1160924 Pennsylvania State University; Mohsen Kavehrad 1161010 Georgia Tech; Gee-Kung Chang
The Center for Optical Wireless Applications (COWA) will focus on generating technology that enables manufacturing of specific devices with larger communications capacity, employing integrated opto-electronics device design with interfaces necessary to facilitate collaborative device, system and network design. Pennsylvania State University (PSU) and Georgia Tech (GT) are collaborating to establish the proposed center, with PSU as the lead institution.
The objective of this proposal is to establish an NSF-sponsored Industry & University Cooperative Research Center on Optical Wireless Applications (COWA), in order to explore Optical Wireless Technology and economic potentials of energy efficient light sources through innovative designs and applications of solid-state optical sources and detectors for a wide range of practices that include optical imaging, remote sensing, communications and networking. The envisioned Center is based on the integration of interdisciplinary expertise at PSU, and GT with devices and systems-based engineering design and networking concepts.
The envisioned Center will include efforts to instill the cultural paradigm shift associated with promoting research programs of interest to both industry and universities; exploring and extending the interface between engineering systems design, networking and integrated electro-optic device designs; improving the intellectual capacity of the workforce through industrial participation and conduct of high-quality research projects; and developing curriculum in components, systems and networks design aspects of optical wireless applications. The results of this research are expected to contribute to the business competitiveness, energy security, environmental protection, and climate forecast. The proposed Center will make every effort to promote diversity. In addition, it will work with existing university resources to recruit and build strong relationships with minority and women-owned companies.
