Major Qualifying Project Center A Term 2009–2010

2005-2006||2006-2007||2007-2008||2008-2009||2009-2010||2010-2011||2011-2012

Introduction

MIT Lincoln Laboratory continues a collaboration with Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to have a number of WPI undergraduate seniors perform their Major Qualifying Projects (MQPs) at the Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts. MQPs are available for students studying aerospace engineering, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, mathematics, mechanical engineering, or physics. Contact the Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division (IGSD) or Professor Ted Clancy in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at WPI for details on how to apply.

Important Dates
  • October 29, 2008 – Lincoln Laboratory MQP information session for all majors
    (Campus Center, Hagglund Room, 6:30 p.m., Pizza)

  • October 30, 2008 – Lincoln Laboratory MQP information session for CS majors
    (Campus Center, Hagglund Room, 6:30 p.m., Pizza)

  • November 5, 2008 – Applications due to WPI IGSD by 1:00 p.m.

Descriptions of Fall 2009 Projects

Recommended for Computer Science Majors
Recommended for Electrical and Computer Engineering Majors
Recommended for Math Majors
Recommended for Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering Majors
Recommended for Physics Majors:

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Modeling Multi-Target Track Association and Sensor Fusion
Group 31 – Systems and Architectures (2–3 students)
Dr. Stephen D. Weiner

Recommended WPI Major(s): ECE, Math, Physics

The Systems and Architectures Group is concerned with modeling the performance of Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) systems comprising networks of sophisticated radar and optical sensors connected by an overall battle management control structure. In such BMD systems, information collected by several sensors on a number of targets must be combined and used to make decisions regarding which targets should be intercepted and which targets should be rejected. For this process to be successful, it is necessary that the data from "sensor 1" on "target A" be associated with data from "sensor 2" on "target A" and not with data from "sensor 2" on "target B." To date, most of the analyses of this problem have involved elaborate Monte Carlo simulations, which provide high-fidelity modeling of the target motion, target signatures, and sensor measurement capability but provide limited flexibility to consider target and sensor variations. They also provide limited insight into those threat and defense parameters, which have the greatest influence on overall performance.

The students will specify, design, and develop simple modular parametric models of the association and fusion process to permit rapid evaluation of the overall defense performance as a function of number of targets, density of targets, velocity spread of targets, defense sensor resolution and accuracy in range and angle, any sensor measurement biases, and the relative geometry of the different sensors. Major modules will include association of crossing targets for a single sensor, handover of single targets from one sensor to another, sensor bias estimation and removal, association of objects in a target complex seen by one sensor with these objects seen by a second sensor. For each module, the output will be the probability of success and the probabilities of different failure modes as a function of the input parameters. These individual modules will be combined into an overall functional model whose output will be the probability of correctly selecting the object to be intercepted (the warhead) as a function of all the input parameters. This overall model will be used in higher-level simulations of total BMD system performance. It would be nice if versions of the model could be developed as an Excel spreadsheet(s) or a MATLAB script(s). The output of these simple models will be compared with the output from more elaborate Monte Carlo simulations.

Students for this project could be a combination of physics, mathematics, and/or electrical and computer engineering majors. The skills needed for this project include a background in probability and error analysis (MA 2621 or MA 2631), understanding of coordinate systems and simple target motion (PH 1110 or PH 1111; PH 2201 or ES 2503 would be helpful), and understanding of the capabilities and limitations of computers to model these processes. Knowledge of MATLAB is also required.

The most important skill is good judgment, to model all the important factors in the problem and ignore all the unimportant factors. There are a number of people in Group 31 who can assist in acquiring the background and developing the judgment needed to address this problem.

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Distributed Computing in a Radar Open Systems Architecture
Group 33 – Ranges & Test Beds (2–3 students)
D. Seth Hunter

Recommended WPI Major: CS

Lincoln Laboratory's Ranges and Test Beds Group is developing the ballistic missile defense sensor infrastructure for the Pan-Pacific Range, associated mobile range assets, and field test beds. Distributed computing technologies have enabled consolidated and remote control of disparate range assets and the real-time fusion of data from multiple sensors to improve analysis capabilities. Common challenges in these efforts include the distributed processing of data, control of computer clusters, monitoring and visualization of system and network resources, and deterministic real-time performance.

Students participating in this Major Qualifying Project will select, design, and integrate a new technology into one of the group's distributed computing projects. Current efforts include an open architecture for sensor systems, a Ballistic Missile Defense System test bed for live-time testing of experimental algorithms, and the distributed operations of a range control center. A selection of specific project topics relevant to these efforts will be provided during the proposal phase of the project, and the students will be allowed to choose the project which best fits their specific interests and abilities.

This project requires 2–3 students majoring in computer science, with strengths in the areas of computer networks, operating systems, distributed systems, and software engineering. The technologies most likely to be used during the design and implementation of the project include Linux, Java or C++, XML, SQL, CORBA/DDS/JMS, and various web service packages. The desire and ability to work as an intern at Lincoln Laboratory on preparatory research during the summer prior to the MQP is a strong advantage, but not required.

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Analog Optical Links for Wide-Bandwidth Radar Receivers
Group 33 – Ranges & Test Beds (2 students)
Jeffrey J. Hargreaves

Recommended WPI Major: EE

Because of electrical and/or physical limitations using traditional signal transmission methods in wide-bandwidth instrumentation radars (coaxial cable and waveguide to name two), it is often necessary to locate receiver hardware consisting of low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) and correlation mixers (for analog pulse compression and frequency translation) in close proximity to the receiving antenna.  Doing so prevents access to the wide-bandwidth uncompressed return signal and therefore prevents the utilization of advanced radar modulation and processing techniques. Therefore, it is highly desirable to implement a different method of signal transmission that will support wide-bandwidth signals.

Students participating in this Major Qualifying Project (MQP) will research analog-optical links as a potential method of transmitting wide-bandwidth signals from an LNA to an analog radar receiver without performance loss. Their research will include topics such as electro-optical modulation techniques, photodetection, wide-bandwidth radar modulation techniques, and analog receiver design. Students will complement their research with laboratory measurements on an analog optical link they integrate into a radar environment.

This research project requires two students majoring in electrical engineering, with academic strengths in the following areas: signals and systems, communication theory, physics, signal processing, and RF/microwave design theory. Suggested coursework includes ECE 2311, ECE 2112, and ECE 3311.  Familiarity with optics (PH 2501) and higher-level communications or RF courses would also be beneficial. Students should also be proficient with a technical computing language such as MATLAB.  The ability to work as an intern at Lincoln Laboratory, on preparatory research, the summer preceding the MPQ is highly desirable, but not required.

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Configuration and Control of Real-Time Mission Data and Analysis
Group 39 – Air Defense Techniques (2-3 students)
Scot DeDeo and Dr. David Holl

Recommended WPI Major: CS

The Air Defense Techniques Group employs an in-house software architecture for the display, control, and analysis of real-time data in live tests, mission playbacks, and simulations and is looking to extend this architecture for enhanced user control and flexibility. The upgrades to the framework consist of the two parts described below:

  1. The existing framework relies on using configuration files or direct API programming in order for end-users to craft high-level applications, but these approaches require detailed user knowledge of the available framework components and object-oriented design. To minimize the initial learning curve for users, students will design and implement a graphical configuration front-end that automatically identifies available components and permits interconnections between compatible interfaces. This project emphasizes object-oriented software design patterns with special focus on Java annotations and reflection.
  2. The current software framework is chiefly used for the inline processing of live or replayed mission data and output to internal tools and industry specific interfaces, such as SIMDIS and Google Earth. In support of live mission control and run-time configurability, students will extend the framework to streamline user feedback to the underlying systems. This project focuses on modular communication and control in a multi-process, multi-system environment.

These projects require two to three students majoring in computer science or other equivalent background. Familiarity with object-oriented design and software engineering principles is highly desired, and experience with Java is strongly helpful.

Prior work in these courses is highly recommended: CS 2102 (Object-Oriented Design Concepts), CS 3733 (Software Engineering), and CS 4233 (Object-Oriented Analysis and Design). Additionally, familiarity with the following courses may be useful: CS 3041 (Human-Computer Interaction), CS 4514 (Computer Networks: Architecture and Implementation), and/or CS 4513 (Distributed Computing System).

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Data Integration Tools and Algorithms
Group 65 – Advanced Networks and Applications (3-4 students)
Dan VanHook

Recommended WPI Major: CS

Lincoln Laboratory's Advanced Networks and Applications Group focuses on applied research on network architectures and net-centric distributed applications. A particular area of interest is integrating diverse types of data across large, heterogeneous communities of users. Example data types include video, images, audio, documents, target tracks, and other human and machine generated data.

We are developing an enterprise-level architecture and toolset for user and agent search, retrieval, annotation, etc., for heterogeneous data based on Semantic Web technology and community-based tagging approaches. The architecture leverages both commercial and research components, including a Google Search Appliance, a relational database engine, and a triple store.

This student project will specify, design, and develop improved tools and algorithms for data access and presentation as well as algorithms for search, traversal, and retrieval of data represented as relational graphs.

We are looking for students in computer science with strong software skills and an interest in knowledge representation, databases, user tools, and algorithms. Facility with Web standards and tools is desirable (XML, RDF, Java, JavaScript, SQL, SPARQL, etc.).

Suggested background includes CS 2223 (Algorithms), CS 3431 (Satabases I), and CS 3733 (Software Engineering). Additional studies in one or more of the following areas is also desirable: CS 4445 (Data Mining), CS 4120 (Analysis of Algorithms), CS 4432 (Databases II), CS 4341 (Artificial Intelligence), and/or CS 4241 (WebWare).

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Characterization of Gore-Tex® Material for HUSIR Radome Skin
Group 71 – Mechanical Engineering (2–3 students)
Dr. Michael Languirand

Recommended WPI Major(s): Aero/ME

Lincoln Laboratory has a long history of designing, developing, and building systems for air defense, missile defense, space surveillance, tactical surveillance, and advanced communications. These activities involve the complete hardware development cycle from conceptual design and analysis through fabrication and testing.

One of Lincoln Laboratory's current programs is the Haystack Ultra-wideband Satellite Imaging Radar upgrade, or HUSIR, program. The radar antenna is a 120-foot-diameter dish installed inside a 150-foot space-frame radome. In conjunction with improvements to the reflector surface profile and transmitter electronics, the upgrade will require a new skin on the radome that meets the dual requirements of good weatherability and maintaining low loss characteristics at the frequencies of radar operation.

One of the proposed skin materials that meets both requirements is Gore-Tex®. This material, best known for waterproof outerwear, would be a strong candidate, provided that some challenges and unknowns could be addressed. Installation of the material on the scale of the radome skins has not been proven and may pose design challenges. In addition, previous tests with Gore-Tex® have indicated a tendency for tightly stretched material to relax, resulting in flapping of radome panels. The project would entail research into public literature regarding Gore-Tex® and its properties, laboratory testing of samples, design and analysis of fixtures to assist with installation on the space frame, and development of installation procedures.

The project will require 2–3 students with backgrounds in materials characterization and testing, mechanical design, statics, and some FEA experience.

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Preflight Optical Sensor Evaluation System
Group 73 – Aerospace Engineering (2–3 students)
Dr. Kenneth Chadwick

Recommended WPI Major(s): Aero/ME

Lincoln Laboratory has a long history of designing, developing, and building systems for air defense, missile defense, space surveillance, tactical surveillance, and advanced communications. These activities involve the complete hardware development cycle from conceptual design and analysis, through fabrication and testing.

One of Lincoln Laboratory's ongoing programs is the Missile Alternative Range Target Instrumentation (MARTI) system, a testbed used to support the development of the Airborne Laser (ABL). The MARTI system is an array of optical sensors on a sounding rocket used to characterize the targeting and engagement capabilities of the ABL Aircraft during the early phases of its flight test program.

This MQP will involve the design, analysis, and/or testing of a device to be used during pre-launch checks to verify the correct operation of the optical sensors. The students may be involved in design optimization, component selection, structural and thermal analysis, or environmental testing.

The project will require 2–3 students with mechanical design and analysis capabilities. Some familiarity with thermal analysis, mechanical mechanisms, and electrical circuits would be helpful.

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Tracking Satellites, Asteroids, and Space Trash
Group 91 – Space Control Systems (2–3 students)
Dr. David E. Whited and George Zollinger

Recommended WPI Major: CS

Since the launch of Sputnik in 1957, Lincoln Laboratory has been involved in monitoring the ever growing satellite population. This mission area is known as Space Control and is conceptually similar to Air Traffic Control except that instead of tracking planes, we are concerned with satellites, rocket bodies, space debris, and asteroids. Over the last three decades, Group 91 at Lincoln Laboratory has developed a series of optical space surveillance systems for monitoring resident space objects.

Group 91 is currently building OPAL, which is a next-generation system for processing optical space surveillance data. The goal of this project is to develop a graphical user interface that allows engineers to visualize and manipulate space surveillance image sequences along with astronomical data to debug and develop algorithms for processing the space surveillance data.

Applications will be developed in a parallel cluster architecture in Java using collaborative software engineering tools including Eclipse, Sourceforge, and Subversion.

Students should have a solid background in Java, Windows, and LINUX. Web programming and GUI design is suggested. A strong background in physics or mathematics is suggested.

Desirable coursework includes CS 3733 (Software Engineering), CS 3041 (HCI), CS 2022 (Discrete Math), and CS 4241 (WebWare).

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Reconfigurable Computing Infrastructure with High-Performance FPGA Intellectual Property (IP) Cores for Signal Processing
Group 102 – Embedded Digital Systems (2–3) Students
Dr. Michael Vai and Dr. Huy. T. Nguyen

Recommended WPI Major: ECE

The Embedded Digital Systems Group is involved in the design and development of advanced signal processor technology based on hybrid architectures that use a combination of programmable digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Systems with throughput on the order of 100s of billion operations per second (GOPS) are required to meet the needs of the next generation of applications.

The seamless incorporation of a high-performance FPGA coprocessor into a software application is highly desirable. Besides the apparent benefit of application acceleration, this capability will support the implementation of a target system in multiple stages using technologies of increasingly higher performance and risk factors (e.g., DSP, FPGA, and ASIC). This project is aimed at designing and developing an infrastructure with a high-level middleware library that will allow the use of high-performance FPGA IP cores to support heterogeneous, reconfigurable signal processors capable of delivering 100s GOPS of computation in the challenging form factors required for embedded processors found in radars, sonars, and communication systems. The use of FPGA embedded programmable processors to interface IP cores with different host processor architectures will be explored.

A total of two electrical and computer engineering students with suitable backgrounds will work under the direction of Dr. Michael Vai and Dr. Huy Nguyen to design and implement the infrastructure. Performance, scalability, and flexibility of a prototype implementation will be demonstrated in a modern radar application. This will be an excellent project for engineering students wishing to work on the forefront of computer technology in the important field of reconfigurable, embedded processing.

Preferred candidates will have successfully completed coursework in discrete linear systems, (ECE 2312); assembly programming, (ECE 2801 or CS 2011); and computer architecture or digital embedded systems, (ECE 2801, ECE 3803, or ECE 4801). Preferred candidates will also have proficiency in FPGA design with VHDL or Verilog, (ECE 3810), proficiency in MATLAB, and an understanding of linear algebra, FIR, FFT.

Also desirable: programming experience in C and MATLAB; computer system interfacing and network experience.

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Design and Implementation of an Intelligent Distributed Signal Processing Library for Real-Time Computing
Group 102 – Embedded Digital Systems (2 students)
Dr. Jeremy Kepner and Nadya Bliss

Recommended WPI Major(s): CS, ECE, Math

The Embedded Digital Systems Group is involved in the design and development of advanced signal processing software technology for rapid prototyping of real-time embedded systems. One of the key technology challenges in the development of embedded processing is the hardware-to-software mapping and optimization of the application software. Overall program efficiencies of 30% or more are needed to make programmable solutions viable for embedded form-factors, and yet initial (unoptimized) efficiencies as low as a few percent are common for C or C++ programs. The problem is exacerbated when the application requires multiple processors in order to meet throughput requirements. To address these challenges, Lincoln Laboratory is researching intelligent middleware technology aimed at delivering high-performance on parallel and distributed architectures.

This project is aimed at designing and developing a high-performance middleware library that will be capable of automatically mapping itself onto parallel and distributed processors. The library is being prototyped using the class definition and function overloading features of MATLAB. Neural network and dynamic programming techniques are being developed to facilitate automated mapping strategies.

A total of two computer science, electrical and computer engineering (concentration in signal processing), or mathematics students with suitable backgrounds will work under the direction of Dr. Jeremy Kepner and Ms. Nadya Bliss to design and implement the middleware. This will be an excellent project for computer scientists and engineers wishing to work on the forefront of computer technology in the important field of embedded signal processing.

Preferred candidates will have successfully completed coursework in linear algebra (MA 2071 and/or 2073); parallel programming (CS 3013); and artificial intelligence or machine learning, (CS 4341). Preferred candidates will also have successfully completed coursework in algorithms (CS 2223 and/or CS 4120), including complexity analysis, basic knowledge of graph algorithms (insertion, sort, search, etc.), and understanding of program analysis (including dependency graphs and concurrency analysis). Working knowledge of MATLAB (either based on class or job experience) is also preferred.

Also desirable are completion of a compiler class; parallel programming work experience (i.e., experience with MPI, multi-threaded programming, parallel array languages); and/or completion/experience with parallel numerical algorithms (e.g., parallel linear algebra).

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The work described in this web page was and will be performed at Lincoln Laboratory, a center for research and development operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this web page are those of the authors and not necessarily endorsed by MIT, the U.S. Air Force, or the United States Government.

Employment at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and/or participation in these projects is restricted to U.S. citizens.

The work described in this web page is sponsored by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force under Air Force Contract FA8721-05-C-0002.

 

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