing as part of their STEM education and curriculum, Abdolvand says.

���� my interactions with the students,” he says, “if I’ve managed to spark their curiosity and make them aware that this field exists [and is] something they can explore further, then that’s a significant victory in my book.”

For more information on SMART 2024, please visit the . Interested electrical and computer engineering students can find available scholarships on the .

To improve this gap, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has implemented the Transfer Learning from Imprecise and Abstract Models to Autonomous Technologies (TIAMAT) program, which recently awarded a $1.2 million grant to UCF researchers George Atia and Yue Wang. Their project is titled “Distributionally Robust Approaches to Transfer Learning.”

“Being selected for this award from DARPA is truly an honor,” says Atia, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the TIAMAT program. This recognition is especially meaningful given the competitive nature of the funding environment.”

Over the next 18 months, Atia and Wang will develop artificial intelligence-based technologies that can help autonomous systems better adapt to unknown variables. Current simulation environments may be very complex and realistic, but they don’t account for the unexpected. For example, a drone flying from a city to a coast may not know how to cope with changes in flight dynamics or lighting.

Speed is another issue to overcome. It can take millions of simulated episodes, spanning the course of several years, for an autonomous system to be trained well for real-world platforms. The UCF team plans to mitigate both factors by designing technology that can train quickly and efficiently.

“Imagine teaching a robot to navigate a bustling city street after mastering a simple maze,” Atia says. “Most methods either ignore uncertainties or play it too safe. But our approach would equip the robot with special abilities to handle surprises, enabling quicker learning and better performance. By bridging theory with practical application, we aim to improve knowledge transfer effectiveness, particularly in scenarios with limited real-world data.”

While defense agencies like DARPA have a particular interest in autonomous systems that can handle the unexpected, the technology can span across industries.

���� healthcare, for instance, our robust knowledge transfer methods could facilitate the transfer of treatment plans between patients, improving personalized care,” Atia says. “Likewise, decision-making policies tailored for specific road conditions could be repurposed for other environments, enhancing safety and efficiency in autonomous driving. By addressing the limitations of traditional machine learning methods, our research has the potential to revolutionize various industries and enable transformative approaches to complex problems.”

“Computer architecture research involves rigorous reasoning at the intersection of algorithms, software, hardware and beyond, all working together synergistically,” he says. “This field continually presents new challenges and opportunities. As an adventurous and curious person, I am drawn to this hybrid discipline and excited to embark on its unknown journey.”

Wu earned his doctorate in electrical and computer engineering from the ����ֱ�� of Wisconsin, Madison, before moving to Orlando.

UCF’s ideal location in the Sunshine State was a big draw. Along with its beautiful beaches and world-renowned theme parks, its close proximity to industry partners and the Florida high-tech corridor opened doors to a number of research collaborations.

“Orlando is the best city I can imagine [striking] a perfect balance between career and life,” Wu says. “Everything on my wish list is tangible around the Central Florida area at any time.”

Perhaps his strongest draw to UCF was its mission. Wu says he was captivated by UCF’s commitment to unleashing potential in students and faculty.

“I am very impressed by the potential of UCF CECS to impact the research community, given its established strength in computer science broadly,” he says. “This vision aligns perfectly with mine. The college has extensive support for new faculty, in terms of administration, funding, collaboration and beyond.”

Today, Wu is working towards that shared vision in a number of ways. He’s celebrating two awards he received this year: the Harold Peterson Outstanding Dissertation Award from UW Madison, and a Distinguished Artifact Evaluation Award from the 2024 International Conference on Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems.

He is also serving as a mentor for the department’s interns at Northrop Grumman and AMD. Both programs give students the opportunity to develop research for Northrop Grumman and AMD, and intern at their facilities. Additionally, Wu started a computer architecture speaker series, inviting faculty from around the nation to share their latest work.

He is teaching one graduate course: Big Data Computer Architecture and Systems. His lab U.N.A.R.Y. —  Unary, Neuromorphic, Approximate, Reconfigurable and Yet more computing — is the research home to a mix of undergraduate and graduate students.

“It’s incredibly exciting to watch students acquire new knowledge and advance in their careers,” he says. “I find my role as a faculty member deeply fulfilling, especially when I can assist students in overcoming challenges.”

Wu is working on a number of projects in his lab, many of which include collaborations with other universities. His research focuses on large-scale systems that enable the deployment of cutting-edge technologies with unparalleled capabilities, including large language models and homomorphic encryption, in collaboration with AMD. He is also working on an accelerated quantum error correction to enable fault-tolerant quantum computing with the ����ֱ�� of Chicago, the ����ֱ�� of Pittsburgh and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. With Carnegie Mellon ����ֱ�� and Yale ����ֱ��, he is investigating neuromorphic computing to develop an efficient brain-computer interface.

“We are on the rise to challenge existing design methodologies and discover what has been overlooked,” he says. “Domain specific computer architecture will bring sci-fi vision into the reality, such as a brain-computer interface, augmented and virtual reality, and a personalized virtual assistant. In a decade, our interaction with the rest of the world will be more delightful, more secure and more sustainable.”

Wu’s non-academic interests are a far cry from the next-generation technological concepts that fuel his research. In the lab, he pursues human-made breakthroughs in computer architecture, but in his downtime, he’s entertained by Mother Nature’s creations.

“I really enjoy watching cute animals, especially penguins,” he says. “I feel like I have exhausted all penguin videos on YouTube. I also take a walk every night along the pond pathway behind my apartment, since there are cute ducks there. You know, cute ducklings heal a day.”

The program allows engineering students to gain real-world experience while meeting the needs of the industry. Starting Fall 2024, students can enroll in the graduate certificate in electronic parts engineering, offered through the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in partnership with the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Program.

The certificate program will train students to evaluate and test the electrical and electronic components of devices and equipment used in the harsh environment of space. UCF is one of three universities — and the only university in Florida — to partner with NASA on the program.

“The new graduate certificate … marks a significant step in our commitment to enhance our role in this sector.” — Reza Abdolvand, chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

���� alignment with UCF’s vision as [America’s] Space ����ֱ�� and in response to the demands of prominent local industries, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is prioritizing space electronics as a key focus in both student training and research initiatives,” says Reza Abdolvand, chair of the department. “The introduction of the new graduate certificate in electronic parts engineering marks a significant step in our commitment to enhance our role in this sector and to foster stronger collaborations with leading organizations, including NASA.”

Through their coursework, students will learn to establish test plans, conduct failure analysis and evaluate test results for usage. Then they can take what they’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to real-world research through paid internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

“This program will uniquely position students for internships and careers at NASA and, more generally, the aerospace and defense sector in both Florida and across the U.S.,” says Assistant Professor Enxia Zhang, coordinator of the certificate program.

The goal of the program is to meet the industry need for electronic parts and electrical engineers who are already trained and educated. Employment of electrical and electronics engineers is projected to grow over the next decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Florida is among the states boasting top employment for this profession.

A bonus for students is that the credits earned in the certificate program can be applied to a master’s degree, furthering their education and competitiveness in the industry.

���� many ways, the graduate certificate program is a gateway to other degree programs in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS),” says Ali Gordon, the CECS associate dean for graduate affairs. “Many students realize that after they’ve had a few graduate courses, they want more. A key feature of UCF’s graduate certificate program is that 100% of the credits earned towards the certificate can be applied towards a master’s degree.”

Students who are interested in applying for the certificate should have completed a bachelor’s degree program in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or a related discipline. Current undergraduate students are eligible to apply as a junior or senior, and the courses can be completed online.

To learn more or to apply, visit the graduate certificate in electronic parts engineering webpage.

Now students with a passion for robotics can take their interest and their education to a new level. The College of Engineering and Computer Science plans to launch the master’s in robotics and autonomous systems within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in Fall 2024.

Students who enroll in the program will learn to analyze, design and develop the robotics and autonomous systems that are used in society. This includes self-driving cars, drones, medical robots — and even mechanical dogs. The curriculum will cover multiple disciplines with a focus on electrical and electronic hardware, machine learning, autonomous control and computer vision.

“Robotics is a very interdisciplinary field and UCF’s program ensures that students are exposed to courses from multiple engineering specialties,” says Professor Gita Sukthankar, coordinator of the program. “The master of science in robotics and autonomous systems is housed within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, but it also includes required courses from mechanical engineering and computer science.”

While other graduate level programs in Florida offer specializations related to robotics, none are as comprehensive or immersive as this master’s degree, Sukthankar says. Students who enroll can take courses in computer vision, machine learning, autonomous vehicles, medical robotics and intelligent systems. The skills they develop can be applied to an independent study project, a master’s thesis or robotics research in a related laboratory or center. With the skills and experience gained from the program, students can establish careers as robotics engineers across a variety of industries.

“Depending on the student’s selection of technical electives, they are likely to be recruited for certain specialized computer, electrical and mechanical engineering roles,” Sukthankar says. “For instance, a student who opted to take machine learning electives would be eligible to work as a machine learning engineer.”

The program is designed to not only benefit students, but the local workforce as well.

“We hope the program helps local companies with their workforce needs,” Sukthankar says. “Central Florida is home to several companies that have large robotics investments, including Lockheed Martin, L3Harris and Siemens. We also hope that some of our graduates choose to start companies of their own since this area is ripe for venture capital investment.”

Prospective applicants should have a 3.0 GPA or above and an undergraduate degree in a STEM-related discipline. Some knowledge of programming languages, engineering statistics, linear algebra and multivariate calculus is preferred.

To learn more or to apply, visit the master’s in robotics and autonomous systems webpage.

Fang, who is an assistant professor in within the College of Sciences, is using the CAREER award to study the precise movement of electrons induced by light and to help educate others in her field.

Yao is an assistant professor in within the College of Engineering and Computer Science and a member of the Cyber Security and Privacy faculty cluster. He’ll use his CAREER award to identify lapses in computer processing security at the micro level and find ways to defend against them.

The annual award supports an estimated 500 early-career STEM faculty from either institutes of higher education or academic nonprofit organizations who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.

Through their NSF CAREER awards, both Fang and Yao are continuing to build upon their research and contribute to key components of their respective fields.

Capturing Energy in a Fraction of a Second

Li Fang
Department of Physics
Title: Photo-induced Ultrafast Electron-nuclear Dynamics in Molecules
Award: $813,981 over five years

Li Fang is examining some of the smallest components of matter in some of the shortest amounts of time.

She studies how electrons move after their initial absorption of photo-energy as they attempt to interact, break or form a bond with other molecular components. The purpose of examining these molecular dynamics is crucial in better understanding physics and energy, Fang says.

“The dynamics of these charged particles will provide fundamental knowledge about energy absorption, dissipation and rearrangement in building blocks of materials and therefore is relevant to energy storage and harvest,” Fang says. “We implement spectroscopic tools to track the extremely fast motion of these charges. An electron’s motion is the first step in all chemical and photo reactions and ions are the subjects of chemical bonds that exist basically in all materials.”

Fang measures these movements in attoseconds and femtoseconds, which are one billion billionths of a second and one million billionths of a second, respectively.

Attoseconds are the natural time scale for electrons moving inside an atom while femtoseconds are the natural time scale for measuring nuclei moving within a molecule.

Fang’s NSF CAREER project will help her further uncover and measure how light can instigate changes at the molecular level and then share her research with the greater scientific community.

“The goal is to understand the ultrafast electron motion induced by intense laser beams and its correlation with the motion of the nuclei in a molecule,” she says. “An equally important part of my NSF CAREER award is the educational subproject, the goal of which is to introduce my research field ‘ultrafast science’ to a broader audience through media and local events.”

Fang came to UCF in 2020 from the Ohio State ����ֱ��.

Since arriving, she has garnered significant funding and support for her projects. In 2020, Fang was one of 76 recipients – and the only recipient from Florida – to be awarded an early career research program grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

She also was instrumental in securing NSF funding of nearly $2 million for a powerful laser in 2021, aiming to build a user facility at UCF to continue studying electrons and molecular bonds using precise measurements in attoseconds.

Fang says it was extremely gratifying to earn her NSF CAREER award, and it represents a culmination of her previous scientific endeavors.

“It definitely fit into my career and will help me fulfill my goals as a researcher and an educator,” she says.

Fang is thankful for the assistance of her peers and collaborators in cultivating her studies and developing her NSF CAREER proposal.

“The NSF CAREER program at UCF organized by Saiful Khondaker is very helpful with improving the writing of the educational subproject, which is crucial to the NSF CAREER project,” she says.

UCF has provided Fang with the opportunity to excel in her research, and she anticipates many more impactful discoveries to come.

“I am looking forward to carrying out real scientific experiments and discovering new findings with the state-of-the-art lasers and the spectroscopy systems we have,” Fang says. “Getting a prestigious CAREER award is just the start.”

Fan Yao
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Title: Understanding and Ensuring Secure-by-design Microarchitecture in Modern Era of Computing
Award: $556,875

Effective computer system security requires searching high and low within its infrastructure to address vulnerabilities that could be overlooked and exploited.

Fan Yao has dedicated his research to thoroughly poring through potential weaknesses within the architectural and microarchitectural designs of computing and memory units to see how they can be safeguarded against malicious hacks and data breaches.

���� today’s interconnected digital landscape, we depend on computing devices to store and process our sensitive and personal data,” he says. “Given that hardware forms the foundational bedrock of all computing systems, its security is paramount. A computer with compromised hardware security is akin to a skyscraper built on shaky ground.”

Specifically, Yao is using his NSF CAREER project to examine computer processors and analyze side channel leakage, which is compromised access to information or infrastructure through indirect means.

“Through the automation of microarchitectural security analysis, we aim to uncover hidden hardware-level states prone to leakage, as well as to develop software-level patterns that can exploit these vulnerabilities to quantify their leakage potential,” he says. “Subsequently, the project will focus on designing robust defense strategies to prevent microarchitectural information leakage, thereby ensuring stronger protection for future generations of processors.”

The awarded funds will continue to catalyze Yao’s research and allow him to further challenge the limits of computer security. He is hopeful that the results will serve as an educational cornerstone to both aspiring students and his peers, he says.

“This grant allows us to explore innovative security solutions more deeply and to train the next generation of researchers in this critical field,” Yao says.  “This award fits perfectly into my career goals, as it enables me to establish a sustainable research program that can make meaningful contributions to both academia and industry.”

Yao arrived at UCF in the fall of 2018 after receiving his doctoral degree in computer engineering from the George Washington ����ֱ��.

The support and mentorship from UCF’s academic community and administration at UCF has been crucial to helping him achieve his research aspirations, he says.

“UCF has been extremely supportive in junior faculty career development,” Yao says. “Many of the preliminary results for this project were achieved through experiments facilitated by this support. I am also profoundly grateful for the comprehensive assistance received during the development of this proposal. This includes invaluable guidance from the UCF CAREER mentoring program and the insightful feedback on my proposal provided by senior faculty members in our department.”

Yao is proud to have been awarded an NSF CAREER grant, and says he is excited to further his research.

“Receiving the NSF CAREER grant is an incredible honor and a pivotal moment in my career,” he says. “It not only validates the importance and potential impact of our work on microarchitecture security, but also provides a substantial platform to expand our research efforts.”

The new technology will help modernize the lab and provide industry-relevant learning opportunities for hundreds of electrical and computer engineering students, Abdolvand says.

New signal generators, signal analyzers, and other high-speed electrical testing and measurement devices were donated to the department by Rohde & Schwarz, an international family-owned company that specializes in electrical test equipment and wireless communications products.

The instruments, valued at more than $100,000, are small-scale versions of Rohde & Schwarz’s state-of-the-art products that are widely used in industries worldwide to test and measure advanced components inside mobile and wireless communications devices and systems.

It’s the type of gift that UCF electrical engineering and computer engineering students need to gain hands-on experience using the same technology used in industry and prepare for high-tech jobs when they graduate.

George Atia, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering who teaches fundamentals of communications systems, says the donation will benefit his students who study the foundations of digital data transmission and communication, including the theories of sampling, quantization, encoding and digital modulation.

“With this new lab equipment, the coursework will become more tangible,” Atia says. “My students can witness the practical application of digital signal processing and communication concepts that they encounter in the classroom. The generous donation will help upgrade our lab experiments, which will markedly improve our students’ overall learning experience.”

“We sincerely thank Rohde & Schwarz for their generous gift of this technology to UCF,” Abdolvand says. “This type of investment in engineering education is what will take our students to the next level. ECE students need state-of-the-art signal analyzers and other instruments that can keep up with advancing capabilities in this industry. I’ve always been impressed with the quality of Rohde & Schwarz equipment.”

The gift comes at a critical time for many industries experiencing transformational growth that relies on a skilled workforce of electrical and computer engineers. Recent government investment in semiconductor manufacturing through the CHIPS Act has uncovered a shortage of electrical engineers in the U.S., according to a May 2023 Kiplinger report.

Jobs are abundant in the nearly $200 billion mobile and wireless communications industry that supports cell phones, GPS systems, WiFi signaling and more. Technological advancements that make wireless communications faster and more secure are fueling growth. Advances in wireless communications technology are driving the transformation of other industries such as transportation and energy and are creating additional job demand for engineers.

UCF’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering helps meet the demand for electrical and computer engineers by producing a high volume of skilled graduates – approximately 400 per year – which, Abdolvand says, can only be accomplished with strong support from industry partners, including Rohde & Schwarz.

With a passion for helping students and his alma mater, Neil Ellenback ’99, account manager at Rohde & Schwarz, helped orchestrate the equipment donation to UCF.

“I’ve seen many university electrical engineering labs,” Ellenback says. “I can confidently say that UCF is one of the top two best equipped electrical engineering labs in the entire southeast United States. And in the state of Florida, UCF has the most modern electrical engineering equipment. There’s a very high standard of quality here.”

Ellenback has worked with UCF as a business client and for talent acquisition for more than 15 years. “We are glad to expand the capabilities of the labs at UCF. This donation allows ECE to keep the curriculum updated so that students are current upon graduation,” he says.

With UCF’s level of lab excellence, Paul Shaffer ’09 ’13MS, an application engineer at Rohde & Schwarz and an electrical engineering alumnus, says he knew that the equipment would be put to great use which is why he wanted to help UCF’s ECE Department.

He wants students to know that Rohde & Schwarz offers abundant opportunities for UCF graduates. The Munich, Germany-based company employs 14,000 worldwide, with 700 employees in the U.S. with operations in California, Maryland, Oregon, Texas and the southeast, including Florida.

Ellenback and Shaffer agree that the best benefit of working for Rohde & Schwarz is the ability to stay connected to UCF and help students.

“We’re alumni. We wanted to give to our school. The value of this gift goes beyond us.”

A total of 18 projects received Phase I funding across 15 universities. UCF received the most awards, with all three housed within the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Dean Michael Georgiopoulos says this speaks to the quality of research produced by CECS faculty.

“I’m proud to see that three of our research teams have been recognized by NASA for their innovative ideas that can shape the future of air travel and space flight,” Georgiopoulos says. “Our college has built a rich history with NASA and this award further solidifies the partnership between our respective researchers.”

All Phase I award recipients will be eligible to compete for Phase II funding and ����ֱ�� Leadership Initiatives and Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) grants. Learn more about the projects below.

Project Title: Multimodal Wireless Piezoelectric Microsensors

Award Amount: $50,000

Researchers: Reza Abdolvand and Hakhamanesh Mansoorzare ’21PhD

The third time was the charm for the Artemis I launch. After two unsuccessful launch attempts due to dangerously high engine temperatures, a crack in the fuel tank insulation and multiple fuel leaks, the rocket finally soared into orbit off the Space Coast.

To prevent these issues from delaying future Artemis missions or other NASA space explorations, a team of UCF researchers is developing a wireless multimodal sensor module that can monitor conditions such as temperature, pressure, acceleration and airflow in real time.

The module, less than a cubic centimeter, will include multiple microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonators that will measure those conditions. MEMS resonators are often used for motion sensing, time referencing and signal filtering in electronic devices but show promise in the aerospace engineering field due to their light weight, highly accurate readouts and cost-effective manufacturing.

Although the sensors will be roughly the size of a pencil eraser, they will be able to withstand extreme temperatures since there is no battery or electronics in the device. This will be the first wireless multimodal sensor of its kind.

“Piezoelectric MEMS resonators can detect change in environmental parameters without the need for any auxiliary power source such as battery as they could be powered wirelessly by a remote transceiver unit,” says Reza Abdolvand, professor and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “This will create a unique opportunity for development of compact and battery-less sensing units that could withstand a harsh environment.”

Once manufactured, the sensing system can be used across various NASA missions to detect dangerous temperatures in critical spacecraft components, monitor the pressure in fuel tanks to prevent leaks, measure the temperature and pressure of lunar regolith, and assess the climate conditions for takeoff.

Project Title: SUPERSAF-SAF for Low Emission Supersonic Transport

Award Amount: $50,000

Researchers: Subith Vasu, Justin Urso, Ramees Khaleel Rahman, Gihun Kim

Supersonic commercial aircraft may be able to fly faster than the speed of sound and reduce the time for transatlantic journeys considerably, but their ultra-fast flights powered by fossil fuels could have a harmful effect on the environment. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Subith Vasu and his team of postdoctoral scholars aim to protect the environment by studying the emissions of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), a greener alternative made from sustainable resources such as wood residues, fatty acids, fermented sugars and processed alcohols.

Several government agencies have started to test these fuels for emissions.

The team in the Vasu Lab will conduct shock tube experiments to test the NOx and soot emissions of several different SAFs. That data will be used to improve the aviation industry’s and NASA’s current chemical kinetic models that can predict the soot and NOx output of various SAFs in flight conditions.

“The data we collect could significantly improve the current chemical kinetic model and advance the production of combustors for supersonic flights,” Vasu says.

The research is timely, given NASA recently awarded contracts to both Boeing and Northrop Grumman to develop technology roadmaps and concept vehicles for supersonic aircraft. Vasu plans to work with industry partners on this research and to seek additional funding from NASA beyond the MPLAN grant.

Project Title: A CNS Digital Twin Framework for AAM

Award Amount: $50,000

Researcher: Adan Vela

Airplanes and helicopters are often spotted in the sky, but in the future, cargo-loaded drones and passenger-carrying air taxis might become a common sight. Through NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) mission, the organization aims to create a safe and accessible aerial transportation system that can send cargo or people to hard-to-reach areas or even tourist destinations.

However, before AAM can take flight, engineers must address fundamental challenges of the communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) system that supports control, command and collision of these vehicles, as they could face challenges from the low altitude at which they fly or the lack of a human pilot. Buildings or terrain could distort or delay important CNS signals such as GPS or 5G.

To better understand this problem, Industrial Engineering and Management Systems Assistant Professor Adan Vela will develop the CNS-AAM simulation engine, a digital twin framework that mimics the CNS system that the AAM would require. With the aid of computer science students, Vela will create the simulation engine in Python. The resulting framework will allow NASA, the FAA and researchers around the world to digitally develop and test new artificial intelligence algorithms that manage aircraft and CNS technologies, including cybersecurity measures that could protect UAVs from malicious attacks.

If you’re an engineering student interested in working on this project, contact Associate Professor Adan Vela at adan.vela@ucf.edu.