This award aims to create a research coordination network (RCN) in the important and timely area of millimeter-wave (mmW) wireless communications that is the focus of intense current research in academia and industry for achieving multi-Gigabit data rates and low latency as part of the emerging vision for 5G wireless and beyond. The research and development of mmW wireless networks is driven by innovations in three key areas: 1) communication and signal processing techniques, 2) mmW hardware, circuits, and antennas, and digital hardware, and 3) wireless networking. While there is significant ongoing research in all these areas, harnessing the full potential of mmW technology will require a coordinated approach that facilitates cross-fertilization of research across areas as well as across industry, academia, and government agencies. This RCN will bring together academic and industrial researchers as well as stakeholders from federal agencies to exchange information and to guide and accelerate the development and maturation of mmW wireless technology and standards. Special efforts will be made to include new and junior researchers entering this field as well as under-represented groups including women and minorities.The students involved in this project will get an invaluable research and training experience through exposure to cross-disciplinary research in academia and industry.
In this RCN, the primary mechanism for interaction between members of the research community will be through two meetings each year. The meeting location will rotate between home institutions of some of the SC members. The tentative schedule is as follows: Fall 2016 (Washington, DC), Spring 2017 (Univ of Arizona), Fall 2017 (Univ of Wisconsin - Madison), Spring 2018 (New York Univ), Fall 2018 (National Institute of Standards and Technology), Spring 2019 (Univ of California - Berkeley). Every meeting will be widely publicized to provide opportunities for participation from a diverse group. The RCN website at http://mmwrcn.ece.wisc.edu/ will provide rapid dissemination of results and news, including links to publications, annual reports, meeting announcements, summary of panel discussions, and presentations. The website will also include a data repository for ongoing work in mmW wireless in industry, academia, and federal agencies.
