Planning Grant: Joining I/UCRC Safety, Security, and Rescue Research Center

University Of North Carolina At Charlotte, Charlotte NC

Investigators

Abstract

The University of North Carolina at Charoltte is planning to join the Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) entitled "Center for Safety, Security, and Rescue Research Center (SSR-RC)" which is a multi- university center comprised of the University of Minnesota (lead institution), the University of Denver and the University of Pennsylvania. The Center focuses on conducting integrative, multi-disciplinary research in autonomous systems to improve homeland security and emergency response. The proposed site will enable industry-oriented and application-grounded research projects, and will pose unusual opportunities for leveraging the research strengths and diverse expertise of the faculty in robotics, computer vision, multimedia data processing, networking, interactive visualization, cyber security, and nursing care in the College of Computing and Informatics (CCI), College of Engineering (COE), and College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) at UNC Charlotte. The proposed new site will, therefore, align its mission with the existing centers mission on SSR and also extend the scope of SSR to healthcare and manufacturing, focusing on injury prevention, patient care, and assistive care for the elderly. The proposed site will develop SSR technologies useful for key industries, and facilitate fast technology transfer. The partnerships forged via the proposed site with industries will directly impact economic development and job creation. The PIs state they would create opportunities for student training through the IUCRC site's industrial research projects; and broaden participation via existing STAR Alliance, REU Site programs and outreach to high schools and the general community at large.