MII: Improving the Pipeline in Applied Computer Science

这个项目的重点是环境监测、环境建模和模拟、环境信息系统和沿海研究等跨学科的挑战，目的是在应用计算机科学管道中改进征聘和鼓励代表性不足的少数民族。这项工作涉及几个具有挑战性的问题（例如，传感器平台、数据收集和预测），其中许多与气候研究有关，有些涉及开发用于收集环境数据的自动驾驶汽车，以及开发用于分析环境数据的工具。该研究建立在一个基于网络基础设施概念的实时决策支持系统上，提供了一个将计算机科学、人工智能、地理信息系统、可视化、数据存储、数据挖掘、网络、无线通信等结合在一起的机会。德克萨斯海岸海洋观测网（TCOON）和哈特墨西哥湾研究所这两个研究中心将在研究工作中发挥主要作用。TCOON是一个从路易斯安那州到墨西哥边境的一系列数据收集站，收集了精确的水位、风速和风向、大气和水温以及气压等数据。浊度、盐度和其他水化学成分的测量数据通过视距分组无线电、移动电话、GOES卫星传输到校园，存储在实时在线数据库中。项目涉及实时自动化数据处理、电信/网络协议、潮汐基准处理、基于web的沿海数据可视化和操作、专门的传感器和数据采集系统开发、基于神经网络的实时观测和数学预测。哈特墨西哥湾研究所将致力于地理信息系统和建模。样本项目包括：遥控浅吃水车辆和南德克萨斯潮汐模型。第一种，涉及以人为中心的采样方法，利用远程操作的船只进行水质参数的横断面。跨学科的挑战，如远程导航控制，通信/网络，GPD全自动导航，传感器控制/数据收集/处理，避障，容错/系统恢复，实时数据显示和可视化，以及与地理信息科学的集成。第二种方法涉及计算模拟和可视化，是基于“好”的标准来评估预测的质量。教育和拓展活动包括研讨会、教师发展、指导、课程变更和积极招聘。这些活动包括一个明确的计划，旨在激发学生的想象力和创造力，以吸引学生继续读研究生，以及一个针对高中招生的创新外展计划。此外，该工作还推广了“计算机科学巡回马戏团”等示范活动，以吸引学生。该项目应有助于规划潜在的CS博士课程，大学考虑未来。

This project, focusing on the interdisciplinary challenges of environmental monitoring, environmental modeling and simulation, environmental information systems, and coastal studies, aims at improving recruitment and stimulating underrepresented minorities in the applied computer science pipeline. The work entails several challenging problems (e.g., sensor platforms, data collection, and forecasting), many related to climate research, some involving the development of autonomous vehicles for collecting environmental data, as well as developing tools for its analysis. The research, building on a real-time decision support system built on cyber infrastructure concepts, presents an opportunity to bring together CS, AI, GIS, visualization, data storage, data mining, networking, wireless communication, etc. Two research centers will play a major role in the research efforts, the Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network (TCOON) and the Harte Research Institute for the Gulf of Mexico Studies. TCOON, a series of data gathering stations from Louisiana to the Mexico border, samples data on precise water levels, wind speed and direction, atmospheric and water temperatures, and barometric pressure. Measurement in turbidity, salinity, and other water chemistry are transmitted to campus via line-of-sight packet radio, cellular phones, via GOES satellite for storage in a real-time, on-line database. Projects involve real-time automated data processing, telecommunications/network protocols, tidal datum processing, web-based visualization and manipulation of coastal data, specialized sensor and data acquisition system development, and neural-network-based and mathematical forecasts from real-time observations. The Harte Research Institute for the Gulf of Mexico Studies will be dedicated to geographic information systems and modeling. Sample projects include: Remote Controlled Shallow Draft Vehicle, and South Texas Tide Modeling.The first, involving human-centered sampling methods utilizes a remote-operated vessel for performing transects of water quality parameters. Interdisciplinary challenges such as remote navigation control, communication/networking, completely automated navigation with GPD, sensor control/data collection/processing, obstacle avoidance, fault tolerance/system recovery, real-time data display and visualization, and integration with geographic information sciences. The second, involving computational simulations and visualizations, is based on a criteria of "goodness" to evaluate the quality of predictions.Educational and outreach activities involve seminars, faculty development, mentoring, curricular changes, and active recruitment. The activities contain a clearly articulated plan for stimulating the imagination and creativity to engage students to continue on to graduate school and an innovative outreach program aimed at high schools to recruit students. Moreover, the work promotes demonstrations such as a "Traveling Circus of CS" to attract students. The project should contribute in the planning of potential PhD program in CS that the university contemplates for the future.