During the last four years, Tennessee State University has established an interdisciplinary NSF CREST center, the Center for Systems Science Research (CSSR), which consists of components from mathematics, physics/astronomy, and electrical/mechanical engineering. Research niches have been firmly established in each of these areas and, at present, the existing research base has matured enough to permit continued significant contributions to the body of scientific knowledge. These science/engineering niches form the four research thrust components of this renewal proposal: (1) optimal and robust control (electrical engineering), (2) modeling of complex astrophysical systems (physics/astronomy), (3) large-scale stochastic dynamic systems (mathematics), and (4) modeling of complex flows (mechanical engineering).
These four research components from diverse science/engineering disciplines seek to understand the behavior of complex physical systems by utilizing mathematical models. CSSR researchers in each thrust component have worked independently and side by side for the last four years, and fruitful collaborative interactions have resulted in cross discipline approaches to problem solving.
The Center for Systems Science Research has as its primary goals (1) the establishment of a permanent research base at Tennessee State University which produces new knowledge and quality, publishable, peer-reviewed research relevant to NSF research goals and (2) the enhancement of participation and substantial involvement of minority students and faculty in SMET research areas.
In reference to Goal 1, the TSU CREST Center has published 171 articles, 139 of these in refereed journals or conference proceedings, during its first four years. Each thrust area has produced significant new knowledge, e.g. the control systems group introduced the concept of controller "fragility" which resulted in a special session at the 1999 American Control Conference, the astrophysics group confirmed the existence of extra solar planets by discovering the first planet in the star system HD 20945,the applied math group has expanded the probabilistic analysis and computational methods for large-scale stochastic dynamic systems, and the CFD groups collaboration with the NSF ERC at Mississippi State University has resulted in a model which predicts the effects of icing on the aerodynamics and structural characteristics of aircraft.
During the same time period, the pursuit of Goal 2 has resulted in the support and participation of 35 undergraduate and 7 graduate African-American students on average per year. During the past four years, support for both graduates and undergraduates has averaged over $200,000 per year for various combinations of tuition, fees, room and board, and stipends, and this same level of support is requested for the renewal period. The CREST Student Program Coordinator matches student participants with CREST researchers. Students present their work at the TSU University Wide Research Symposium and at the NSF/NASA/TSU Student Research Symposium. Students have also been co-authors with CREST researchers on journal/conference papers.
Thus far eight underrepresented minority students have received their MS degrees, five of whom are now pursuing a Ph.D. In the Fall Semester, 2001 the university began enrollment of students in the newly established Ph.D. program in Computer Information Systems Engineering which is housed in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science. The NSF HRD CREST program was the catalyst that "fast-tracked" this initiative through the university, the Tennessee Board of Regents, and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
