USAFA-BAA-2015 Amend 3.pdf

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA)

1. Agency Name

United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) Colorado Springs, CO

2. Funding Opportunity Number

USAFA–BAA-2015

3. Funding Opportunity Title

Research Interests of the United States Air Force Academy

4. Types of Instruments Awarded

Research and development contracts, grants and cooperative agreements

5. Announcement Type

Amendment 0003 to Initial Announcement

6. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Numbers

12.800

7. Opportunity Overview

USAFA’s Research Center is announcing to business and academia the intent to solicit white papers/proposals for USAFA research efforts through this BAA. This strategy provides USAFA an acquisition tool with the flexibility to solicit proposals and make awards to develop technologies to meet present and future Air Force research needs as technology issues are identified. USAFA invites white papers and proposals for research in many broad areas. These areas are described in detail in Section I, Funding Opportunity Description. Additional information regarding USAFA Research Centers, Departments and Institutes may be found at www.usafa.edu.

USAFA is seeking unclassified research white papers and proposals that do not contain proprietary information. Requests for white papers/proposals are also transmitted via calls which may be published separately from the BAA at various times during the open period of the BAA.

It is anticipated awards will be made in the form of grants, cooperative agreements or contracts. USAFA reserves the right to select and fund for award all, some, or none of the white papers/proposals in response to this announcement. All awards are contingent upon funds availability for the program areas identified.

Unless specifically indicated in a RFP or a call, cost sharing is permitted and encouraged, but not required.

Awards based on responses to this BAA are considered to be the result of full and open competition. Small businesses are encouraged to submit white papers against any Research Center’s Areas of Interest described within this BAA. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, unless otherwise stated in the BAA amendments shall be: 541714, Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) and 541715, Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology).

Interested offerors should be alert for any BAA amendments, calls, or other changes to the requirements of this BAA or its subsequent amendments. Amendments to and/or calls on this BAA will be posted to the FedBizOpps.gov and Grants.gov website and published when they occur. Interested parties are encouraged to periodically check these websites for updates and amendments. White papers and proposals submitted in response to this BAA shall be in accordance with the requirements of this BAA and its appropriate amendments.

USAFA will not issue paper copies of this announcement. The costs of white papers and/or complete proposals in response to this BAA are not considered an allowable direct charge to any award resulting from this BAA or any other award. Technical and cost proposals, or any other material, submitted in response to this BAA will not be returned.

This publication constitutes a BAA as contemplated in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.102(d)(2) and the DoD Grants and Agreements Regulation (DoDGARs) Subpart 22.315(a).

8. Response Dates

This announcement remains open until superseded. White papers are reviewed and evaluated as they are received and may be submitted at any time. The white paper/proposal submission process is discussed in sections IV and V of this BAA. Proposals will be due according to specific instructions contained in a separate Request for Proposal (RFP) notice resulting from favorable white paper evaluations or calls issued against this BAA. Calls may be placed against this BAA and specific information related to due dates will be provided in each call. Proposals or white papers submitted in response to calls should be submitted according to directions contained within each individual call and in accordance with this BAA. Late bid and proposal provisions (in accordance with (IAW) Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) 52.215-1(c) (3)) will apply to this BAA.

Table of Contents

I. OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

a. Research Centers

1. Aeronautics (Aeronautics Research Center)

2. Aeronautics (High Performance Computing Research Center)

3. Aeronautics (Hypersonic Vehicle Simulation Institute)

4. Astronautics (Space Systems Research Center)

5. Biosystems, Microbial Fuel Cells/Microbial Solar Cells and Microbial Extremophiles (Life Sciences Research Center)

6. Chemistry (Chemistry Research Center)

7. Computer Science (Academy Center for Cyberspace Research)

8. Engineering Mechanics (Center for Aircraft Structural Life Extension)

9. Laser and Optical Physics (Laser & Optics Research Center)

10. Physics (Space Physics & Atmospheric Research Center)

11. Center for Physics Education Research (CPER)

12. Academy Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research (UAS)

14. Civil and Enviromental Engineering Research

15. Electrical and Computer Engineering Research

16. Center for Space Situational Awareness Research (Department of Physics)

b. Research Institute

1. Institute for Information Technology Applications

2. Institute for National Security Studies

3. Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies

c. Other

1. Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership

2. Department of Foreign Languages and the Office of International Programs

3. Interdepartmental Program of Operations Research and Analytics

4. Air Force CyberWorx

5. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

6. Digital Humanities Center

7. Military and Strategic Studies (Center for Airpower Studies)

II. AWARD INFORMATION

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

I. Opportunity Description

The USAFA invests in an active research program for three main reasons. First and foremost, research significantly enhances the cadet learning experience. Our research is done by, for and with cadets who work alongside fellow cadets and faculty mentors. Research provides cadets with rich independent learning opportunities as they tackle ill-defined problems and are challenged to apply their knowledge and abilities.

Second, our research program provides opportunities essential for faculty development. Research broadens and deepens the experience base of the faculty. This infuses current, relevant, state-of-the-art and cutting-edge applications and examples into the curriculum. This also helps our faculty remain current in their respective fields.

Third, at USAFA we strive to conduct research to enhance the ability of the Air Force to perform its mission. There are ongoing research projects spanning topics as diverse as super hypersonics, cyber security, spatial disorientation, athletic performance and homeland defense. This BAA offers a vehicle for research to be performed to satisfy these three objectives, while also meeting research needs of industry counterparts/serve a public purpose. All awards issued against this BAA must serve to benefit the objectives identified above.

a. Research Centers

1. Aeronautics (Aeronautics Research Center)

The Aeronautics Research Center (ARC) performs a range of aeronautical research tasks in support of Air Force (AF), Department of Defense (DoD), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other government and commercial sponsors. Making use of the highly diverse and advanced experimental facilities housed in the USAFA Department of Aeronautics, the ARC pursues a range of aeronautic and propulsion research efforts. The research program in this center is geared toward providing all undergraduates with a rich, relevant research experience while answering critical research needs of our highly varied customer base. Researchers may expect extensive access to premier facilities, tremendous latitude of pursuits and single-minded focus on research tasks, but must seek to incorporate student participation in their projects, typically two to four students per semester. Substantial effort in this center is directed toward the solution of multi-disciplinary problems which may require skills beyond classical aeronautics disciplines, including plasma and laser physics, optics, automatic controls and applied mathematics. The ARC, in partnership with the USAFA Modeling and Simulation Center, is a leader in the complementary employment of experiment and simulation to solve complex fluid, aerodynamic and control problems.

Current research strengths include several complementary thrusts. Closed loop flow control efforts focus on aero-optic control and control of flexible structures under aerodynamic loading. There is extensive effort in the development of automatic control algorithms and techniques, experimental flow control methodologies, fluid-structure interactions and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Well-developed and modern force and moment measurement capabilities in low speed (M < 0.1) and subsonic (up to Mach 0.6) wind tunnels are employed in the investigation of numerous air vehicle modifications as well as development of new aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) designs. Flight test of small air vehicles can be arranged using USAFA facilities. A Mach-6 Ludwieg tube is now available, complementing an existing Mach 4.4 blow down facility for supersonic and hypersonic investigations, emphasizing shock wave-boundary layer interactions.

Operating engines, including an F-109 turbo fan and several internal combustion engines, are used for fuels and flow quality investigations, with a current emphasis in ejectors, ducted fans, and propellers for small air vehicles. Researchers are encouraged to propose topics in these areas and other allied aeronautics subjects. USAFA is a pioneer in arranging for wind tunnel concepts to be field tested in flight vehicles, both “test mules” and small air vehicles designed and built in-house.

Vehicles are then flown in USAFA-controlled airspace.

A list of current and available research facilities can be found at www.usafa.edu.

Thomas E. McLaughlin, Ph.D.

Director, Aeronautics Research Center USAFA Department of Aeronautics

(719) 333-2613 Tom.Mclaughlin@usafa.edu

2. Aeronautics (High Performance Computing Research Center)

The High Performance Computing Research Center (HPCRC) is a multi-disciplinary center which shares a dual mission of providing high performance computing resources to USAFA cadets and research/teaching personnel, as well as conducting physics-based modeling and simulation research tasks in support of AF, DoD, NASA and other government and commercial sponsors. Making use of distributed/shared memory computing systems and a dedicated research network, the Center pursues a range of computational research efforts. The research program in this center is geared toward providing undergraduates with scientific computing experience supported by the DoD High Performance Computing Modernization Program and projects which answer critical research needs of our highly varied customer base. Researchers may expect extensive access to premier facilities, tremendous latitude of pursuits and single-minded focus on research tasks, but must seek to incorporate cadet participation in their projects, typically two to four cadets per semester.

The HPCRC, in partnership with the USAFA Aeronautics Research Center, is a leader in the complementary employment of experiment and simulation to solve complex fluid, aerodynamic and control problems. Current fluid/aerodynamic research interests include:

Massively-separated flow aerodynamics, including turbulence modeling Chemical, oxygen, iodine laser operation optimization Reduced-order modeling for aircraft stability and control characterization Fluid-structure interaction as applied to aero-elasticity as well as other linear and non-linear problem sets Non-equilibrium gas dynamics typical of high-altitude, rarefied flows as well as hypersonic atmospheric re-entry Gas turbine propulsion devices (including inlets, compressors, turbines and nozzles), high-speed propulsion devices such as ramjets and scramjets Other topics of interest involving the use of high performance computing resources for the solution of complex scientific and engineering problems

The HPCRC also works in partnership with other USAFA academic departments and research centers to develop computational simulation capabilities using high performance computing (HPC) resources. Current research interests in this area include:

Development of tools and techniques to ease the delivery of HPC services to users and researchers without a significant computational background (including undergraduate students)

Development of software methods, processes, tools and utilities to solve complex science and engineering problems using HPC resources (including General Purpose Graphical Processing Units or GPGPUs)

Development of parallel software processes and tools to improve maintainability, efficiency and scalability

Roger Greenwood, Lt Col Director, High Performance Computing Research Center USAFA Department of Aeronautics

(719) 333-4010 Roger.Greenwood@usafa.edu

3. Aeronautics (Hypersonic Vehicle Simulation Institute)

The Hypersonic Vehicle Simulation Institute (HVSI) funds and performs a range of hypersonic research tasks in support of the DoD High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP). HPCMP desires to improve computational simulations of hypersonic vehicles in support of Department of Defense goals by accelerating the successful development of HPC software and hardware. HVSI has the objectives to: facilitate the development and documentation of a national vision for hypersonic vehicle simulation; co-fund projects in the gaps of current DoD, DOE, NASA, and Industry research efforts critical to achieving DoD hypersonic vehicle simulation; facilitate transition of hypersonic research into production quality simulation software available to government, academic, and industry acquisition partners; create a national repository for hypersonic simulation verification and validation data; provide computational resources to provide a measurable leap forward in hypersonic system simulation capability for DoD hypersonic system acquisition. The HVSI will be looking to improve computational simulation approaches including numerical methods, modeling approaches, and simulation of a variety of aerothermodynamic and propulsion aspects of hypersonic flight. Specific science and technology areas include turbulence, boundary layer transition, fluid-structure-thermal interactions, non-equilibrium chemistry, ablation, and combustion.

Russell M. Cummings, Ph.D.

Director, Hypersonic Vehicle Simulation Institute USAFA Academy Department of Aeronautics

(719) 333-9223 Russ.Cummings@usafa.edu

4. Astronautics (Space Systems Research Center)

The Space Systems Research Center performs a wide range of activities involving the design, assembly, integration, test, launch and flight of small satellites to conduct research for the AF and the DoD. This unique program blends science, technology and organizational skills like none other at the USAFA. The Center is currently operating FalconSAT-3 (launched 2007) preparing to operate

FalconSAT-6 (to launch 2018) and developing FalconSAT-8 (to launch in 2019), which host DoD Space Experiments Review Board-approved experiments. Other research areas are educational nanosatellites of the CubeSat form factor. Designing a satellite is a complex, multi-disciplinary undertaking requiring expertise across a number of technical disciplines. The goal of all SSRC research is to enable cadets to ‘learn space by doing space’ The Department of Astronautics, in partnership with the Space System Research Center, aims to extend this expertise through researching and applying design experiences and examples to support the AF and DoD.

Currently available facilities, instrumentation and research efforts can be found at www.usafa.edu.

Daniel Showalter, Major, Ph.D.

Director, Space Systems Research Center USAFA Department of Astronautics

(719) 333-3315 Daniel.Showalter@usafa.edu

5. Biosystems and Extremophiles: Metabolic Regulation and Energy Transformation

Mechanisms (Life Sciences Research Center)

The Life Sciences Research Center’s (LSRC) primary mission is to support the Air Force’s research programs at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and Air Force Research Laboratories (AFRL) through faculty and cadet research efforts. Within the Department of Biology at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), LSRC is seeking research partnerships to investigate changes in metabolism with regards to improving human performance. Insight into the nature of the cellular response of this process is of basic science importance and also relevant to recovery and adaptation from physical exertion, wound healing, tissue regeneration, and transplantation. Further, our center also wishes to uncover the unique protective properties of microbial photosynthetic extremophiles (algae or cyanobacteria that are thermophilic, acidophilic, desiccation tolerant, etc.) and to develop novel genetic engineering systems for these organisms.

Critical aspects of human performance and physiology are controlled by metabolic circuits that provide cellular ATP. These circuits are especially responsive to O2 levels (influenced by exertion or altitude), reactive O2 species (ROS), and the types/levels of dietary biochemical fuels. The Department of Defense (DOD) is interested in rapidly modulating human cell metabolic rates in response to a myriad of physiological and environmental cues. This can enable high-levels of ATP production in stressful conditions, even when energetic constraints exist because of sleep/caloric limitations (especially fatigue prevention). Despite extensive characterizations of the primary protein/enzyme machinery contributing to cellular ATP production, very little is known. Especially about how this machinery is controlled or how these pathways are dynamically regulated in response to signaling events and alterations in cellular redox status. There is growing interest in establishing fundamental mechanisms of metabolic regulation by redox sensors in model systems. One such approach could involve using bacterial, yeast and mammalian cell systems in parallel, to probe how cells respond to physiological changes brought about by varying levels of oxygen (the “Crabtree Effect”) and nutrients. This would involve interrogating the control mechanisms cells use to regulate energy transformation when faced with dynamic redox conditions, e.g., fluctuating levels of energy carriers and/or O2.

The LSRC is also interested in investigating the relevant properties of extremophilic, thermophilic, acidophilic, desert crust microbiota, etc., with a focus on discovering and understanding the basic natural mechanisms used by these organisms to survive harsh environments. Relatively little is understood about energy transformation or enzymatic engineering within these biosystems (some of which capture solar energy, converting it to chemical energy). Further investigation of extremophiles and their mechanisms of metabolic regulation could lead to increasing energy production by these microorganisms, providing potential value in emerging technologies such as bioelectrochemical systems. Unraveling the complexities behind the aforementioned areas could perhaps lead to faster catalysis in materials identification or degradation, and could eventually lead to the ability for long term bio-sensing capability. Research efforts will focus on strain selection, cultivation and characterization, with a view to improving the overall metabolism of these robust microbial cultures for increased protective systems and energy capability.

Research activities in these areas could be carried out by a commercial or academic partner with experience in conducting and participating in R&D relating to the previously mentioned areas along with placing an exceptional research scientist at USAFA. Applications for on-site USAFA research are encouraged from individuals from a variety of backgrounds; phycology, microbiology, biochemistry, extremophile physiology, electrochemistry, genetic engineering, and microbial fuel cells (MFCs). We are especially centered on isolation and identification of desiccation tolerant photosynthetic microorganisms, and developing methods for making them tractable to genetic manipulation. These research thrusts have applications for the U.S. Air Force ranging from protein stability under harsh conditions to energy transfer across biotic/abiotic interfaces to the development of biosensors for threat detection and mitigation. Collaboration should include leadership and guidance on the proposed research areas for laboratory technicians/students, partner scientists, chemists and engineers on experimental work at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and biochemistry.

Because of the USAFA mission to prepare young men and women for leadership positions within the Air Force, cadet participation with researchers is expected as part of our independent study projects (499s) and cadet summer research program (visiting partner labs). Additionally, there is potential for cross disciplinary involvement from a number of academic departments other than Biology, such as Chemistry (biochemistry), Engineering (model production), and Management (project analysis). There are also potential collaboration opportunities with other academic institutions, private companies and other Air Force research agencies.

Donald V. Veverka, Ph.D.

Director, Life Sciences Research Center USAFA Department of Biology

(719) 333-9670 Don.Veverka@usafa.edu

6. Chemistry (Chemistry Research Center)

The opportunity to participate in basic and applied research by faculty, staff, and cadets is important to the overall mission of the Air Force Academy. The Chemistry Research Center (CRC) provides for professional development of faculty members and resident researchers in addition to enhanced education of cadets through research programs in support of the Air Force as well as DoD R&D directives. In order to accomplish a portion of this, the CRC has had proven success by external partnering with academia, industry, and national laboratories in order to leverage an expanding technology base.

Current topics of interest in the CRC are renewable materials, light harvesting organic electronics, fluoropolymers, energetic composites, smart coatings, liquid crystalline elastomers, and high temperature composite resins and fibers. Research partnerships usually take place on-site using the laboratories and analytical instrumentation located in the Department of Chemistry at the US Air Force Academy (USAFA). Interested inquiries should contact the CRC POC before submission to ensure proposals are feasible for funding and of technical interest to the CRC.

A short description of the CRC research and capabilities is available at www.usafa.edu/research/research-centers/chemistry-research-center/

Scott T. Iacono, Ph. D.

Director, Chemistry Research Center USAFA Department of Chemistry

(719) 333-6005 Scott.Iacono@usafa.edu

7. Computer Science (Academy Center for Cyberspace Research)

The Academy Center for Cyberspace Research (ACCR) conducts research in a wide range of areas within the fields of Computer and Cyber Science in support of the AF, DoD and other government and commercial sponsors. All cadets in the Computer Science and Cyber Science majors receive research experience through independent studies, course projects and summer research opportunities.

ACCR has four primary research focus areas: system security analysis, immersive environments (augmented and virtual reality), artificial intelligence and autonomy, and big-data analytics. In addition to these four primary focus areas, ACCR can conduct research in any topics related to the field of Computer and Cyber Science provided there is sufficient faculty and cadet interest. State of the art facilities are available to students and researchers providing capabilities for network and platform vulnerability analysis; industrial control system/supervisory control and data acquisition security analysis and development; provably secure software development; network security stack analysis; virtual and augmented reality applications; high-performance computing; robotics and unmanned systems design, analysis, and operation; unmanned aerial swarms and multi-vehicle cooperation. ACCR is especially interested in research that incorporates proposed student projects. Current topics of research include operational network penetration testing techniques and tools, provably secure network applications, network security stack capability and shortfall analysis, virtual reality exposure therapy, augmented reality for distributed command and control, emergency response augmentation through virtual reality, counter-unmanned aerial systems swarm techniques, unmanned aerial swarm behaviors, and business process automation. Researchers are encouraged to propose topics in these areas as well as other cyberspace and computer science topics.

Currently available facilities, publications and research efforts can be found at www.usafa.edu.

Judson Dressler, Major Director, Academy Center for Cyberspace Research USAFA Department of Computer Science

(719) 333-8328 Judson.Dressler@usafa.edu

8. Engineering Mechanics (Center for Aircraft Structural Life Extension)

The Center for Aircraft Structural Life Extension (CAStLE) has a two-fold mission in support of the safe sustainment of aging structures and other material degradation related fields.

The first aspect of the CAStLE mission is to perform a wide range research and technology development projects focused on delivering science and technology (S&T) products to various government, academic and commercial sponsors. Making use of the extensive experimental and computational facilities housed in the USAFA Department of Engineering Mechanics and elsewhere, CAStLE pursues a range of research efforts in a wide variety of fields. These fields include engineering mechanics, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, corrosion engineering, and material science. CAStLE places more emphasis on applied research and that part of development not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement. CAStLE is a leader in the complementary employment of experiment and simulation to solve complex static stability, static strength and fracture mechanics problems. Current research strengths include advanced barrier coatings; static strength and static stability design; corrosion modeling, prevention and control;

validation testing, analysis and methods development; computational structural and fracture mechanics; root-cause (failure) analysis; flight data acquisition system development, installation, maintenance and data analysis; educational curriculum research and development; structural risk analysis; forensic structural teardown analysis and research tied to the USAF Aircraft Structural Integrity Program (ASIP). The interaction between corrosion, cracking, and other material degradation/damage mechanisms and their effect on structural integrity has been a long-standing interest of CAStLE. There is DoD-level interest in material degradation in structures—to include corrosion, cracking and other service related damage mechanisms.

The second and no less important aspect of the CAStLE mission is produce individuals with education, training and experience, who will form the future core of the structures and material degradation technical community within the government and the general professional population. To this end CAStLE seeks to leverage research and S&T products to create educational experiences that will prepare and inspire future generations in relevant fields that support obtaining solutions to material degradation issues in structures. Past research programs have provided service academy cadets, college students, primary students, and faculty with rich, relevant research experiences while answering critical research needs of our highly varied customer base. New research projects must likewise seek to directly incorporate students or in some way educationally benefit students. Besides student participation elements in our S&T product development projects, CAStLE has education-based projects in distance learning, primary education curriculum and design research, science center education programs, and the creation of a wide variety of web-based video-delivered educational products. Producing individuals to form the material degradation technical core naturally requires those individuals to be prepared in the sciences, math and other technical areas related to engineering and technical topic areas which are appropriate to the age and background of the target audience.

There is DoD-level interest in educationally preparing and inspiring future generations to pursue careers in material degradation of structures—to include corrosion, cracking and other service related damage mechanisms.

Gregory A. Shoales, Ph.D., P.E., Director, Center for Aircraft Structural Life Extension (CAStLE) USAFA Department of Engineering Mechanics

(719) 333-6213 Gregory.Shoales.1@us.af.mil

9. Laser and Optical Physics (Laser & Optics Research Center)

The Laser and Optics Research Center (LORC) performs a range of research tasks in support of the AF, DoD, DOE, National Science Foundation and other government and commercial sponsors.

Making use of the extensive experimental facilities housed in the USAFA Department of Physics, the Center pursues a range of research efforts. The research programs in this center are geared toward providing all undergraduates with a rich, relevant research experience while answering critical research needs of our highly varied customer base. Researchers may expect extensive access to premier facilities, tremendous latitude of pursuits and single-minded focus on research tasks, but must seek to incorporate student participation in their projects, typically two to four students per semester.

Current research areas of emphasis comprise five broad areas. In the atomic physics area, precision measurements of atomic properties are a primary focus of investigation. These include measurements of atomic state lifetimes and branching ratios in alkalis such as cesium, sodium, potassium and rubidium along with alkaline-earth elements such as strontium which have atomic clock applications.

Also the interaction of alkali atoms with inert gases is being studied for their collisional excitation transfer properties which are important to the operation of alkali lasers. This area is closely related to our second area of emphasis: the study of diode-pumped alkali lasers (DPAL). Key objectives of the DPAL research program are investigating their potential for scaling to high average power, investigating various amplifier and resonator configurations and improving the spectral and spatial output characteristics of high power semiconductor diode pump sources. Applications such as second harmonic generation and sum frequency generation are also part of this effort. Other gas lasers such as carbon monoxide lasers operating infrared wavelengths are also investigated.

Fiber laser research involves novel fiber designs including photonic crystal fibers and acoustically-engineered fibers for the suppression of non-linear effects in high-power fiber lasers, fiber components necessary for coherent beam combining, fiber laser and amplifier characterization, novel fiber manufacturing and processing methods, high-brightness, efficient, wavelength-stabilized pump sources, modeling and simulation of fiber lasers and amplifiers and fiber laser applications including but not limited to remote sensing, tracking, directed energy weapons and communications.

High-performance imaging research is focused on novel wavefront measurement and manipulation techniques including holographic wavefront sensing and correction and photon sieve telescopes. Key objectives include developing and demonstrating imaging technology suitable for integration into rugged compact devices and aerospace platforms.

Nanomaterials research includes the application of novel materials structures for the manipulation of light including negative index materials, phonon-photon superlattices, tunable dielectrics, ferro-electric and ferro-magnetic oxides, surface plasmonics and black silicon for photo-detector and solar cell applications. Researchers are encouraged to propose topics in these areas and other related subjects.

Martin D. Johnson Deputy Director, Laser & Optics Research Center USAFA Department of Physics

(719) 333-2579 Martin.Johnson@usafa.edu

10. Physics (Space Physics & Atmospheric Research Center)

The Space Physics and Atmospheric Research Center (SPARC) studies the natural environment from the troposphere to the sun in support of AF, DoD, NASA, NSF and other government and commercial sponsors. Making use of the extensive experimental facilities housed in the USAFA Department of Physics, the SPARC pursues a range of efforts. The research program in this center is geared toward providing all undergraduates with a rich, relevant research experience while answering critical research needs of our highly varied customer base. Researchers may expect extensive access to premier facilities, tremendous latitude of pursuits and single-minded focus on research tasks, but must seek to incorporate student participation in their projects, typically two to four students per semester. Substantial effort in this center is directed toward the solution of multi-disciplinary problems which may require skills beyond classical physics disciplines, including plasma and laser physics, advanced miniaturization techniques, use of Micro-Electro-Mechanical- Systems, development of miniaturized automated satellite constellations and advanced data mining techniques for large data systems. The SPARC is a leader in the development of miniaturized payloads for small satellites, and the application of data provided by these payloads to relevant Department of Defense problems. SPARC research interests vary depending on the sponsoring agencies interests.

Current research strengths include several complementary thrusts. Space physics and space weather study the relationship of the space environment and the effects this environment have on mankind.

Topics in space weather can range from experimental, such as developing new instrumentation to measure the space environment, to theoretical, such as developing assimilative models which can be used to predict the space environment into the future. Linked with space physics and space weather, the micro- and nano-satellite thrust develops aggressively miniaturized spacecraft for use in small inexpensive constellations devoted to exploiting the entire range of space activities of interest to sponsors. The applied physics thrust considers all applications of physics to the practical applications of technology of interest to sponsors. In the past has included studies of plasma actuators, high speed spectroscopy in support of brief duration phenomena in the troposphere, mesosphere and the ionosphere, studies of the aurora and applications of weather modeling to highly dynamic small scale areas such as the USAFA. Finally, the Department supports a wide range of basic research in astronomy and astrophysics in support of the USAFA observatory.

Matthew G. McHarg, Ph.D.

Director, Space Physics and Atmospheric Research Center USAFA Department of Physics

(719) 333-2460 (Desk), Phone: (719) 333-3510 (Front Office) Matthew.Mcharg@usafa.edu

11. Center for Physics Education Research (CPER)

The Center for Physics Education Research (CPER) was founded in 1994 to build a USAFA center of gravity providing impetus, opportunities and tools for physics faculty at USAFA and nationwide, as well as engage in and apply Scholarship of Teaching and Learning-like (SoTL) research activities within the Department of Physics. The CPER maintains extensive ties and collaborations with similar research programs nationwide.

The primary goals of the CPER are to:

Engage in research initiatives that quantify gains in student understanding and appreciation of physics. Efforts in this category leverage the random assignment of students within Core Physics sections to categorize and assess gains in performance of students within a single semester and across multiple semesters. In addition to analyzing performance on standardized assessments, there is considerable interest in analyzing student response patterns, developing assessment rubrics and understanding prior student knowledge and correlating learning gains with other metrics such as instruction techniques and student engagement.

Develop and share tools for enhancing teaching and student learning in physics. Of particular interest is the research and development related to pedagogical techniques and supporting tools for the Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) initiative, the signature CPER effort.

This effort includes the extension of JiTT to develop student Self-Explanations under a Worked Example model of instruction. Additional efforts include development of tutorials (to include computer simulations) for both beginning and intermediate physics students.

Maintain a connection between course and curriculum development (content, assessment methods, pedagogical approach) and physics education research. CPER is actively and intimately involved with several national level efforts to engage in collaborative education research and bring the research results into the classrooms, both nationally and at USAFA, as soon as warranted by the assessment results.

Current research in this area includes:

Do-It-Yourself Modeling, examination of concept visualization techniques in eight disciplines ranging from Astronomy to Sociology, development of classroom lessons based on the group's prior work and developing and testing mobile technology techniques for monitoring student engagement. These topics (and supporting grants) are in the NSF IUES (Improving Undergraduate Education in Science) category.

Proliferate lessons learned on a national level by disseminating research results through conference presentations, workshops and publications.

In addition to disseminating results and lessons learned on CPER goals on a national level, CPER personnel are also developing research tutorials and annotating JiTT content for national distribution. The CPER is also interested in improving meteorology education.

Evaluating the utility of textbooks on Physics of Space Weather and designing/testing an assessment of student learning gains in general meteorology courses are of particular interest.

Researchers are encouraged to propose research topics in these areas and other related subjects.

Lt Col Randy Carlson Director, Center for Physics Education Research USAFA Department of Physics

(719) 333-9733 Randall.Carlson@usafa.edu

12. Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research (UAS)

The USAFA Center for UAS Research educates cadets as they prepare to become AF Officers, develops premiere UAS research capabilities and faculty and provides world-class UAS research facilities, supporting a real-world experience for our cadets and producing needed research solutions for our military partners and sponsors. The research in support of this Center focuses on providing autonomous, decentralized solutions for systems of UAS that may also incorporate the use of land and water assets. Researchers may expect access to premier facilities, including lightweight UAS vehicles with supporting command and control infrastructure and test and development equipment.

Current research areas support the Center’s goals. These include control system algorithms to direct autonomous vehicles; robotic control and navigation; robust communication systems that meet the challenges of dynamic and unpredictable network topology changes; inexpensive sensor network designs that incorporate fusion techniques for target identification, localization and tracking; and event-driven, multithreaded software architectures. The center is also interested in research related to Sense and Avoid, GPS-denied navigation, and Counter-UAS. Researchers are encouraged to propose topics in these areas or in areas they feel will complement the Center’s work.

George York, Ph.D.

USAFA Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

(719) 333-4210 George.York@usafa.edu

13. Civil and Environmental Engineering Research

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering performs research to help cadets learn how to solve complex problems within the fields of civil and environmental engineering. Our interests include interdisciplinary topics, and reflect the interests of individual faculty members. White papers that demonstrate a link to DoD civil and environmental engineering needs will be considered. Cadet involvement is highly prioritized.

Current topics of faculty research interest are:

Engineering education Subsurface contamination by a variety of contaminants with a focus on modeling (e.g., chlorinated solvents, radionuclides, firefighting foam fluorosurfactants) Sustainable design and construction Design and construction in developing countries Building energy modeling Near-surface geothermal energy topics Soil classification techniques and refinements Laboratory pavement testing Critical infrastructure protection Static testing of structural components Dynamic testing of building and pedestrian structures Vibration serviceability

On-site research is desired. USAFA has a large field site with heavy construction equipment that may be used to construct experimental earth structures and test beds. At this field site, USAFA has an operational Energy Pile system, consisting of 8 energy piles with 3 of the piles heavily instrumented for observation of thermo-mechanical response of the foundations under both service and artificially high thermal loading. The facility also has instrumentation related to optimizing performance, including measurement of inlet/outlet temperatures, current to HVAC equipment, and temperature and moisture content of the soil surrounding the piles. USAFA also has a fully functional soils laboratory. The department has a 30-ft by 60-ft bay with a 19-ft clear height beneath a 5-ton crane and multiple universal testing machines, including one with a capacity up to 300 kips.

A structural component static testing capability is provided by a 25-ft-long, 8-ft gage width, reaction floor with an MTS hydraulic system and multiple 55-kip actuators. We have access to DoD’s High- Performance Computing Center, which can be used to solve a computationally intensive problem in several civil and environmental engineering disciplines (e.g., discrete element modeling of airfield pavements, flow and transport modeling of contaminants in the subsurface, etc.).

Thomas J. Phelan, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE USAFA Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

(719) 333-2516 thomas.phelan@usafa.edu

14. Electrical and Computer Engineering Research

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DFEC) conducts research to produce needed solutions for our military partners and sponsors while providing real-world engineering experience for our cadets and aiding in the professional development of our faculty. Research in the areas of energy security and smart grid technology are sought to include concepts associated with effective demand management, integration of multiple generation sources and communication of energy events.

The DFEC research program currently includes investigations in the following areas:

RF measurement and systems development Circuit development Robotics Renewable energy.

Examples of existing research include improvised explosive device (IED) detection, radar cross section (RCS) analysis, antenna design, portable wind power generation and autonomous robot algorithms. Researchers are encouraged to propose topics in these areas or in areas they feel will complement the department’s work.

Derek C. Neal, Maj

USAFA Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

(719) 333-4645 derek.neal@usafa.edu

15. Center for Space Situational Awareness Research (Department of Physics)

The Center for Space Situational Awareness Research (CSSAR) in the Department of Physics (DFP) conducts research across a variety of areas in support of the AF, DoD, NASA and other government and commercial sponsors. Making use of USAFA’s extensive experimental facilities housed in several academic departments, DFP pursues a range of research efforts. The Space Situational Awareness (SSA) relevant research programs are geared toward providing all undergraduates with a rich, relevant research experience while answering critical research needs of our highly varied customer base. Researchers may expect extensive access to premier facilities, tremendous latitude of pursuits and single-minded focus on research tasks, but must seek to incorporate cadet participation in their projects, typically one to two cadets per semester.

With more nations building and launching satellites, space has become increasingly congested, contested and competitive. SSA is thus a vital component of U.S. national security due to the role space and cyberspace play in our military operations. CSSAR is developing world-class SSA capabilities and facilities at USAFA to include a 2-meter Fast-Tracking Telescope (FTT), the Falcon Telescope Network (FTN), and the Cadet Space Operations Center (CSOC). The FTN is a global network of small aperture robotic optical telescopes focused on satellite characterization through simultaneous observations from multiple illumination geometries. It will also be used for testing handoff and cueing techniques as well as smart network and resource management. The CSOC will be the hub in which all of USAFA sensors are operated and controlled. The CSOC will be a test bed for new SSA algorithms that allow for improved capability in maintaining SSA leading to predictive analysis and assessment.

Current research areas of emphasis include space object characterization via resolvable and non-resolvable imaging using optical observations, improvements to satellite orbit determination and prediction, fusion of disparate data sources to maximize the situational awareness, and development of FTN and CSOC capability. Researchers are encouraged to propose topics in these areas and other related subjects.

Francis K. Chun, Ph.D.

USAFA Professor of Physics

(719) 333-2601 (Desk), (719) 333-3510 (Front Office) Francis.Chun@usafa.edu

b. Research Institute

1. Institute for Information Technology Applications

The Institute for Information Technology Applications (IITA) is an Air Force research institute directed by General James P. McCarthy, USAF, Retired. According to General McCarthy, “the driving concept of the institute formed in 1998 was to provide opportunities for multidisciplinary research that would be of value to the Air Force and the Department of Defense." IITA's vision is to serve as a renowned Air Force research institute for operational and educational information technology application. The IITA team includes representatives from HQ U.S. Special Operations Command and Air Force Research Laboratory. IITA seeks research proposals that apply information technology to improve the missions at the USAF Academy, to the USAF, and the DoD. IITA has several ongoing programs that it is interested in advancing to include:

Warfighter's Edge (WEdge) is a software innovation laboratory involved in creating or modifying GOTS and COTS software to meet the urgent or emerging needs of unit-level warfighters.

Established in 2005, WEdge has contributed numerous innovative software products used throughout the DoD. Translation of data formats and visualization in various geospatial display platforms make up a considerable share of WEdge products, around which experience the lab is currently sponsoring a modernization of the DoD's core mission planning geospatial visualization tool. Details about WEdge products are available from info@wedge.hpc.mil.

WEdge is leading a multi-discipline applied research collaboration effort to net-enable legacy and emerging-technology sensor platforms across tactical IP-based radio networks, integrating with mission planning systems, ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, & Reconnaissance) databases, and mobile OS platforms to provide distributed situational awareness (SA), machine-to-machine (M2M) cross-cueing, and remote management of unmanned sensors and platforms to operations centers, planners, and mission managers. Currently, this effort is focused on:

Integrating sensor and mission management data feeds from small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) with mission planning environments such as the Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) and situational awareness platforms such as Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) and Windows Tactical Assault Kit (WinTAK).

Prototyping an open-architecture networked sensor data distribution service via software translators, integrating dissimilar and guarded sensor feeds over tactical IP-based radio networks.

Integrating a standardized common user interface for networked mission management of multiple dissimilar sensor platforms.

Research goals for 2018 include:

Net-extend artificial intelligence across radio networks to leverage organically semi-autonomous capable legacy platforms to extend a distributed, autonomous, command and control (C2) environment for manned-unmanned teaming (MUMT).

Optimize distribution of high bandwidth data streams across constrained, disadvantaged mobile networks.

Research agreements with outside agencies are common.