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September 28, 2015 - In This Issue:
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ALERT Undergraduate Research
Building the DHS Education Pipeline
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This summer, ALERT hosted 5 undergraduate students to participate in the 10-week REU program. At Northeastern University, two students worked with Prof. Carey Rappaport, one with Prof. Jose Martinez-Lorenzo, and one with John Beaty and Alyssa White. ALERT also hosted one REU at the University of Puerto Rico Mayag�ez who did research with Prof. Samuel Hernandez.
The ALERT REU program also partnered with other REU programs in the College of Engineering to build a cohort of 14 students who jointly attended professional development meetings and program activities, including presentations on Research Ethics, Lab Safety, Power Point Presentation Skills and Scientific Storytelling. At the end of the summer each student gave a final presentation on their research project. The final presentations consisted of 10-minute overviews of each REU's research project, addressing their project's overall mission and activities, their specific contributions to the project, as well as what knowledge and skills they gained.
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Student Spotlight: Michael Collins, Northeastern University
Preparing to complete the CDP in fall 2015!
Congratulations to Michael Collins, who graduated from Northeastern University in August 2014 with his MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, as he is preparing to complete his participation in the ALERT DHS HS-STEM (Homeland Security Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Career Development Program!
The Career Development Program (CDP) was established in 2011 with a grant to Northeastern University from the Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate. In 2015 the program was expanded and renamed, and now awards fellowships to full-time students pursuing BS, MS or PhD degrees related to ALERT's research. After completing their degree graduates are required to obtain paid employment within the Homeland Security Enterprise for at least one year.
During his time at Northeastern, Michael worked with Prof. Carey Rappaport on a project focused on the feasibility of using Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance sensing for non-invasive detection of explosives hidden inside the body, in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory. Now, Michael is working at the Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) a NATO organization located in La Spezia, Italy. So far, he has worked on technology that improves underwater communication, performed acoustic modeling, and has participated in a naval exercise in Norway. Of his current role, Michael says, "I am now in charge of a project that reduces the risk faced by submariners. Like the research that I conducted at ALERT, it's good to know that my current work makes people safer."
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ADSA13 Workshop Announcement
October 28-29, 2015, Northeastern University, Boston
The Thirteenth Advanced Development for Security Applications Workshop (ADSA13) will be held on October 28th and 29th at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. The focus of this workshop will be a continuation of the ADSA12, and is titled, "Screening of Personnel and Divested Items at the Checkpoint - Part II." The workshop is being convened by the DHS Center of Excellence (COE) for Awareness and Localization of Explosives-Related Threats (ALERT). This workshop is by invitation only.
If you are interested in learning more, or receiving an invitation, please contact Melanie Smith at [email protected].
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DHS Funds AIT Task Order
Congratulations Profs. Rappaport and Martinez!
ALERT at Northeastern University has been awarded a $1,200,000 Task Order contract from the Department of Homeland Security to transition ALERT's Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) research, led by Prof. Carey Rappaport and Prof. Jose Martinez-Lorenzo, into technology suitable for commercialization. Two algorithm projects will be adapted for industrial partners: Nearfield radar material characterization of concealed body-borne dielectric threats (including explosives); and automatic body surface reconstruction using time of flight monostatic radar.
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 TESSA02 Workshop a Success!
August 5, 2015, Northeastern University, Boston
ALERT hosted the 2nd Annual "Trace Explosives Sampling for Security Applications" (TESSA02) Workshop on August 5, 2015 at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. The TESSA01 Workshop, held in August 2014, was the first in the workshop series, and involved the development of a roadmap for understanding contact sampling for trace explosives detection. The topic of contact sampling was chosen for the workshop series in order to support the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) objective of improving the performance of existing technologies. The theme of this year's TESSA Workshop was "Fundamentals and Advances in Trace Sampling and Detection" and was led by Professor Steve Beaudoin of the University of Purdue. The workshop focused primarily on the fundamentals that control contact sampling processes. Recent advances in contact sampling technology were also showcased, as were complementary activities in vapor-phase detection from the Trace Explosives Detection Thrust in the ALERT Center of Excellence. |
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STUDENT & RESEARCHER OPPORTUNITIES
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Opportunities at Raytheon Company
Search over 200 open positions
Raytheon Company has over 200 open engineering positions for recent graduates seeking full-time employment, as well as opportunities for students seeking co-ops and internships. Positions are available throughout the country and internationally. For detailed job information and information on how to apply, visit their website linked below!
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Image Formation in X-Ray Computer Tomography Conference
July 18 - 22, 2016, Bamberg Germany
The 4th International Conference on Image Formation in X-Ray Computed Tomography will be held in Bamberg, Germany, from July 18 to July 22, 2016. The conference covers all aspects of medical CT image formation, and of industrial and security CT applications. Details about the meeting can be found on the following website: www.ct-meeting.org. Information about how to submit an abstract can be found on the event website; the deadline to submit abstracts is January 18, 2016.
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Pathways to Science
Funding opportunities for STEM students
The Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP) Pathways to Science project supports pathways to the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) by connecting students to programs such as REUs, graduate fellowships, and postdoctoral positions. Students can sign up online to automatically receive information on research, funding, and professional development opportunities customized to their interests.
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