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Arctic Resilience: NSF, �鶹��Ƶ, and collaborators seek solutions for the future

Martha Bushong — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 11:07:26 +0000

Arctic Resilience: NSF, �鶹��Ƶ, and collaborators seek solutions for the future Martha Bushong Wed, 10/08/2025 - 07:07

In 1967, Alaska adopted the slogan "North to the Future" for its centennial. Now, as researchers at �鶹��Ƶ collaborate on an National Science Foundation planning grant, they look north to Alaska and the future. The planning grant lays the groundwork for the development of an Alaska Innovation Incubator (AI²) for Resilient and Smart Infrastructure in Extreme and Changing Environments.

“The Arctic presents both challenges and opportunities, demanding strategic planning and robust infrastructure support," said Professor Elise Miller-Hooks, who is spearheading the team for George �鶹��Ƶ. "With AI², we're not only responding to environmental changes; we're proactively shaping a resilient future for the region. We’re hoping to create forward-thinking solutions for maritime development, performance of civil infrastructure, climate hazards, and workforce development.”

Professors Elise Miller-Hooks and Celso Ferreira on the Alaska's North Slope. They will return later this year to meet with planning grant collaborators. Photo provided.

Though still in its early stages, the planning grant outlines five interrelated thrusts. These thrusts will develop smart sensing technologies for the changing Arctic environments; new technologies that lead to innovative, economical, and resilient infrastructure; adaptive and economical solutions and system-level decision-making tools for securing Arctic coasts; a prototype for an automated digital twin of community-scale coastal infrastructure and permafrost systems; and a pipeline for workforce development of future scientists, engineers, and skilled workers with expertise in U.S. Arctic environments.

The George �鶹��Ƶ researchers are part of a larger effort to develop resilience solutions and technologies through close collaboration with Indigenous communities, industry partners, government agencies, and six academic institutions. The societal impacts of this initiative could be far-reaching, promising enhanced well-being and resilience for U.S. Arctic communities, increased economic competitiveness, improved national security, and greater public engagement with science and technology.

To achieve this, through AI², the team aims to deliver a suite of transformative solutions. One example is the development of Arctic coastal hazard early warning tools, designed to provide timely alerts to communities facing environmental threats. The project will also pioneer innovative foundation insulation technologies and thermosyphon systems, specifically tailored for permafrost regions, alongside economical pre-thawing techniques for construction in warmer permafrost areas.

The researchers hope to create adaptive solutions and system-level decision-making tools to ensure the security of Arctic coasts for the future. With the potential of new shipping lanes opening, Alaskans see opportunities for new ports, and the team will explore both the opportunities and challenges. A prototype for an automated digital twin of community-scale coastal infrastructure and permafrost systems will be developed, offering a cutting-edge approach to monitoring and managing the environments.

Finally, the initiative led by Penn State University, a long-time research partner, will focus on workforce development, nurturing future scientists, engineers, and skilled workers with expertise in the unique challenges of U.S. Arctic environments. “Through the envisioned AI², it will be possible to generate new insights into the interactions between the natural and the built environment—including regional weather dynamics, permafrost, and coast-land interfaces—and the built and sociocultural systems, laying the groundwork for effective solutions,” said Miller-Hooks.

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George �鶹��Ƶ researchers and NASA investigate melting mountains

Martha Bushong — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 13:26:27 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ researchers and NASA investigate melting mountains Martha Bushong Wed, 07/30/2025 - 09:26

�鶹��Ƶ’s civil engineers are assessing the climate change challenges facing some of the world’s highest mountain ranges, creating better ways to measure the melting ice in high elevations where temperatures are rising faster than the average, putting pressure on the livelihoods of fragile cultures and ecosystems.

Viviana Maggioni (on right) and colleagues from the Italian National Research Council at the headwaters of the Ganga River in Devprayag, India. Photo provided.

Funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and led by Associate Professor Viviana Maggioni, the researchers teamed up with Chile’s Universidad de la Frontera. Together, their analysis encompasses the mountain regions of Asia, which include the world's highest mountains and support drinking water and food production for nearly three billion people. Their efforts also stretch across the globe to the Andes of South America: the highest mountain range on Earth outside of Asia.

“It is essential to understand how these high mountain areas are responding to climate change, since their melting permafrost has major impacts on surrounding regions and the people living nearby,” said Maggioni.

The 'Godly Confluence’ where the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi streams meet to form the holy Ganga River.
Photo provided.

To access and analyze these remote and geographically diverse locations, the researchers use advanced data assimilation algorithms, multiple satellite-based sensors, and NASA’s Glacial Melt Toolbox: a cutting-edge collection of remote sensing, digital elevation, and mapping technologies that help measure and forecast changes in ice, water, snow, and other natural phenomena.

The research aims to identify regional hotspots in the high mountain areas of Asia and the Andes where the permafrost is melting rapidly. Those hotspots are where local communities and natural cycles are most threatened, especially as climate change and the warming continue.

“The melting and permafrost loss in these areas has not been widely studied before,” Maggioni said. “This is alarming, since water availability and security are at risk.”

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Engineering students in Ecuador give locals a leg up

Jennifer Pocock — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 18:37:38 +0000

Engineering students in Ecuador give locals a leg up Jennifer Pocock Wed, 06/11/2025 - 14:37

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Sixteen students from George �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Engineering and Computing took an early summer ROMP in Quito.

Computer engineering major Darion El shapes a prosthetic as ROMP prostheticist Mireya Moreno supervises.
Photo by Shani Ross

It could have been just another frivolous start to the summer, full of parties and pools before kicking off internships and jobs. Instead, these students opted to change lives: those of amputees—and their own.

From May 16 to 26, 16 students in the BENG 417 Bioengineering World Health class with trip leaders Claudia Borke and Shani Ross worked in Quito, Ecuador, with the Range of Motion Project (ROMP) to fit locals with high-quality prosthetic devices. Ketul Popat, chair of the Department of Bioengineering, brought the ROMP program to George �鶹��Ƶ after a successful run at Colorado State University.

“This was the first year that we did this,” he said. “The goal was to give more hands-on experience to students so they could see how a background in engineering could make a difference in people’s lives instantly.”

Different styles of prosthetics are displayed with shoes at the ROMP workshop. Photo by Darion El

The students absolutely felt the difference. Nicolas Garcia Callejas is a rising senior who began his academic career as a pre-med nursing student, earned an associate’s degree in health science, and is now hurtling through undergrad and straight into a master’s in bioengineering with George �鶹��Ƶ’s Bachelor’s Accelerated Master’s (BAM) program.

“We got to know the patients and help them through the process. Then we got to do everything from scratch in making the prosthetics,” he said. “We went from taking measurements, doing the sculpting and molding, refinements around the socket, and building the prosthetic. It was a full 9-5 job, but the time flew by because I was having fun.”

This trip, Garcia Callejas said, lit a fire in him to continue working with ROMP. Not only did he get to help others, as he wanted to do as a nursing student, but he could also make things hands-on and use his language skills to help translate. “ROMP was a really cool experience. I fell in love with the people there.”

Andres Miguel Cruz Guzman was another student who transferred to George �鶹��Ƶ from a community college with an associate’s degree in engineering. This mechanical engineering major wants to eventually work on solar and water technology projects, but the personal and hands-on aspect of the Ecuador program attracted him.

“I liked that we were going to work directly with the patients,” he said. “The prosthetics are going on their bodies and will be something they wear for the next three years. I was intrigued by that challenge.”

One thing he didn’t anticipate, however, was the emotional aspect of the work. “I saw one 12-year-old boy walk for the first time. It didn’t hit me at the moment, but at bedtime the impact that we had on his life overwhelmed me,” he said.

Popat said that one thing that struck him was how quickly the students adapted to the work. “I went on the third day, and it didn’t seem like the students were new there,” he said. “They were already very comfortable with what they were doing.”

And that’s the kicker (pun intended). These programs are so valuable because they enable students to see, in a very short time, how their years of study prepared them to make a difference in the world.

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�鶹��Ƶ and IIT-Ropar to use AI to boost crop yields in India

Katarina Benson — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 21:41:18 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ and IIT-Ropar to use AI to boost crop yields in India Katarina Benson Mon, 12/02/2024 - 16:41

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Engineering, Carter School students give peace a chance

Nathan Kahl — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 18:51:26 +0000

Engineering, Carter School students give peace a chance Nathan Kahl Tue, 07/23/2024 - 14:51

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Incoming college students are increasingly concerned with social justice, conflict resolution, and sustainability. These are byproducts of being raised in an interconnected, interdisciplinary world, where they’ve been taught to consider the downstream consequences of their actions and decisions.

Engineering students like the Engineers for International Development group pictured here on a clean drinking water project in Ecuador served as inspiration for the new minor. Photo provided

In response, the �鶹��Ƶ College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) and Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution are now collaborating on a minor in peace engineering. The minor’s germination comes from numerous places but was pushed forward initially by Liza Wilson Durant, CEC’s associate provost for strategic initiatives and community engagement, and Alpaslan Özerdem, dean of the Carter School.

"I advised students in �鶹��Ƶ’s Engineers for International Development chapter on developing engineered solutions to community problems in remote lands in Central America,” said Durant. “The engagement with community members and the work to understand the needs of a vast number of community stakeholders was as important as the final engineered solution. It occurred to me that we could bring that kind of understanding to the classroom for more engineering students through collaboration with the Carter School.”

Jane Walker, director of undergraduate student services for the Carter School, said the minor is ideal for students of both colleges. “The engineering students will better understand culture, people, and the complexity of their interactions, and Carter School students will better understand systems thinking and engineering design. Understanding design process helps with problem solving.”

Walker noted that their students have shown interest in adding to their expertise in conflict analysis with skills in project management and technical considerations, which they could get from classes that make up this minor.

Durant was inspired watching students tackle problems in Central America.

According to the university website, the minor “brings together expertise in systems-level science, engineering principles, and conflict resolution practice to support conditions for peace. It prepares students to engage in projects with conflict sensitivity and to understand the engineering technologies and approaches impacting human systems.”

“When I pursued my civil engineering degree in Istanbul during the late 1980s, our curriculum offered limited engagement with socio-economic and cultural issues,” said Özerdem. “Although we had the opportunity to select a few electives that touched upon these topics, the primary focus remained on the technical and structural aspects of civil engineering.”

Rajesh Ganesan, an associate professor in the Systems Engineering and Operations Research Department, explained how systems engineering approaches are useful. “As we look at conflict on the whole from a global perspective, and think of all the huge factors that play a role in any crisis, we want to incorporate systems thinking into conflict analysis," he said. "It’s important for our students to have those systems thinking approaches.”

Özerdem, an engineer by training, wants students to develop holistic approaches to problems.

Özerdem said, “The disciplinary focus has evolved from a narrow technical lens to a more holistic approach that embraces flexibility and interdisciplinary learning. This shift has been a response to the growing recognition that the challenges we face today—ranging from climate change and urbanization to social equity and global peace—cannot be adequately addressed by any single discipline alone.”

Ganesan added that increasingly students are asking for courses related to things like climate change, global conflicts, energy sustainability, and more. He said, “These words were nonexistent previously. If you had asked me six or seven years ago, nobody spoke about these things, but now the students are asking for them, and we have other pushes, like from the Dean’s Advisory Board.” He said the advisory board, students, and alumni are the key sources of feedback on curriculum change.

For students looking to graduate on time, the minor only requires 15 more credits, of which eight are unique. A student may complete the minor by adding three classes and no more semesters.

Özerdem has a strong vision for the minor. “In the coming years, we hope to see it become a flagship program attracting a diverse and dynamic cohort of students from across the university,” he said. “Our goal is to build a robust and supportive learning environment where students from different disciplines can collaborate and learn from one another, fostering a culture of innovation and interdisciplinary excellence.”

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Study abroad combines tourism and tech

Martha Bushong — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 15:18:13 +0000

Study abroad combines tourism and tech Martha Bushong Tue, 07/23/2024 - 11:18

When most people think of Vienna, Austria they imagine elegant baroque palaces and a world-class opera and symphony, not a European Tech hub. The tension between old and new inspired Professor Rob Pettit, associate chair of the Computer Science Department at �鶹��Ƶ, to lead a pioneering study-abroad program there in the summer of 2024.

Designed for undergraduate computer science students, this initiative is among the nation’s first faculty-led, study-abroad opportunities specific to computer science. "Studying abroad is not just about combining academics with travel," said Pettit. "It's a transformative experience that expands horizons, fosters cultural understanding and builds a global perspective. Given today's interconnected world, studying abroad equips students with unique skills and insights, preparing them to navigate and contribute to a diverse and dynamic global community."

Pettit and the students lived as locals in Vienna's dynamic 6th district for this six-week immersive program. Students attended classes at the renowned Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), consistently ranked in the world's top 100 computer science universities. There, Pettit held lectures for CS 321 Software Engineering in which students gained hands-on experience with team-based agile software development practices in preparation for their transition to industry.

“CS 321 is a project-based course and part of the required curriculum for the BS CS and BS ACS degrees at George �鶹��Ƶ,” said Petit. “For their projects, students were required to incorporate elements of their study-abroad experience into a deliverable software application.”

In addition to CS 321, students earned credit for CS 399 Exploration of the Global Software Engineering Industry. Together, this combination provided six credits of coursework directly applicable to the computer science major.

Computer Science students in front of Melk Abbey. Photo provided.

Organized excursions and industry interactions enhanced the students' cultural and historical understanding. Highlights from the program's first half included visits to the Hofburg Imperial Palace, Vienna's Technical Museum, and the Belvedere Palace's art galleries and gardens. The undergraduates also traveled to nearby Melk Abbey, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

For the industry experience, TTTech corporation hosted students at its Vienna location and included presentations on high-reliability software. Beyond site visits, the group also shared community meals where they experienced traditional Austrian, Hungarian, and Turkish cuisine while building stronger bonds within the group.

For their first long weekend, students and Pettit traveled to Prague, staying in a hotel with views of the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. A guided tour of Prague's historic city center provided deep insights into the city's rich history. "Our guide, a lifelong resident, enriched our experience with his extensive historical knowledge, concluding the tour in Wenceslas Square with a firsthand account of the Soviet suppression of the Prague Spring uprising, which he witnessed as a teenager," said Pettit.

Additional excursions included visits to Schönbrunn Palace—the stunning Baroque summer palace of the Hapsburgs—and day trips to Bratislava, Slovakia, and Sopron, Hungary. The students explored and traveled to locations in Croatia, Germany, and Italy during their free weekends.

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Cool lessons from Utqiaġvik, Alaska

Rena Malai — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 17:21:32 +0000

Cool lessons from Utqiaġvik, Alaska Rena Malai Wed, 08/23/2023 - 13:21

This summer, computer modeling and the Arctic ecosystem converged at the top of the world. Professor Elise Miller-Hooks and a team of National Science Foundation (NSF) researchers convened at the Barrow Arctic Research Center. These NSF Navigating the New Arctic researchers traveled to the remote location to attend the Permafrost and Infrastructure Symposium in Utqiaġvik, Alaska, some 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

The symposium brought together scientists, regional planners, village leaders, project managers, and federal and local policy makers. The team attended to learn and grow their research–and to share. Miller-Hooks described what she learned as massive.

“It was nothing like I expected. When I entered Utqiaġvik, I found myself in a tough environment with mostly dirt roads. The other researchers told me these roadways are built on permafrost,” she said. “Later on, they convinced me to lower myself into a cave underground to see 16,000-year-old permafrost.”

Elise Miller-Hooks analyzes permafrost in Utqiaġvik.

The people of Utqiaġvik live on the permafrost and they still fish and whale in the surrounding seas, as they have for centuries. Whaling is not a hobby, or for profit. They whale to survive. It is their food supply and more.

“It [whaling] is their culture. It is what they raise their kids to do. It's what their songs and dances are about. It's truly everything. They say that if you take that away from them, it's like killing them,” said Miller-Hooks. All of this could be threatened by more shipping traffic as the polar ice caps shrink and Arctic sea ice diminishes.

Most of the researchers at the symposium were there to study the permafrost which is thawing because of human-made climate change; when the permafrost thaws, the land under the structures that have been built on it sinks. Miller-Hooks described the situation as the base falling out from under them and said that they need to find solutions now, not tomorrow. With very limited access to materials, finding a solution is especially challenging.

Miller-Hooks’ research focuses on forecasting and modeling shipping and maritime transportation changes that will come as the permafrost thaws and the sea-level rises. She said she doesn’t get out in the field much in her line of work but found the experience life changing.

“What I learned from the community and tribal leaders was invaluable. I learned that they really want co-production. They want to be heard. They want us to understand what they know and bring it into our research. We must not ignore their experience and try to push research findings on them, but instead, learn together and jointly develop solutions.”

This idea crystalized after Miller-Hooks presented her research at the symposium. After her presentation, one of the village leaders expressed concern and skepticism about the math.

He said he thought she was looking at the wrong thing. He told her that more shipping in the Arctic would harm the whales and could harm whaling.

Miller-Hooks explained that her research creates the tools that can help forecast changing Arctic traffic, and how these projections and analyses can be used to help make cases to mitigate the impact on the whales and their breeding, other marine life, whale hunting, and indigenous people’s subsistence way of life.

“Now I have a much better understanding of the power of the results that we will get, and how they can be used from many new angles that I hadn't thought of,” she said. Miller-Hooks hopes to collaborate with the communities and work with them to uncover how increased maritime traffic and related industrial activity in the region will impact their way of life, and how the U.S. and other Arctic nations can prepare to do the right thing.

Research Sponsors: Funding for the symposium came from the NSF Arctic Sciences program, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Center for Safety Equity in Transportation, and UIC Science, a subsidiary of the Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation providing logistical support to scientists and researchers working in Alaska's Arctic.

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International student crosses countries for computer science

Rena Malai — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 14:36:32 +0000

International student crosses countries for computer science Rena Malai Wed, 08/25/2021 - 10:36

As a child growing up in Mumbai, Vinee Moradiya loved to cook. But when her uncle inspired her to pursue an education in computer science, she was eager to follow suit. For now, she placed her cooking interests on the back burner but Moradiya says her degree and an interest in robotics could still be useful if she ever plans to open a restaurant someday.

“I could create a place where robots come to serve you and develop a software that stores recipes and trains chefs how to make them. Anything is possible,” she says.

Break Through Tech’s �鶹��Ƶ Guild program held July 26 to July 30 brought students together from various backgrounds to collaborate, brainstorm, and explore the world of possibilities available to them. When Moradiya received notification of the program, she didn’t hesitate to join, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to connect with others in her field.

Vinee Moradiya participated in �鶹��Ƶ's first Guild program in 2021.

“I wanted to meet other women in STEM who share my perspectives. That’s why I joined Guild,” says Moradiya.

A full-time international student at �鶹��Ƶ, Moradiya’s journey from India to her eventual participation in the Guild was an adventure. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she braved travel to Delhi and Chennai as she navigated through the U.S embassies in India, battling red tape to secure her student visa. She made it to Northern Virginia just in time, with only ten days left before her program started.

"My uncle and aunt are engineers, and I grew up hearing about everything they’ve been doing in their work,” says Moradiya, a Department of Computer Science undergraduate student at �鶹��Ƶ. “Using technology to help others, make other’s lives easier, discovering new things-- this is what pointed me towards computers.”

Advantages of Guild included speaking with a variety of mentors as well as learning different perspectives and engaging in team collaboration.

“I was able to speak with mentors from places like Verizon and Amazon, as well as those pursuing a doctorate,” she says. “They shared [stories] about their life and career experiences and were able to provide what they’ve learned along the way.”

“The computer science program at �鶹��Ƶ is great, it’s a diverse campus, and the weather (in Northern Virginia) is nice,” she says. “It was all worth it!”

Break Through Tech’s Guild program is open to all students with a focus on women (cis and trans) and nonbinary individuals who are first- and second-year students at �鶹��Ƶ.