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WACO, Texas (May 12, 2016) – Today marks the official kickoff of a Collaborative Alliance (CA) between Baylor University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL). Through the CA, Baylor professors in the department of electrical and computer engineering will work alongside professors from Purdue University and collaborate with ARL Scientists and Engineers to develop next-generation radar hardware for future radar systems planned to begin operation around the year 2030.

“Unlike conventional radar, next-generation radar transmitters coexist with wireless communication devices using the same airwaves and can adjust themselves on the fly and allow for adaptation to battlefield conditions,” said Charles P. Baylis, Ph.D., associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Wireless and Microwave Circuits and Systems Program at Baylor. “Most importantly, next-generation radar will assist American warriors who sacrificially put themselves in harm’s way on our behalf.”

“Currently, important broadcast bands are both contested and congested,” said Robert J. Marks, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “Next-generation radar will come from a much smaller, more flexible device that is able to run operational rings around today’s radar and will help make cellular devices and radar best friends forever.”

The Baylor team, led by Marks and Baylis, will work alongside Dimitrios Peroulis, Ph.D., professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University, and Abbas Semnani, Ph.D., senior research scientist in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University, to develop new technology that will prove useful both in war and peacetime. These efforts will coincide with parallel research performed at the Adelphi Laboratory Center (ALC) in Adelphi, Md.

“Drs. Peroulis and Semnani are truly some of the top experts in the micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) field, and we are privileged to be able to work with them,” said Baylis. “The MEMS devices will be used to allow circuitry to change quickly. The circuits will use algorithms developed at Baylor. The partnership between Baylor and the ARL in conjunction with faculty from Purdue University is a great combination of talents and resources that will allow for greater innovation and discovery.”

The CA provides more than $850,000 in research funding that will provide research opportunities for Baylor students enrolled in the undergraduate and graduate electrical and computer engineering programs at Baylor. Research assistants will work at the ALC and the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC) in Waco, Texas. The bulk of the MEMS work will occur at Purdue’s Bright Research Center.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

With more than 10 percent of Baylor University’s freshman class pursuing major courses of study in the School of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS), the focus remains on preparing graduates for professional practice and responsible leadership with a Christian world view. ECS majors include bioinformatics, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, general engineering, and mechanical engineering. Among ECS graduate programs are Master of Science degrees in biomedical engineering, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, and mechanical engineering, Ph.D. programs in computer science, electrical and computer engineering and mechanical engineering, and several dual degree programs. The Teal Residential College, in which engineering and computer science students and faculty live, fosters the pursuit of wisdom, academic excellence, and meaningful relationships for the development of diverse, innovative leaders.

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