Tyo
receives CAREER grant
By Michael
Padilla
Scott
Tyo, assistant professor in the Electrical Engineering Department
(EECE), has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty
Early Career Development (CAREER) Award.
The five-year
grant, Polarimetry in Remote Sensing, Communications and
Biological Sciences, totals $400,000.
Tyo, a
member of the EECE Applied Electromagnetics Group, said he will
use the funding to accomplish three main goals. The first is
to continue to establish an experimental research program in
optical polarimetry in the EECE department. Polarization is
a property of light along with color and intensity that can
be exploited to improve the quality of images.
We
will build an in-house laboratory and perform studies on using
polarization in remote sensing and on understanding polarization
phenomena in optical communications, Tyo said, adding,
that this experimental program will help build on collaborations
with AFRL, Sandia National Laboratories and industrial partners.
The second
goal is to integrate leading-edge polarimetry research into
the undergraduate and graduate curricula in applied electromagnetics,
optical sciences and optoelectronics at UNM.
We
will work with the Albuquerque Aquarium and Biological Park
on a joint experiment in their facility that could lead to community
outreach through their K-12 educational programs, he said.
The third
goal is to build a strong group of undergraduate, graduate,
postgraduate and faculty researchers.
One
of the goals of the CAREER program is the development of people
and we hope to train future researchers in this program,
he said, adding that at the end of five years, the UNM group
should be a leader in the field.
The best
known example of polarimetry involves common polarized sunglasses.
Tyo explains that when sunlight reflects from water, snow or
the back window of a car, the polarization of the glare has
a distinct signature that can be eliminated with the glasses.
In
our research, we try to go one step further, he said.
Rather than just eliminate such information, we seek to
measure and analyze it in order to increase the amount of data
that we have about a particular scene. Many species of animals
such as bees, ants, some fish and octopus can do this already,
and we will be exploring methods to mimic their capabilities.
Tyo said
some of the basic challenges include integrating polarization
optics into conventional cameras, along with gathering, recording
and processing information in real time. Understanding when
polarization is important and when it isnt is another
challenge of the research.
We
dont yet know completely when we should be using polarization,
he said. Since human beings cannot perceive polarization,
we have to figure out the best way to combine this new information
with traditional color images. This sounds easy, but it is often
difficult to do this in a way that can be readily interpreted.
The NSF
Early Career Development program offers NSFs most prestigious
awards for new faculty. The program recognizes and supports
those teacher-scholars who are likely to become academic leaders.
CAREER
recipients are honored to have been chosen, because it recognizes
both the quality of our research and our potential to build
upon our early successes, Tyo said.T