Louisiana Tech University
AFRL ML-RCP Partner Institution Strengths & Capabilities Survey
Contact Information
Name: Sumeet Dua, PhD
Title: Executive Associate Vice President for Research and Partnerships and Chief Research Officer
Email: sdua@latech.edu
Research
Please select the research areas in which your institution currently engages.
Structural materials: Shaurav Alam, PhD., PE, Associate Professor shaurav@latech.edu
Bio effects: Effects of EM radiation, Neven Simicevic, Associate Professor, neven@latech.edu; Effect of microgravity, Gergana Nestorova, Associate Professor, ggnestor@latech.edu and Joshua Vandenbrink, Assistant Professor, jpvdb@latech.edu; Detection and quantification of biological agents and cells, Mary Caldorera-Moore, Associate Professor, mcmoore@latech.edu
Functional materials & applications: Yuri Lvov, Professor, ylvov@latech.edu; Mark DeCoster, Associate Professor, decoster@latech.edu; Mary Caldorera-Moore, Associate Professor, mcmoore@latech.edu; Pedro A Derosa, Professor, pderosa@latech.edu
Manufacturing technology: Henry Cardenas, Professor, cardenas@latech.edu
Electro-optical sensing: Arun Jaganathan, Associate Professor, arun@latech.edu; Prabhu Arumugum, Associate Professor, parumug@latech.edu
Control, power, & thermal management systems: Arden Moore, Associate Professor, amoore@latech.edu; Leland Weiss, Professor, lweiss@latech.edu
Human centered intelligence surveillance & reconnaissance: Mary Fendley, Associate Professor, mfendley@latech.edu; Jane Jacob, Associate Professor, jacobj@latech.edu; Thomas Stafford, Professor, stafford@latech.edu
2. Please note, in detail, any research areas of strength not listed above. This may include fundamental sciences (e.g. math, physics, biology, etc.).
Cybersecurity and Cyber Forensics: Brad Glisson, Associate Professor, glisson@latech.edu
Cyber Discovery: Building professional development for high school teachers to introduce cyber related activities in curriculum, integrating humanities with STEM disciplines. Galen Turner, Professor, gturner@latech.edu
Numerical methods for partial differential equations, bio-heat transfer applications: Weizhong Dai, Professor, dai@latech.edu
Data mining and machine learning: Pradeep Chowriappa, pradeep@latech.edu
3. Are there any emerging areas of research your institution is actively seeking to develop?
No response provided.
4. Does your institution have any internal research centers or participate in any research consortia?
Institute for Micromanufacturing: The Institute for Micromanufacturing (IfM) is a collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment focused on innovations in multiscale structures, devices, and systems. The research thrusts of IfM, supported by current capabilities and intellectual capital in micro- and nano-scale fabrication, materials characterization, and computational modeling are: Energy & Environmental Technologies, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, Bionanotechnologies.
Director of the Institute for Micromanufacturing: Arden Moore, Associate Professor, amoore@latech.edu
Louisiana Materials Design Alliance (LAMDA): Louisiana Tech is part of a statewide consortium for materials research. Other member institutions are: Louisiana State University, Southern University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Tulane University. https://lamda.rsi.laregents.edu/
Faculty contact: Arden Moore, Associate Professor, amoore@latech.edu
Trenchless Technology Center (TTC): The Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) at Louisiana Tech University is a cooperative research center for academia, government, and industry. The Center’s mission is to advance trenchless technology by serving as an independent source of knowledge, research, and education in the field. Trenchless technology includes a large family of methods used for installing and rehabilitating underground utility systems with minimal surface disruption and destruction resulting from excavation. The TTC utilizes a three-pronged approach to accomplish its mission: research & development, education, and technology transfer.
Faculty contact: John Matthews, Associate Professor matthews@latech.edu,
Center for Innovations in Structural Integrity Assurance (CISIA): Louisiana Tech is one of the sites (along with Louisiana State University) for an NSF-funded Industry/University Consortium
Faculty contact: John Matthews, Associate Professor, matthews@latech.edu
Louisiana Tech Research Institute (LTRI): Louisiana Tech Research Institute (LTRI) is the formal recognition of the existing and productive partnership efforts between Louisiana Tech University and other local and national partners. The goal of LTRI is to (1) enable Louisiana Tech University to secure new work in new ways from both industry and defense partners; (2) provide the US Air Force and Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) with next-door access to a dedicated R&D/applied research center and strategic intellectual thought/ capital; (3) build focused competences to attract talent and industry; and (4) serve as the official home for deterrence-, cyber-, defense-, and intelligence-related education, training, and workforce development programs for North Louisiana.
Faculty contact: Warren Ward, Chief of Staff, wardwg@ltri.org
5. Please provide a list of relevant facilities and equipment.
The Institute for Micromanufacturing: https://www.latech.edu/research-innovation-enterprise/centers-of-excellence/institute-for-micromanufacturing/resources/#content
6. Does your institution have a relationship with any other academic institution or research organization(s) that enables your access to their facilities and equipment?
Louisiana Tech has agreements in place whereby faculty get access at internal rates to the research facilities at the following institutions:
Louisiana Tech Research Institute Building – Secure and classified facilities
Louisiana State University – Shared Instrumentation Facility
University of Louisiana Lafayette – Institute for Materials Research and Innovation
Tulane University – Coordinated Instrumentation Facility
7. Has your institution collaborated with Department of Defense in the past?
Yes
8. Is your institution involved in any federal STEM funding efforts?
Yes
9. This program requires documentation (i.e. theses, dissertation, presentations, etc.) to go through the AFRL public affairs review process. Would this present a challenge for your institution?
No, this is something that is already done.
Research Administration and Compliance
10. Does your institution have an office of sponsored programs?
Yes
11. Does your institution have an approval process for seeking extramural funding?
Yes
12. Does your institution accept federal award dollars and manage standard fiscal reporting, and compliance requirements?
Yes
13. Does your institution provide guidance to PIs for budget development?
Yes
14. Does your institution offer proposal development services?
Yes
15. Does your institution offer research development services, e.g., assistance with finding research funding, proposal management, team formation/development, etc.?
Yes
16. Does you institution offer research compliance training and education, i.e., roles and responsibilities of principal investigators?
Yes
17. Does your institution have a designated Export Control Officer?
Yes
18. Is your institution registered with the US State Department Directorate of Defense Trade Controls?
No
19. Does your institution currently perform Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI/ NIST 800-171 compliant) research?
Yes
20. Does your institution currently perform research subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations?
Yes
21. Does your institution have a DoD Facility Security Clearance (FCL)? If Yes:
a. What is the FCL’s classification level?
TS/SCI through the affiliated 501(c)3, non-profit Louisiana Tech Applied Research Corporation (LTARC)
b. What is the FCL’s authorized safeguarding level?
None (currently non-possessing FCL)
c. How many safeguarding-approved spaces do you manage?
None
d. What is your facility’s CAGE Code(s)?
2D700
ML-RCP Program Expectations
22. The objective of the AFRL ML-RCP is to enable and enhance the research capabilities of the HBCU’s/MSIs through collaborative research efforts with AFRL. What would be necessary for you to receive to meet this objective?
Louisiana Tech collaborates with HBCUs such as Grambling State University, Southern University in Baton Rouge, and Alcorn State University on various fronts. In the past, through the support of the RCP-MLP program, Tech has had productive collaborations with Prairie View A&M University and North Carolina A&T State University. RCP-MLP-supported programs that could further build those collaborations and lead to faculty and student engagement at AFRL directorates will be welcomed.