WVU researcher selected to demonstrate biometric recognition technology at NSF open house

Dr. Arun A. Ross, an assistant professor in West Virginia University’s Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, has been selected to demonstrate his research at a National Science Foundation (NSF) open house next week.

Ross and two of his students will travel to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate biometric recognition technology being developed at WVU. The open house will showcase the work of more than 30 NSF-supported scientists, engineers and educators from across the nation.

The NSF chose to feature West Virginia from among the 27 states and territories that participate in its Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). The NSF-funded EPSCoR initiative is intended to develop the research base in states that have historically received the least federal research and development funding.

"We are pleased and proud the NSF selected West Virginia’s EPSCoR program from all those in the country to highlight at this event," said Dr. Paul L. Hill, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission vice chancellor for science and research. "It’s a real vote of confidence in our program and the groundbreaking biometrics research being done right here in West Virginia."

Biometrics technology uses physical and behavioral traits such as fingerprints, face, voice and hand geometry to establish the identity of an individual. The field is rapidly growing with applications ranging from accessing computers and paying for groceries to being permitted to cross a border.

WVU is known worldwide for its identification technology research. The university offers the nation’s only undergraduate degree in biometric systems, along with dual undergraduate offerings in biometric systems and computer engineering, and in biometric systems and electrical engineering. Ross works at the WVU-based Center for Information Technology (CITeR), the first comprehensive academic center for biometrics in the country.

Ross joined WVU in 2003 as part of the West Virginia EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement initiative to recruit faculty and improve the state’s research infrastructure. Last year, he received the NSF’s prestigious CAREER Award, which supports the early career development activities of teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization.

The open house will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 4, at the NSF headquarters in Arlington, Va. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Ginny Painter at (304) 558-4128, ext. 6, or ginny.painter@wvresearch.org.


Caption: Dr. Arun Ross, standing at left, explains the intricacies of the human thumbprint while demonstrating the biometric technology he and his colleagues hope to improve upon at the WVU-based Center for Information Technology Research (CITeR). Photo by Chris Southard.

Governor presents grants during undergraduate research day

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Gov. Joe Manchin today presented grants to help advance scientific research at West Virginia colleges and universities. The grants, which totaled nearly $500,000, were funded through the state’s Research Challenge Fund (RCF), the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts (E&A), and the West Virginia IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (WV-INBRE).

The grants were awarded in conjunction with Undergraduate Research Day, an annual event at the State Capitol intended to highlight research projects conducted by college and university students from around the state.

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NSF releases solicitation for Math and Science Partnerships

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a solicitation for its Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program. This program is a major research and development effort that supports innovative partnerships to improve K-12 student achievement in mathematics and science. MSP projects are expected to raise the achievement levels of all students and significantly reduce achievement gaps in the mathematics and science performance of diverse student populations.

In order to improve the mathematics and science achievement of the nation's students, MSP projects contribute to the knowledge base for mathematics and science education and serve as models that have a sufficiently strong evidence base to be replicated in educational practice.

In this solicitation, NSF seeks to support six types of awards:
1. Targeted Partnerships focus on studying and addressing issues within a specific grade range or at a critical juncture in education, and/or within a specific disciplinary focus in mathematics or the sciences;
2. Institute Partnerships – Teacher Institutes for the 21st Century are designed to meet national needs for teacher leaders/master teachers who have deep knowledge of disciplinary content and are school- or district-based intellectual leaders in mathematics and science;
3. MSP-Start Partnerships are for awardees new to the MSP program, especially from minority-serving institutions, community colleges and primarily undergraduate institutions, to support the necessary data analysis, project design, evaluation and team building activities needed to develop a full MSP Targeted or Institute Partnership;
4. Phase II Partnerships for prior MSP Partnership awardees focus on specific innovative areas of their work where evidence of significant positive impact is clearly documented and where an investment of additional resources and time would produce more robust findings and results;
5. Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance (RETA) projects directly support the work of the Partnerships, especially by developing tools to assess teachers’ growth in the knowledge of mathematics or the sciences needed for teaching, conducting longitudinal studies of teachers and their students who participate in the MSP projects, or engaging the national disciplinary and professional societies in MSP work; and
6. Innovation through Institutional Integration (I3) projects enable institutions to think and act strategically about the creative integration of NSF-funded awards, with particular emphasis on awards managed through programs in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), but not limited to those awards. For Fiscal Year 2008, proposals are being solicited in six EHR programs that advance I3 goals: CREST, ITEST, MSP, Noyce, RDE, and TCUP.

Letter of Intent Due Date (optional, due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): February 18, 2008. Strongly encouraged for Targeted Partnerships, Institute Partnerships, MSP-Start Partnerships, Phase II Partnerships, and RETA Projects.

Full Proposal Deadlines (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
- March 25, 2008 for Targeted Partnerships, Institute Partnerships, MSP-Start Partnerships, Phase II Partnerships, RETA Projects
- April 10, 2008 for Innovation through Institutional Integration


NSF is sponsoring a series of workshops and webinars for those interested in responding to this solicitation. For more information, visit NSF's website.