IRES Site: Fractional-Order Circuits and Systems Research Collaboration with EU COST Action

这个IRES轨道I项目为来自塔斯卡卢萨亚拉巴马大学（UA）的美国学生提供在捷克共和国布尔诺理工大学（BUT）为期12周的夏季国际研究经验。 该项目支持UA和BUT教师专注于分数阶电路和系统的合作研究工作。 “电路和系统”是指涵盖与电路相关的所有设计、分析和实现工作的领域。电路是所有智能设备、无线通信、汽车系统、电力系统和医疗保健设备的基础。 在这些领域中推进电路和系统的发展需要高素质的工程师，他们不仅能够设计和实现电路和系统，而且能够创造性地从新领域引入概念，以克服甚至无法想象的挑战。 分数阶电路和系统是一个新兴的领域，它扩展了可实现电路的边界，改变了电路的设计和实现方式。 分数阶系统的应用范围从以较低的控制工作量和较低的能源成本控制工业机器，到对骨骼肌的电阻抗进行建模，以跟踪组织特性的变化，从而监测损伤和疾病。然而，在分数阶电路和系统的设计和实际实现方面的进步是需要的，然后才能快速有效地应用于控制系统和生物医学信号处理电路。欧盟（EU）的许多大学认识到需要进一步研究这一领域，他们发起了COST行动CA 15225，“分数阶系统：分析，合成及其对未来设计的重要性”，以协调研究工作;来自23个欧盟国家，2个近邻国家和3个国际伙伴国家的合作者。这个IRES网站通过为美国学生提供专注于分数阶电路，系统和设备的设计，仿真和表征的研究经验，支持推进成本行动，这些研究经验是在BUT教师的指导下进行的，他们正在领导成本行动。 每年有六名美国学生在国际经验之前参加一个学期的课程，为他们在布尔诺的导师BUT教师指导下进行为期12周的研究做准备。学生项目所解决的具体挑战包括：i）如何设计和模拟用于信号电子滤波的分数阶电路，ii）改进分数阶器件的仿真和制造的方法，以及iii）表征分数阶材料特性的替代方法。 除了技术技能的发展，这项国际研究向学生介绍了协调和执行大型国际合作研究工作的行政和技术挑战。该计划有几个更广泛的影响，包括：i）增加学生人数从代表性不足的群体在干参与研究; ii）加强研究人员在美国和捷克共和国之间的国际合作研究网络; iii）通过与国际学生/教师的互动和参与捷克的社会文化活动，提高学生的跨文化成熟度;和iv）增加学生对研究生学习的理解，以增加学生追求干研究生学位。 该项目由国际科学与工程办公室（OISE）和激励竞争力研究既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This IRES Track I project provides U.S. students from the University of Alabama (UA) in Tuscaloosa with 12-week summer international research experiences at the Brno University of Technology (BUT) in the Czech Republic. This project supports the collaborative research efforts of UA and BUT faculty focused on fractional-order circuits and systems. “Circuits and systems” refers to the field encompassing all design, analysis, and implementation efforts related to electrical circuits. Electrical circuits are the foundation upon which all smart devices, wireless communications, automotive systems, power systems, and healthcare devices are built. Advancing circuits and systems in each of these fields requires highly qualified engineers who can not only design and implement circuits and systems, but who can creatively import concepts from new fields to overcome challenges not yet even imagined. Fractional-order circuits and systems is an emerging field expanding the boundaries of realizable electrical circuits; changing how circuits are designed and implemented. Applications of fractional-order systems range from the control of industrial machines with lower control effort and lower energy costs to modelling the electrical impedance of skeletal muscle to track changes in tissue properties to monitor for injury and disorder. However, advances in the design and practical implementation of fractional-order circuits and systems are needed before they can be quickly and efficiently adopted into control systems and biomedical signal processing circuits. The need for further research into this field was recognized by many universities in the European Union (EU), who launched the COST Action CA15225, “Fractional-Order Systems: Analysis, Synthesis and their importance for Future Design” to coordinate research efforts; with collaborators from 23 EU countries, 2 near-neighbor countries, and 3 international partner countries. This IRES site supports advancing the COST Action by providing US students with research experiences focused on the design, simulation and characterization of fractional-order circuits, systems, and devices under the mentorships of faculty at BUT, who are leading efforts with the COST Action. Six U.S. students each year participate in a one-semester course prior to their international experience to prepare them for their 12-week research under the mentorship BUT faculty in Brno. The specific challenges addressed by student projects include i) how to design and simulate fractional-order circuits for the electronic filtering of signals, ii) methods to improve the emulation and fabrication of fractional-order devices, and iii) alternative methods to characterize fractional-order material properties. Beyond technical skill development, this international research introduces students to the administrative and technical challenges of coordinating and executing a large international collaborative research effort. This program has several broader impacts that include: i) increasing the number of students from under-represented groups in STEM participating in research; ii) strengthening the international collaborative research network between researchers in the US and the Czech Republic; iii) increasing students intercultural maturity through interactions with international students/faculty and participation in Czech social & cultural activities; and iv) increasing student understanding of graduate studies to increase student pursuit of STEM graduate degrees. These impacts all support the program focus to develop a diverse, globally-engaged workforce with world-class skills.This project is jointly funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.