News Release

Kolodzy leads group in National Science Foundation grant

NSF awards $800,000 to establish Stevens testbed for wireless network systems

Grant and Award Announcement

Stevens Institute of Technology

HOBOKEN, N.J. - The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded an $800,000 wireless networking research grant to a consortium led by Stevens Institute of Technology, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Vanu, Inc. The NSF research grant supports development of a testbed that combines advanced networking and wireless communication technologies. The testbed will enable research on systems where mobile devices are simultaneously connected to multiple wireless networks and use flexible software radios to improve quality of service, security, and performance.

The project is headed by Dr. Paul Kolodzy of Stevens, former head of the Spectrum Policy Task Force of the Federal Communications Commission, and now director of Stevens' Wireless Network Security Center, or WiNSeC.

"The advanced devices and software in this testbed will enable us to develop new solutions to major wireless communications problems," said Kolodzy. "We will exploit the flexibility inherent in the multiple radio systems out there today, and the new capabilities of advanced radios and antennas, to make more efficient use of the limited available frequencies and give better service to everyone who uses mobile devices."

Professor Dirk Grunwald of the University of Colorado at Boulder leads the networking component of the project. "I see a real opportunity to build a new kind of wireless network, where decisions about how information is moved around are closely linked to what is happening at the radio level," said Dr. Grunwald. "This should enable communications systems to take advantage of new antenna and radio technologies much more effectively than they can today."

Vanu, Inc. is providing the software radio communications infrastructure for the project. "We are excited about our participation in this program," stated Dr. John Chapin, CTO. "Our research on advanced software radios and on ways to integrate them into communications networks fits extremely well with the research goals of this testbed. We look forward to working closely with Stevens and Colorado and others to develop new wireless communication techniques and system designs."

Other technologies to be explored in the testbed include steerable antennas and upper millimeter wave microwave communications. BBN Technologies (a Verizon company) is providing network management tools and expertise.

The NSF grant supports development and installation of initial testbed facilities at both the Stevens Institute of Technology and the University of Colorado at Boulder, as well as one year of research work. The consortium intends to seek further funding to grow the capability of the testbed and support ongoing research.

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About WiNSeC

The Wireless Network Security Center (www.stevens.edu/winsec) at Stevens Institute of Technology is focused on solving technical and organizational problems associated with secure communications platforms. Wireless technologies developed and tested by the center are certified to perform in even the most demanding situations. A cutting-edge wireless technology testbed is located in the heart of the NY/NJ metropolitan area.

About University of Colorado at Boulder

The University of Colorado at Boulder is a comprehensive public research university located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. More than 29,000 students are enrolled in nine colleges and professional schools on the Boulder campus. The University of Colorado at Boulder is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and offers more than 3,400 courses in 170 fields of study. The faculty received more than $250 million in sponsored research awards during the 2003 fiscal year, including more than $46 million from the National Science Foundation. For additional information, visit the university's web site at www.colorado.edu.

About Vanu, Inc.

Vanu, Inc. applies modern software engineering techniques to the high-speed signal processing elements at the core of wireless devices to create portable software radio applications that will greatly increase the pace of innovation in wireless devices. Vanu, Inc. licenses software radio components and applications and provides design-consulting services to wireless OEMs, system integrators and service providers. The company targets three basic platforms, each addressing a distinct market segment: infrastructure, vehicular and handheld. Vanu, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is based in Cambridge, Mass.

About Stevens

Established in 1870, Stevens offers baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science, management and technology management, as well as a baccalaureate in business and technology, and in the humanities and liberal arts. The university, located across the Hudson from New York City, has a total enrollment of about 1,740 undergraduates and 2,600 graduate students. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at http://www.stevens.edu/.

For the latest news about Stevens, please visit http://www.stevensnewsservice.com/.


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