Research

Federally Funded Projects

Title: "Embedded Systems Security via Reverse Engineering and Countermeasures"
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Principal Investigator: Kevin Kornegay
Award Amount: $~; Period of Performance: April 2015 - March 2018
Project Description: With support from the National Science Foundation, Morgan State University will implement comprehensive strategies designed to transform teaching and learning in an effort to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in electrical engineering. The project, designed to address vulnerabilities in cyber security, will impact a large population of minority students and provide opportunities for collaboration and career development for faculty. This project has the potential to contribute significantly to the pool of minority electrical engineers trained in technology that is vital to the nation's cyber infrastructure. The goal of the proposed research project is to enhance the security of cyber-physical systems while enhancing the research capability of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Morgan State University by: 1) providing Internet of Things (IoT) device security at the physical layer and countermeasures to prevent attacks and ensure secure data exchange between IoT devices; 2) developing Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty research expertise and increase competitiveness regarding security of IoT devices; 3) enriching the educational and research experience of students; and 4) increasing the production of underrepresented minority students with doctoral degrees in electrical engineering. This project will equip engineering students with innovative techniques vital for tackling challenges in national cyberinfrastructure, develop the institution's research and educational capacity and productivity, and contribute to the institutional transformation. The project is aligned with the institution's strategic goal of enhancing its status as a Doctoral Research University.

 

Title: "DoD IASP: CREAM Scholars and Capacity Building"
Sponsor: Department of Defense / National Security Agency
Principal Investigator: Kevin Kornegay
Award Amount: $212,636; Period of Performance: September 2017 - September 2018 
Project Description:  The Center for Reverse Engineering and Assured Microelectronics (CREAM) was established to produce skilled cybersecurity engineers that aid the electronics industry and intelligence community in preventing penetration and manipulation of the nation's cyber physical infrastructures. We apply invasive and noninvasive hardware and software reverse engineering techniques to assess physical layer cybersecurity threats in embedded systems, specifically IoT devices. We develop countermeasures and trusted platform module design methodology to secure them against sensitive data extraction, disruption, diversion, and obfuscation.

 

Title: "LTS/Morgan State University Summer Cyber and Telecommunications Research"
Sponsor: Department of Defense / National Security Agency
Principal Investigator: Kevin Kornegay
Award Amount: $100,000; Period of Performance: May 1, 2017 - August 31, 2017 
Project Description: With support from the National Security Agency, Morgan State University students were able to participate in a unique, ten-week summer research program at the Laboratory for Telecommunication Sciences, aimed at studying today's challenges to IoT (Internet of Things) security and RF communications. this team of students from the School of Engineering's Center for Reverse Engineering and Assured Microelectronics (CREAM) was tasked to create prototype solutions that improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and usability of current systems and practices in these areas. The understanding gained from this collaborative effort with NSA will enhance on-going government cybersecurity and telecommunications projects.

 

Title: "Decision Engine for Structured and Unstructured Data"
Sponsor: Department of Defense (Test Resource and Management Center)
Principal Investigator: K. Nyarko
Award Amount: $~ (Phase 1), $~ (optional Phase II & III); Period of Performance: July 2013 - Oct 2014, Nov 2014 - June 2016 (optional)
Project Description: Dr. Nyarko and his team are developing an algorithm to process voluminous amounts of unstructured and structured data. This algorithm acts as a decision engine that will be used by Test and Evaluation communities to enhance their capability of detecting patterns within the torrents of data generated under various test cases.

Title: "Visual Analytics for Science and Technology at a Minority Serving Institution (VAST MSI): Increasing the Pipeline for STEM Research in Product Development and Department of Homeland Security Workforce Opportunities (Phase II)"
Sponsor: U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Principal Investigator: Timothy Akers and Kevin Peters
Co-Principal Investigator: Kofi Nyarko and James Hunter
Award Amount: $~ (Phase II); Period of Performance: 9/1/2014-8/30/2018
Project Description: Increase the number of students in STEM with a focus on cyber security, visual analytics, and data analysis, with specific interest in product development and workforce opportunities. For more detail see Phase I below.

Title: "Visual Analytics for Science and Technology at a Minority Serving Institution (VAST-MSI): Increasing the Pipeline for STEM Research in Product Development and Department of Homeland Security Workforce Opportunities (Phase I)"
Sponsor: U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Principal Investigator: Timothy Akers and Kevin Peters Co-Principal Investigator: Kofi Nyarko and James Hunter
Award Amount: $~ (Phase I); Period of Performance: 9/1/2012-8/30/2014
Project Description: The efficiency of traditional cyber security systems is limited, in part, by their inability to effectively process, manage, analyze and relay relevant information due to their lack of interactive analytical and visual technologies. Dr. Akers is working with students to develop a system that incorporates both classical network information visualization methodologies in combination with analytical techniques geared towards cyber security within both small and large-scale networks. The process of developing this system will encompass the creation of a custom application tool designed to apply concepts from the burgeoning field of visual analytics to allow analysts to interactively investigate as well as efficiently detect structured attacks across time and space by combining information visualization, human factors and data analysis.

Title: "Highly Efficient GaN Power Amplifier with Harmonic Suppression at KaBand, RF Front-End Transmitter/Receiver Technology"
Sponsor: Office of the Naval Research (ONR)
Principal Investigator: M. Reece
Award Amount: $~; Period of Performance: 3/1/2013-11/1/2015
Project Description: This work involves the development of an efficient linear 10 Watt GaN power amplifier that incorporates novel on-chip planar power combiner architecture with harmonic suppression. This approach is a simplistic low cost method of realizing improved linearity and efficiency performance of high power amplifiers at Ka-band. This work will also include investigations of the linearity and efficiency performance tradeoffs in GaN-based PAs.

Title: "Advanced Communication Technology Development for Next-Generation DoD Telemetry Systems"
Sponsor: Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Principal Investigator: W. Thompson II
Award Amount: $~; Period of Performance: 9/5/2013 - 9/4/2014
Project Description: The multi-band, multi-mode SDR platform consists of three subsystems: multi-band front end with transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) channels that support L/S/C-band telemetry allocations, the digital radio, and the configuration and control (C2). The multi-band front end provides wideband operation, coarse band selection, and channel tuning. Coarse band selection utilizes the property of image rejection within the Weaver architecture to select between the L/S-band and C-band allocations, respectively. The digital radio implements field-programmable gate array (FPGA) technology to provide high-speed signal processing and programmability to support multiple telemetry waveforms. Standard telemetry waveforms will be implemented: Pulse Code Modulation/Frequency Modulation (PCM/FM) and Shaped Offset Quadrature Shift Keying (SOQPSK-TG). To improve spectrum efficiency and data rate performance, an advanced waveform based on Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) will be developed for laboratory demonstration. The C2 subsystem allows for pre-test configuration and control of the multi-band front end and digital radio.

Title: "Test and Evaluation Enhancements for Cognitive Radio"
Sponsor: Army Research Office (ARO)
Principal Investigator: W. Thompson II
Award Amount: $~; Period of Performance: 9/6/2013-9/5/2014
Project Description: The instrumentation requested within this proposal is a programmable vector network analyzer (PNA) and a high-performance digital oscilloscope to augment an integrated test & evaluation systems that supports the design and evaluation of advanced communication systems. The proposed instrumentation focuses on the enhancement of high-frequency generation and analysis of signals and waveforms with the capabilities for harmonic and non-harmonic distortion, signal integrity, jitter, error vector magnitude measurements, and waveform constellations. This acquisition will enhance Morgan State University's ability to participate in the development of the next-generation tactical communication systems by providing test & evaluation capabilities at the system-level and component-level, while supporting a Broad Agency Announcement prime contract (W900KK-12-C-0048) for the design of multi-band, multi-mode software-defined radio platform. In addition, the acquisition of the instrumentation will facilitate training of students to become proficient in analyzing, testing, and troubleshooting systems, circuits, and components; the enhancement of undergraduate and graduate courses in applied RF/microwaves engineering; and course development in software-defined radio and cognitive radio technologies and applications. This proposal is a collaborative effort between two centers at the University for the research and development of frequency agile front ends, adaptable RF/microwave components, and cognitive radio functionalities. Center of Excellence for Tactical and Communication Technologies (CETACT) is developing hardware and software technologies for multi-band, multi-mode operation, dynamic radio management, and spectrum management. Center of Microwave, Satellite, and RF Engineering (COMSARE) is developing algorithms for adaptable power amplifiers, implementing innovative power combining strategies to preserve power amplifier module size, weight, and power constraints, and developing neural network-based device models for gallium nitride (GaN) that is attractive for rugged military applications.

Title: "Multi-band, Multi-mode SDR platform"
Sponsor: U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI)
Principal Investigator: W. Thompson II
Award Amount: $~; Period of Performance: Nov 2014 - Jan 2016 (Phase III)
Project Description: The contract is for the development of a multi-band, multi-mode SDR platform in support of research objectives of the Spectrum Efficient Technology (SET) Test Science &Technology (S&T) and Test Resource Management Center (TRMC)/Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD)

Title: "Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis of Basic Research Elements Related to High Speed Super for Drag Reduction and Ultimately Stealth Radar Signature"
Sponsor: Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Principal Investigator: A. Willoughby
Award Amount: $~; Period of Performance: 7/1/2012 - 9/30/2013
Project Description: Dr. Willoughby is involved in two Navy projects related to multiphase flow CFD modeling: High speed supercavitating vehicles, and SSBN missile launch. As such he has utilized such software assets as POINTWISE (GRIDGEN), OPEN FOAM, COMSOL and SUGGAR software codes. This was a collaborative and learning opportunity that this experience has afforded Professor Willoughby to be valuable in many regards. Firstly, the knowledge and experience he has gained transfers back to Morgan State University through his teaching, mentorship and research with students. Secondly, this knowledge and experience positions him well for future research activities within the Navy S&T community. Finally, he has learned to use modern CFD tools in the context of real world applications, and this training has led to his beginning to contribute effectively to major Naval Research Programs.

Title: "Mid-Atlantic Consortium Center of Academic Excellence (MAC-CAE)"
Sponsor: Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
Principal Investigator: A. Maclin
Award Amount: $~; Period of Performance: 9/1/2011 - 9/30/2016
Project Description: Morgan State University is one of two institutions of higher education to have been selected by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to receive federal funds to begin degree programs in National Security Studies. Maryland U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin announced the grants from the Intelligence Community Centers of Academic Excellence. Under provisions of its five year assistance agreement, Morgan is establishing a consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina to do research in human terrain systems and bio-systems with specific applications to South Asian countries such as Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. This National Security Studies program aims to promote curricula at academic institutions with Intelligence Community (IC) core mission skills such as international relations, foreign language and cultural immersion, scientific and technical programs of study, including cyber security. Foreign language and cultural fluency, for example, are needed in the IC to better understand cultural indicators that shape world events and U.S. national security strategies.

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Non-Federally Funded Projects

Title: "Preamble Assisted Equalization for Aeronautical Telemetry"
Sponsor: Subcontract Brigham Young University (DoD) & Morgan State University
Principal Investigator: A. Cole-Rhodes
Award Amount: $~; Period of Performance: 3/14/2013-6/13/2015
Project Description: The Preamble Assisted Equalization (PAQ) team at Morgan State University will work with researchers from three other Universities on the PAQ project, which is developing a real-time platform for testing the effectiveness of equalization algorithms in a real aeronautical telemetry environment. The PAQ team at MSU will focus on improving the performance of a blind equalizer by using available known data, in this telemetry application.

Title: "Collaboration Program-Sensors Research"
Sponsor: Subcontract Agreement between Morgan State University & Clarkson Aerospace Corporation/Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
Principal Investigator: M. Reece & A. Cole-Rhodes
Award Amount: $~; Period of Performance: 9/3/2013-6/30/2018
Project Description: Two projects are funded under this effort. In the first Dr. Reece will study how the theory of self-structuring networks can be applied to the design and development of a self-structuring filter prototype, which can adapt to changes in the environment and satisfy required performance characteristics. In the second effort Dr. Cole-Rhodes studies the problem of tracking of objects identified within multi-sensor image and/or video streams, while developing new techniques for the registration and fusion of such data.

Title: "Link Dependent Adaptive Radio"
Sponsor: Subcontract between Georgia Institute of Technology (DoD) & Morgan State University
Principal Investigator: Farzad Moazzami
Award Amount: $~; Period of Performance: 3/14/2013-12/30/2016
Project Description: The Link- Dependent Adaptive Radio (LDAR) team at Morgan State University is engaged in a collaborative effort with the team at GTRI to develop and test a prototype system that adapts its modulation scheme and coding rate based on channel conditions in a telemetry environment. In particular we are developing and testing a system which integrates variable rate QAM/OFDM modulation with a variable rate convolutional coder to provide effective communications over a dynamic aeronautical channel

Title: "HAWKSNEST Embedded SDR Framework"
Sponsor: Ventura Solutions - Subcontract to Morgan State University
Principal Investigator: C. Scott, W. Thompson, K. Nyarko, J. Ladeji-Osias
Award Amount: $~; Period of Performance: 2/11/13 -6/30/13
Project Description: This work will enable the rapid prototyping of cyber/EW applications by creating a catalog of vetted components for GPP, FPGA and DSPs in the form of a "Cyber/EW Embedded Toolkit". This solution will employ existing standards to create a consistent model for application portability across dissimilar embedded radio platforms; emphasis on non-proprietary solutions. Morgan State University was tasked with developing the physical and human resources needed to support test and validation platforms for embedded components and hardware intended for reuse in EW, cyber and ISR systems.

Title: "Software Defined Radio Information Assurance and Spectrum Management Lab"
Sponsor: Ventura Solutions - Subcontract to Morgan State University
Principal Investigator: C. Scott, W. Thompson, K. Nyarko, J. Ladeji-Osias
Award Amount: $~ (equipment); Period of Performance: 2/11/13 -10/31/13
Project Description: Two computing laboratory facilities (Schaefer Rooms 215 and 340) were upgraded to accommodate four servers and ten (10) workstations. These laboratories are now designated as Software Defined Radio Information Assurance and Spectrum Management. New furniture, including workstations, cabinets, chairs, were assembled and biometric door locks were installed. The computing infrastructure was upgraded, including workstations, monitors, printers, switch configuration and VLAN setup. Smart Boards were configured for lecture and meeting capture.

 

Collaborative Projects

 

There have been discussions over the past 2 years about how all 14 HBCU electrical engineering departments can collaborate in four theme areas. The discussions were presented as part of an NSF Sponsored Experimental Centric Pedagogy Grant NSF # 125544. Cyber security was identified as the most active area. As a part of this project, guest speakers come to Morgan to speak on cyber security related topics. i.e. "Breaking Software - Day in the Life of a Cyber-Warrior: Learn About the Insatiable Need for Cyber Security Talent Within the US Government and Defense Contractors and How You Can Develop the Skills to Participate in This High Growth Area That Virtually Guarantees Internships and Employment." Wednesday, Feb 18th 2015, 12:00 PM - 1:50 PM Calloway Hall 303 T. Roy, Founder/President CodeMachine, Inc.