Since Sept. 11, 2001, potential applications and interest in the development of PMMW imaging has significantly increased. NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense and other national organizations are sponsoring research on the technology.
"Our primary interest in this technology is aviation safety. If aircraft control towers or airplanes can be equipped with mm-wave cameras, then even in adverse weather conditions, airports can remain open with the least loss of productivity," says Dr. Isaiah M. Blankson, a senior scientist and technologist at NASA Glenn Research Center. "NASA (went) to Johnson C. Smith because there was real expertise in this area."
The PMMW imagers are expensive due to the high cost of the millimeter-wave receivers needed to build them. A wide spectrum of knowledge is needed in order to do research in this field such as electromagnetic waves, microwave and millimeter-wave antennas and devices, automatic control systems, image reconstruction techniques, super-resolution algorithms, optimization methods, electronics circuits design and optics.
"Johnson C. Smith University has diligently worked to integrate technology into all aspects of our curriculum. With this project, we hope that others will not only recognize our commitment to technology, but also appreciate our focus on research," says Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy, JCSU president.
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