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Description: The Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-Systems (CCSS) Program supports innovative research in circuit and system hardware and signal processing techniques. CCSS also supports system and network architectures for communications and sensing to enable the next-generation cyber-physical systems (CPS) that leverage computation, communication, and sensing integrated with physical domains. CCSS invests in micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), physical, chemical, and biological sensing systems, neurotechnologies, and communication & sensing circuits and systems. The goal is to create new complex and hybrid systems ranging from nano- to macro-scale with innovative engineering principles and solutions for a variety of applications including but not limited to healthcare, medicine, environmental and biological monitoring, communications, disaster mitigation, homeland security, intelligent transportation, manufacturing, energy, and smart buildings. CCSS encourages research proposals based on emerging technologies and applications for communications and sensing such as high-speed communications of terabits per second and beyond, sensing and imaging covering microwave to terahertz frequencies, personalized health monitoring and assistance, secured wireless connectivity and sensing for the Internet of Things, and dynamic-data-enabled autonomous systems through real-time sensing and learning.

The Energy, Power, Control, and Networks (EPCN) Program supports innovative research in modeling, optimization, learning, adaptation, and control of networked multi-agent systems, higher-level decision making, and dynamic resource allocation, as well as risk management in the presence of uncertainty, sub-system failures, and stochastic disturbances. EPCN also invests in novel machine learning algorithms and analysis, adaptive dynamic programming, brain-like networked architectures performing real-time learning, and neuromorphic engineering. EPCN's goal is to encourage research on emerging technologies and applications including energy, transportation, robotics, and biomedical devices & systems. EPCN also emphasizes electric power systems, including generation, transmission, storage, and integration of renewable energy sources into the grid; power electronics and drives; battery management systems; hybrid and electric vehicles; and understanding of the interplay of power systems with associated regulatory & economic structures and with consumer behavior.

The Energy, Power, Control, andNetworks (EPCN) Program supports innovative research in modeling, optimization, learning, adaptation, and control of networked multi-agent systems, higher-level decision making, and dynamic resource allocation, as well as risk management in the presence of uncertainty, sub-system failures, and stochastic disturbances. EPCN also invests in novel machine learning algorithms and analysis, adaptive dynamic programming, brain-like networked architectures performing real-time learning, and neuromorphic engineering. EPCN’s goal is to encourage research on emerging technologies and applications including energy, transportation, robotics, and biomedical devices & systems. EPCN also emphasizes electric power systems, including generation, transmission, storage, and integration of renewable energy sources into the grid; power electronics and drives; battery management systems; hybrid and electric vehicles; and understanding of the interplay of power systems with associated regulatory & economic structures and with consumer behavior.

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are engineered systems that are built from, and depend upon, the seamless integration of computation and physical components. Advances in CPS will enable capability, adaptability, scalability, resiliency, safety, security, and usability that will expand the horizons of these critical systems. CPS technologies are transforming the way people interact with engineered systems, just as the Internet has transformed the way people interact with information. New, smart CPS drive innovation and competition in a range of application domains including agriculture, aeronautics, building design, civil infrastructure, energy, environmental quality, healthcare and personalized medicine, manufacturing, and transportation. Moreover, the integration of artificial intelligence with CPS creates new research opportunities with major societal implications. While tremendous progress has been made in advancing CPS technologies, the demand for innovation across application domains is driving the need to accelerate fundamental research to keep pace.

Weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems are a vital means for collecting traffic data-critical input for pavement and bridge designs-used for making transportation and freight planning decisions and in highway safety investigations. There are, however, many potential sources of error in WIM measurements which make it difficult for data collectors to evaluate data accuracy and consistency. For over a decade, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program collected a massive amount of WIM data, along with information about the performance of WIM equipment. This includes the WIM validation and calibration data from 24 LTPP Specific Pavement Studies (SPS) test sites across North America. This and other data sets provide an opportunity to develop more advanced WIM tools to help state highway practitioners perform WIM site selection, sensor selection, maintenance, development of calibration procedures including frequency, and data quality acceptance. These tools could help improve WIM data accuracy and consistency by considering factors such as temperature and seasonal effects, vehicle speed, pavement condition, changes in truck population and configurations, data sampling frequencies, system age, and other factors.

The major investments made to upgrade the MAST-U and NSTX-U facilities were strongly motivated by an important observation identified in both machines, which showed that energy confinement in spherical tokamaks may scale more favorable than for conventional aspect ratio tokamaks as collisionality is reduced. If the present empirical scalings hold, then STs may provide a much more compact design path to future fusion reactors than conventional tokamaks. At present, the interplay between collisionality, turbulent transport, wall conditioning (e.g., lithium coatings, boronization) and/or density control at low aspect ratio represents the forefront of ST research. The complementary capabilities of the MAST-U and LTX-β facilities allow for this interplay to be explored. Late in the three year period of these proposals FY 2018 - FY2020 the MAST-U facility is slated to utilize strong cryopumping capabilities in its world class advanced divertor to control plasma density and hence collisionality. Alternatively, the neutral beam heated and fueled LTX-β will control density using lithium wall coatings, which dramatically reduces the flux of cold neutral atoms that are recycled back into the plasma after their initial expulsion. In addition to plasma performance, the compact geometry of MAST-U and its future enhanced auxiliary heating power will result in exhaust power reaching plasma facing components that is in excess of that expected in ITER. This coupled with MAST-U's unprecedentedly flexible divertor geometry, makes it a world leading facility for the study of power exhaust and plasma material interactions.

Computer systems support a broad range of applications and technologies that seamlessly integrate with human users. While many key building blocks of computer systems are today commercial technologies, the challenge ahead is to envision new technologies, as well as to combine existing technologies, software, and sensing systems into the computer systems of the future that will span wearable computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), "Smart Cities," intelligent transportation systems, personalized healthcare, and beyond. Such computer systems will require new, innovative, and visionary approaches to hardware, wired and wireless communications, consideration of human-computer interactions, and new programming languages and compilers that are limited only by the imagination. They will need to be reliable in the presence of unreliable components, adaptive to changing environments, capable of supporting high-throughput applications and large-scale data storage and processing, and able to meet performance and energy objectives for applications ranging from very low-power embedded systems to large high-performance computing systems. Furthermore, computer systems of the future will need to provide mechanisms for ensuring security and privacy.

The major investments made to upgrade the MAST-U and NSTX-U facilities were strongly motivated by an important observation identified in both machines, which showed that energy confinement in spherical tokamaks may scale more favorable than for conventional aspect ratio tokamaks as collisionality is reduced. If the present empirical scalings hold, then STs may provide a much more compact design path to future fusion reactors than conventional tokamaks. At present, the interplay between collisionality, turbulent transport, wall conditioning (e.g., lithium coatings, boronization) and/or density control at low aspect ratio represents the forefront of ST research. The complementary capabilities of the MAST-U and LTX-β facilities allow for this interplay to be explored. Late in the three year period of these proposals FY 2018 - FY2020 the MAST-U facility is slated to utilize strong cryopumping capabilities in its world class advanced divertor to control plasma density and hence collisionality. Alternatively, the neutral beam heated and fueled LTX-β will control density using lithium wall coatings, which dramatically reduces the flux of cold neutral atoms that are recycled back into the plasma after their initial expulsion. In addition to plasma performance, the compact geometry of MAST-U and its future enhanced auxiliary heating power will result in exhaust power reaching plasma facing components that is in excess of that expected in ITER. This coupled with MAST-U's unprecedentedly flexible divertor geometry, makes it a world leading facility for the study of power exhaust and plasma material interactions.

On January 16, 2018, The Department of Transportation will post a request for letters of interest to perform and document the statewide Systems Engineering Analysis for Autonomous/Connected Vehicle (SEA AV/CV) projects in conformance with 23 CFR 940 and Section 1300 of the Traffic Engineering Manual. Included with this effort will be a review, and recommendations of necessary updates, to the existing statewide and MPO Regional ITS Architectures to ensure consistency with the developed SEA AV/CV document. The goal of this effort is to create the statewide framework to guide current and future AV/CV deployments. The requirements of 23 CFR 940 will be handled at the program level to the extent possible via this effort rather than on a project-by-project basis.

The Division of Chemical, Bioengineering and Environmental Transport (CBET) in the Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) is partnering with The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) to solicit research projects in the general field of tissue engineering that can utilize the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab to conduct research that will benefit life on Earth. U.S. entities including academic institutions, non-profit independent research labs and academic-commercial teams are eligible to submit proposals.

The Division of Chemical, Bioengineering and Environmental Transport (CBET) in the Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) is partnering with The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) to solicit research projects in the general field of fluid dynamics and particulate and multiphase processes that can utilize the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab to conduct research that will benefit life on Earth. U.S. entities including academic investigators, non-profit independent research labs and academic-commercial teams are eligible to apply.

he Electrochemical Systems program is part of the Chemical Process Systems cluster, which includes also 1) Catalysis; 2) Molecular Separations; and 3) Process Systems, Reaction Engineering, and Molecular Thermodynamics. The goal of the Electrochemical Systems program is to support fundamental engineering research that will enable innovative processes involving electro- or photochemistry for the sustainable production of electricity, fuels, and chemicals. Processes for sustainable energy and chemical production must be scalable, environmentally benign, reduce greenhouse gas production, and utilize renewable resources. Research projects that stress fundamental understanding of phenomena that directly impact key barriers to improved system or component-level performance (e.g., energy efficiency, product yield, process intensification) are encouraged. Processes for energy storage should address fundamental research barriers for the applications of renewable electricity storage or for transport propulsion

The Environmental Engineering program is part of the Environmental Engineering and Sustainability cluster together with 1) the Biological and Environmental Interactions of Nanoscale Materials program and 2) the Environmental Sustainability program. Environmental engineering is an interdisciplinary field that applies chemical, biological, and physical scientific principles to protect human and ecological health. The goal of the Environmental Engineering program is tosupport potentially transformative fundamental research that applies scientific and engineering principles to 1) prevent or minimize solid, liquid, and gaseous discharges of pollution to soil, water, and air; 2) mitigate the ecological and human-health impacts of such releases by smart/adaptive/reactive amendments or manipulation of the environment, and 3) remediate polluted environments through engineered chemical, biological, and/or geo-physical processes. Integral to achieving these goals is a fundamental understanding of the transport and biogeochemical reactivity of pollutants in the environment. Therefore, research on environmental micro/biology, environmental chemistry, and environmental geophysics may be relevant providing there is a clear connection to the application of environmental engineering to protect human and ecological health.

The Divisions of Chemical, Bioengineering and Environmental Transport (CBET) and Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Infrastructure (CMMI) in the Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) are partnering with The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) to solicit research projects in the general fields of tissue engineering and mechanobiology that can utilize the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab to conduct research that will benefit life on Earth. Only U.S. entities including academic investigators, non-profit independent research laboratories and academic-commercial teams are eligible to apply.

The Process Systems, Reaction Engineering and Molecular Thermodynamics program is part of the Chemical Process Systems cluster, which also includes: 1) the Catalysis program; 2) the Electrochemical Systems program; and 3) the Interfacial Engineering program. The goal of the Process Systems, Reaction Engineering and Molecular Thermodynamics program is to advance fundamental engineering research on the rates and mechanisms of chemical reactions, systems engineering and molecular thermodynamics as they relate to the design and optimization of chemical reactors and the production of specialized materials that have important impacts on society. The program supports the development of advanced optimization and control algorithms for chemical processes, molecular and multi-scale modeling of complex chemical systems, fundamental studies on molecular thermodynamics, and the integration of this information into the design of complex chemical reactors. An important area supported by the program focuses on the development of energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly chemical processes and materials. Proposals should focus on: · Chemical reaction engineering: This area encompasses the interaction of transport phenomena and kinetics in reactive systems and the use of this knowledge in the design of complex chemical reactors. Focus areas include novel reactor designs, such as catalytic and membrane reactors, micro-reactors, and atomic layer deposition systems; studies of reactions in supercritical fluids; novel activation techniques, such as plasmas, acoustics, and microwaves; design of multifunctional systems, such as "chemical-factory/lab-on-a-chip" concepts; and biomass conversion to fuels and chemicals. The program also supports new approaches that enable the design of modular chemical manufacturing systems.

The Environmental Engineering program is part of the Environmental Engineering and Sustainability cluster, which also includes 1) the Nanoscale Interactions program; and 2) the Environmental Sustainability program. Environmental engineering is an interdisciplinary field that applies chemical, biological, and physical scientific principles to protect human and ecological health. The goal of the Environmental Engineering program is tosupport potentially transformative fundamental research that applies scientific and engineering principles to 1) prevent, minimize, or re-use solid, liquid, and gaseous discharges of pollution to soil, water, and air by closing resource loops or through other measures; 2) mitigate the ecological and human-health impacts of such releases by smart/adaptive/reactive amendments or manipulation of the environment, and 3) remediate polluted environments through engineered chemical, biological, and/or geo-physical processes. Integral to achieving these goals is a fundamental understanding of the transport and biogeochemical reactivity of pollutants in the environment.

Urban Air Mobility refers to the transport of passengers and goods through the air. Groundbreaking developments in autonomous flight, energy storage and electrical propulsion, and connected infrastructure have set the stage for what many are calling the biggest revolution in the skies since the jet engine was born. Ohio has a storied history in aviation and aerospace, and today remains a vibrant hub for this critical industry.  Join stakeholders spanning government, industry, and academia on Thursday February 27th, 2020 at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, to explore Ohio's opportunity and role in advancing Urban Air Mobility. The day-long symposium will feature panels and speakers which address various elements of the complex Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ecosystem, including: Defining UAM and its specific use cases Vehicle design, enabling technologies, and certification Operational challenges: airspace integration, cyber-security, and traffic management Infrastructure: planning, zoning, and financing (with Public-Private Partnerships) Leveraging Ohio's research, testing, manufacturing, and early use cases for UAM There will be plenty of opportunities for networking throughout the event, such as our lunch and post-event reception. Guests are also encouraged to reach out to the event organizing entities to schedule follow up discussions and/or site visits to tour Ohio's capability centers such as university research labs and the Ohio UAS Center.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Divisions of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS); Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (CBET); Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI); Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS); and Mathematical Sciences (DMS) announces a solicitation on Multimodal Sensor Systems for Precision Health enabled by Data Harnessing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Learning. Next-generation multimodal sensor systems for precision health integrated with AI, machine learning (ML), and mathematical and statistical (MS) methods for learning can be envisioned for harnessing a large volume of diverse data in real time with high accuracy, sensitivity and selectivity, and for building predictive models to enable more precise diagnosis and individualized treatments. It is expected that these multimodal sensor systems will have the potential to identify with high confidence combinations of biomarkers, including kinematic and kinetic indicators associated with specific disease and disability. This focused solicitation seeks high-risk/high-return interdisciplinary research on novel concepts, innovative methodologies, theory, algorithms, and enabling technologies that will address the fundamental scientific issues and technological challenges associated with precision health.

The worldwide growth of wireless communication, navigation, and telemetry has provided immense societal benefits including mobile broadband data, Internet of Things (IoT), mobile healthcare, and intelligent transportation systems. These and other applications including 5G and beyond wireless systems call for innovations that can circumvent the challenges of radio spectrum scarcity and interference and foster the growth of ubiquitous, high speed, low latency connectivity. Commercial applications like the above must operate in harmony with scientific uses such as research on radio astronomy, Earth and atmospheric sciences, and must not inhibit weather prediction, polar research, and other nationally vital activities, all of which are dependent upon access to the radio spectrum. The National Science Foundation (NSF) continues to support wireless spectrum research and the scientific uses of the electromagnetic spectrum through multiple programs that enable fast, accurate, dynamic coordination and usage of our limited spectrum resource. These programs have created an opportune ground to build and create a large center-based ecosystem for spectrum research, which is the target of this SII-Center program.

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are engineered systems that are built from, and depend upon, the seamless integration of computation and physical components. Advances in CPS will enable capability, adaptability, scalability, resiliency, safety, security, and usability that will expand the horizons of these critical systems. CPS technologies are transforming the way people interact with engineered systems, just as the Internet has transformed the way people interact with information. New, smart CPS drive innovation and competition in a range of application domains including agriculture, aeronautics, building design, civil infrastructure, energy, environmental quality, healthcare and personalized medicine, manufacturing, and transportation. CPS are becoming data-rich enabling new and higher degrees of automation and autonomy. Traditional ideas in CPS research are being challenged by new concepts emerging from artificial intelligence and machine learning. The integration of artificial intelligence with CPS especially for real-time operation creates new research opportunities with major societal implications.