| RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT AND FACILITIES
At Stevens, we are strengthening a proud
tradition of conducting high-quality research by developing ways
to ensure that laboratory breakthroughs and new technologies are
translated into successful commercially-viable products and processes.
We believe the future lies in Technogenesis and the beneficial university-industry-government
collaboration.
Stevens’ research initiatives are
interdisciplinary; they have a strong connection to our undergraduate
course offerings. From the process of investigation and discovery
through applications in the marketplace, regardless of the particular
discipline under which they are created, our projects are interconnected;
this prepares our students for professional work. Our research initiatives
reflect the Stevens academic philosophy of a comprehensive and unified
approach to engineering, science, technology and management.
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Center for Environmental Systems
(CES)
The
Center for Environmental Systems is dedicated to basic and
application-motivated inter- and multi-disciplinary research aimed
at creating basic scientific knowledge, advanced technology, and
innovative management practices that lead to novel solutions for a
sustainable utilization of our environmental resources. The Center
conducts research sponsored by governmental agencies and private
industry in a variety of environmental research areas, promotes
environmental technology development, transfer and implementation,
and fosters partnerships with industry, government and environmental
service organizations for cooperative approaches to solving
environmental problems. It also develops and maintains degree,
certificate and continuing professional education programs for the
Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering.
Over 25 faculty members and 40 undergraduate
and graduate students are involved in environmental research projects.
The research is multifaceted, and includes hazardous and toxic waste
engineering soil and ground-water modeling and remediation; dispersion
and monitoring studies of contaminants in inland and coastal waters;
physical, physicochemical and biological waste treatment technologies;
and residential water conservation, flushability and drinking water
safety.
The research facilities of the center
include the James C. Nicoll, Jr. Environmental Laboratory (JNEL),
the Keck Geoenvironmental Laboratory, the Vincent A. Rocco Technology
Center, and the Analytical, Plasma, and Water Conservation Laboratories.
These state-of-the-art facilities provide unique capabilities for
bench scale treatability studies on complex wastes, waste minimization
studies, consumer and non-consumer product environmental compatibility
studies, fate and transport evaluation of organic and inorganic
contaminants, and the development and transfer of environmental
technologies.
Center for Global Technology
Management (CGTM)
The Center for Global Technology Management
(CGTM) is the Howe School's focal point for research and educational
programs in global studies. In research, the center focuses on issues
related to global innovation practices and theory. The center's
educational program includes a range of courses leading to a "global
concentration" in several Howe School graduate programs. The
center also plans a series of executive courses as well as student
exchange programs at the undergraduate and graduate level with global
corporations and international business schools.
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Center for Innovation in Engineering
and Science Education (CIESE)
The Center for Innovation in Engineering and
Science Education (CIESE), www.ciese.org,
part of the Schaefer School of Engineering, was founded in 1988 to lend Stevens'
expertise in integrating computers into its curriculum to improve K-12 science,
mathematics, engineering, and technology education. CIESE's mission is
to increase the pool and improve the capabilities of all students to pursue higher
education and careers in technological fields and to support the Stevens education by
catalyzing and fostering innovation in the teaching and learning of engineering,
science and mathematics. CIESE’s outreach efforts impact pre-college and university
educators and students in order to improve the quality of students and advance
the practices of engineering, applied science, and technology management.
In pursuing its mission, CIESE's work has encompassed
both precollege and post-secondary educators. The Center assists K-12 educators
exploit the power of technology to improve teaching and learning in engineering,
science, mathematics and other disciplines. These activities complement Stevens'
objectives by helping students acquire the foundations necessary to excel in science,
mathematics and other subjects. Achievement in these "gateway" subjects enables
students to go on to the advanced study required in engineering and other
technologically-rich fields.
CIESE works collaboratively with teachers, school
system administrators, as well as university faculty to provide intensive,
hands-on training, support and counsel to infuse technology in meaningful
ways into the curriculum. Technology is seen as both a tool for teachers and a
new mode for bringing exciting content to students. In the past, students might have
read in a textbook about earthquakes that happened several years ago; today it
is possible for them to log onto a web site and see the location and intensity of
earthquakes that have occurred within the past 24 hours. Bringing these real-world
phenomena into the classroom both motivates and engages students to learn in ways
not possible with more traditional tools.
Through partnerships with school districts, as well as
colleges, universities and other organizations in New Jersey and four other states,
CIESE has trained more than 20,000 teachers and impacted more than a half-million
students. CIESE’s Internet-based curriculum materials have been recognized by
organizations such as the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, the U.S.
Department of Education, the American Association for the Advancement of Science,
the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and other organizations. More
than 100,000 students participate in CIESE’s real time data and global
telecollaborative projects each year. CIESE is currently implementing a
$1.5 million U.S. Department of Education grant to transform teaching and learning
in science and mathematics education for preservice teachers through partnerships
with 33 community colleges. CIESE has also implemented large-scale technology
training programs including a five-year, $9.28 million U.S. Department of Education
Technology Innovation Challenge Grant; a three-year, $750,000 AT&T Foundation
grant; a three-year, $600,000 New Jersey Department of Education grant;
a three-year, $1 million program to strengthen science education for New Jersey's
neediest schools; as well as several specific teacher-training programs with
New Jersey and New York schools and districts.
Central to CIESE activities are unique and compelling
Internet-based curriculum materials for K-12 science and mathematics education.
The Savvy Cyber Teacher® (SCT) workshop series is a 10-part, 30-hour teacher-training
program providing educators with hands-on experience using web-based applications in
order to engage students in authentic science investigations and problem-solving
activities using real time data and global telecollaboration. SCT materials and other
training programs are available to schools and teachers through grant-funded programs
or fee-for-services arrangements with CIESE.
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Center for Mass Spectrometry
Mass spectrometry, a rapidly advancing scientific
discipline with tremendous employment potential, has far-reaching
qualitative and quantitative applications in environmental, biological,
biochemical, pharmacological, forensic, and geochemical fields.
As one of the best
equipped academic facilities in the United States, the Center
welcomes collaborative research projects from the Stevens community
and from outside sources. Frontier-level research programs
incorporate the efforts of those who would like to gain experience
with mass spectrometry as well as advanced-level researchers
involved with the latest developments in the field. Our instruments
are amenable to a wide variety of organic compounds including
proteins, peptides, amino acids, alkaloids, steroids, flavanoides,
saccharides, lipids, nucleic acids, polymers, petroleum products,
and organo-metallics. Our mass analyzers are based on time-of-flight
and quadrupolar techniques. One of the new instruments featured in
this center is a Q-TOF API-US
mass spectrometer. This
hybrid instrument incorporates two mass analyzers in tandem: a high
performance quadrupole filter as the first stage and a orthogonal-acceleration
time-of-flight analyzer with a mass resolving power of 17,500 as
the second.
Center for Product Lifecycle
Management (CPLM)
Another research facility is the Center
for Product Lifecycle Management (CPLM), a focal point for both
information and technology on plastic products over their life-cycle:
design, manufacture, use and disposal. Working with industry and
government, CPLM emphasizes the development of products and fabrication
processes that reduce the potential for significant environmental
problems and risk, and promote sustainable growth. CPLM’s
activities include contract product and process research, engineering
studies, educational and training programs and technology transfer
industrial extension services. The center uses two other facilities:
- The Blandford Water Quality Laboratory is equipped for all
standard chemical and microbiological determinations used in the
water and wastewater field. These include atomic absorption
spectroscopy, gas chromatography and high-performance liquid
chromatography.
- The Waterfront Tower Facility, a ten-story, 3,000-square-foot tower, is
used to conduct pilot scale waste treatment and destruction
technology development and testing. This unique facility can
accommodate construction of very high treatment setups. Several
pilot-scale setups are in operation, including a 40-foot-high
steam-stripping parked column.
- The Research Vessel, Phoenix, is used for
conducting pollution studies in estuarine and coastal waters. This
25-foot-long vessel has been equipped to perform dye tracer
experiments, collect water quality samples and obtain observations
of water velocity, salinity and temperature. The Phoenix is named
after an early 19th-century steamboat constructed by the Stevens
family.
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Center for Technology Management
Research (CTMR)
CTMR
conducts research on issues related to innovation and the management
of technologies in a global context. Our mission is to develop
concepts and frameworks to help executives address the challenges of
a rapidly
changing technology-based world. Research results are
disseminated through publications, books, working papers, an annual conference, and sponsor
forums. CTMR supports the Stevens Institute of Technology theme of Technogenesis
— the educational frontier wherein faculty, students and colleagues
in industry jointly nurture the process of conception,
design, and marketplace realization of new technologies.
Computer Vision Laboratory
The primary objective of
the research performed in the Computer Vision Laboratory is to apply
rigorous physical and mathematical principles towards image
interpretation. The work performed in the lab is multidisciplinary,
combining diverse academic disciplines, including physics,
mathematics, engineering and, above all, computer science. Some of
the major thrusts in the lab include photometry, 3D shape
reconstruction, shape analysis, object recognition and multispectral
imaging.
The Laboratory offers students a hands-on experience
with image capturing and processing equipment. A dedicated
workstation is used mainly for the capture of still images and
movies. The laboratory's electronically tunable filter capable of
fast, dense, multispectral imaging is unique among computer vision
laboratories in academic institutions. The environmental conditions
in the lab are strictly controlled. If needed, the lab can become a
dark room. An optic table allows for the precise positioning of
equipment. A collection of optical components allows for
experimentation with enhanced image capture. The lab has its own
server and multiple Unix workstations for storing, processing and
analyzing images.
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The Consortium for Corporate
Entrepreneurship
The Consortium for Corporate Entrepreneurship
(http://www.ceconsortium.org)
continues to focus its research in three areas: optimizing the front
end of innovation, approaches and organizational structures for
getting to breakthroughs and knowledge creation, and knowledge flow
in the front end.
Through its mission statement -
to better understand the Front End of Innovation in order to
increase the number, speed and
success probability of highly profitable products entering development - the Consortium
offers a collaborative environment, where academia and industry
are dedicated to the discovery portion of the front-end
leading to breakthrough innovation.
Although these are topics of
growing interest within the corporate creative community, little has
previously been established. In a world of rapidly evolving
technologies, the success of interdependent relationships spawned
between creator-innovators and their corporate environments is based
on an increasingly synchronized set of events. The Consortium and
its industry sponsors seek to recognize behaviors and activities
that can be applied as powerful tools in enhancing creativity,
productivity and profitability. Industry sponsors include:
ExxonMobil; Ethicon, a J&J Franchise; and Aventis.
Davidson Laboratory
The Davidson Laboratory, founded in 1935,
is one of the largest and most renowned hydrodynamic and ocean engineering
research facilities in the nation. The Laboratory is part of The
Center for Maritime Systems which has as its focus: marine hydrodynamics,
environment modeling, observing systems and sensors, port security
and commerce and acoustic detection and surveillance (http://www.stevens.edu/engineering/LMS).
The Laboratory was featured in the February 1996 issue of Sea
Technology
.
Pioneering marine hydrodynamic studies
in both physical modeling and computer simulation of marine craft
designs (ranging from high-speed planning boats to submarines) conducted
over 70 years have contributed to the Laboratory’s international
reputation. Contributions to the field of ocean engineering include
wave tank simulations of various sea states and the analysis of
forces on offshore structures.
The Laboratory’s interest and
expertise extends to research on observing systems and sensor design
developing instruments to measure specific water properties or
processes and developing arrays of sensors to monitor a region of
the marine environment. The State of New Jersey funds the Laboratory
to administer the New Jersey State Coastal Protection Technical
Assistance Service (CPTAS) (www.dl.stevens-tech.edu/cptas/cptas.html
), a unique resource created
to both inform and counsel New Jersey citizens and government officials
regarding coastal protection technology.
Computational hydrodynamics at the Davidson
Laboratory encompasses both environmental hydrodynamics and naval
architecture. The approaches to these disciplines are designed to
take advantage of the rapidly evolving high performance
computational and communications technologies. The basis of the
environment modeling systems is POM, The Princeton Ocean Model. POM
is a state of the art, sigma coordinate, free surface, primitive
equation coastal ocean model. POM is the central modeling component
of the Laboratory’s New York Harbor Observing and Prediction System
(NYHOPS).
The primary research facilities within the
Laboratory are two unique wave tanks. The first is a high-speed
towing tank with a length of 313 feet, width of 12 feet and a
variable water depth to 6 feet. A monorail-supported cable-driven
carriage is capable of speeds up to 100 ft/sec. The tank also
contains a programmable wave maker capable of generating
monochromatic and random wave fields, as well as several types of
wave spectra. Shallow water conditions can be simulated in the tank
with the installation of an adjustable slope false bottom. Nearshore
beach conditions are studied by placing 40 tons of quartz sand on a
65-foot-long, 1-on-20 sloping false bottom. The second tank is a
rotating arm and oblique-sea basin, with dimensions of 75-feet-long
by 75-feet-wide and a variable water depth to five feet. The
facility has been designated an International Historic Mechanical
Engineering Landmark and is one of only two of its kind in the
nation.
Estuarine and coastal field research is accomplished
through the use of the Laboratory’s two research vessels, equipped
with advanced global positioning systems, radar and 1-ton deployment
winches. Research instrumentation includes topographic and
bathymetric surveying equipment, a CODAR high frequency radar
system, Acoustic Doppler Current Meters, PUV meters, laser-based
Suspended Sediment Particle-size Distribution Meters and a
Turner-design fluorometry system. In addition to the mobile research
instrumentation, the Laboratory maintains a host of in-situ
instrument platforms that automatically monitor weather and water
conditions along the New Jersey Coast (http://cmn.dl.stevens-tech.edu)
and in New York/New Jersey Harbor as part of the New York Harbor
Observing System (http://onr.dl.stevens-tech.edu/webnyhos3/).
The research efforts of the Laboratory are supported
by the Instrumentation and Design Group that designs and
manufactures the specialized equipment needed to support research
activities. Computational resources center around the Laboratory’s
cluster: 6 dual 2.8Ghz Xeon processors, scheduled to be expanded to
12 nodes over the next 6 months. Each processor has 140Gb and 10,000
RPM RAID drives. A wide range of processing tools, including
visualization and animation routines, is available for use.
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Design & Manufacturing Institute
(DMI)
The
Design & Manufacturing Institute (DMI) (www.dmi.stevens-tech.edu)
is an interdisciplinary center integrating materials processing,
product design and manufacturing expertise with simulation and modeling
utilizing state-of-the-art computer software technology. Located
in the historic Carnegie Laboratory, DMI bridges the gap between
academic- and application-oriented research and development. DMI
partners with industry and government to create practical solutions
to product-design challenges that address cost, performance and
productibility across the product life cycle. DMI’s expertise
spans processing studies and modeling, competitive product development,
multi-component, multi-process system design and optimization, life
cycle analysis, material characterization and testing, and rapid
prototyping and manufacturing.
Building on more than a
decade of experience in cutting-edge product design
solutions, the Design & Manufacturing Institute continues to lead
in developing "next generation" solutions to
today’s challenges to product development. DMI’s expertise in manufacturing processes
and knowledge-based software is epitomized in its
Automated Concurrent Engineering Software (ACES) system and methodology development.
The ACES system offers product designers performance and
process modeling and life-cycle optimization for multi-component, multi-process
systems. In its continuous refinement of "next generation"
product development methodologies and tools, such as
ACES, DMI is engineering the future of polymer
and metals-based products.
DMI has particular expertise with polymers
and composites, and maintains extensive modeling capabilities and databases on
materials, processing, tooling and machinery. The Learning
Factory at DMI, a 6,000-square-foot facility, provides a computer-controlled,
state-of-the-art manufacturing environment. It offers industry representatives and
students the research, testing and training for product
design and testing, materials characterization, rapid prototyping and
production. Part of DMI is the Advanced
Manufacturing Laboratory, which contains industrial scale NC machines
with CAD/CAM software.
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Electrical and Computer Engineering
Laboratories
Laboratory facilities in the Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering are used for course-related
teaching and special problems, design projects and research. Students
are exposed to a range of practical problems in laboratory assignments.
Research laboratories are also heavily involved in both undergraduate
and graduate education with special projects and dissertation projects.
All research laboratories serve this dual-use function.
- Image Processing & Multimedia Laboratory
The high-computing power and large data
storage capabilities of contemporary computer systems, along with
the high data rates of today's data networks, have made practical
many sophisticated techniques used for two- and three-dimensional
images and video. The Image Processing & Multimedia Laboratory
highlights advances in the underlying image processing and computer
vision algorithms that serve as foundations for a wide range of
applications. Related to these visual environments is the general
area of multimedia, combining visual, audio and other sensory
information within an integrated framework.
- Physical Electronics Laboratory
Miniaturized devices used in today’s
electronic and optoelectronic components (and their packaging)
dominate the underlying physical components of contemporary systems.
The Physical Electronics Laboratory provides an interdisciplinary
facility highlighting design/realization of miniaturized components,
test/evaluation of such components and the demonstration of advanced
systems concepts.
- Secure Network Design Laboratory
Today’s extensive use of electronic
information systems (including data networks, data storage systems,
digital computers, etc.) has revolutionized both commercial and
personal access to information and exchange of information. However,
serious issues appear in the security of information, assurance
of the end user’s identity, protection of the information
system, etc. The Secure Network Design Laboratory provides both
physical testbeds and computer systems/resources for exploration
of this broad issue.
- Signal Processing in Communications Laboratory
Communication systems rely on extensive
signal processing, in preparation for their transmission, to correct
for distortions of the signal during transmission and to extract
the original signal from the received signal. Digital signal processing
is an important enabler of contemporary communication systems,
providing the flexibility and reliability of computational algorithms
to enable a wide variety of operations on signals. The Signal
Processing in Communications Laboratory focuses on advances in
the underlying principles of signal processing and on the application
of signal processing to contemporary communication systems.
- Wireless Information Systems Engineering Laboratory
The Wireless Information Systems Engineering
Laboratory highlights the design and engineering of advanced wireless
systems, including cellular and PCS telephony, wireless LANs,
satellite communications and application-specific wireless links.
Research includes the application of advanced signal processing
algorithms and technologies to wireless communication systems.
A major motivation of wireless communications is the elimination
of a physical wire connected to the user’s system. In the
case of computer communications (e.g., LAN and modem capabilities),
the transition to wireless connections allows the realization
of true "any place" connectivity to data communications
services.
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Engineered Materials Laboratory
The Engineered Materials Laboratory focuses
on the design and manufacturing aspects of high-performance composite
materials. Current project thrusts include development and validation
of a multi-physics composite manufacturing simulation system, studies
on process-induced residual stresses and composites behavior in
thermally-aggressive environments. The laboratory features a two-axis
filament winder, an instrumented resin transfer mold and a robotic
lamination system.
Highly Filled Materials Institute
(HFMI)
The
Highly Filled Materials Institute (HFMI) (www.hfmi.stevens-tech.edu)
was established at Stevens Institute of Technology in 1989 to investigate,
both experimentally and theoretically, the rheological behavior,
microstructure, processability and ultimate properties of highly
filled materials, including suspensions and dispersions.
Highly filled materials, loading
levels of which are typically very close to their maximum packing
fraction of the solid phase, are encountered in various industries,
including solid rocket fuels and explosives, personal care products,
intermediary and final food products, batteries, polymeric
master-batches and compounds, construction products, composites,
magnetics and ceramics. HFMI stays in contact with these industries
in order to better define its research goals and
to help focus efforts on some of the immediate and long-term
concerns. An industrial advisory board guides HFMI
in carrying out short- and long-term contract
research for government agencies and corporations.
The facilities of HFMI are
furnished with state-of-the-art equipment, including a
mini-supercomputer and graphic workstations for numerical
simulation, industrial-size continuous and batch processors
including co-rotating and counter-rotating twin screw extruders,
shear and extensional rheometers, computerized data acquisition and
process control systems, differential scanning calorimetry,
thermogravimetric analysis and equipment for characterization of
microstructural distributions, magnetic and electrical properties,
wettability and image analysis. The proprietary technologies of HFMI
include magnetic shielding methods, on-line rheometry,
disposal methods for chemical munitions, X-ray based quantitative degree of mixedness
and particle-size distribution analysis techniques, and three-dimensional
FEM-based source codes for simulation of EMF
mitigation, extrusion, molding and die flows.
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Information Technology
Information Technology
(www.stevens.edu/it)
supports academic and administrative
computing systems, instructional technology, campus networking and telecommunication
facilities, web servers and many computing and networking
resources located throughout the campus. Infrastructure server services
are based on a multi-vendor UNIX platforms and Microsoft Windows.
An extensive network supports
communications from all academic and administrative buildings and
residence halls to all systems. Over 6,500 nodes are supported on
the campus network with access speeds of up to 100Mbps and core
network speeds of 1Gbps. Off-campus connectivity to the Internet and
Internet2 is provided by a high speed 100Mbps (OC3) circuit. A
wireless network provides access to the campus network and the
Internet from locations around the campus. Remote access to the
campus network is supported by a dial-in modem pool as well
as VPNs. With a high level of connectivity
and advanced functionality accessible from on- and off-campus
locations, our network has been recognized as an
award-winning model environment for other academic institutions and commercial organizations.
In addition to the notebook
computers provided to all undergraduate students, a PC laboratory
operated by Information Technology is available to support access
for members of the campus community 7 days a week except
holidays. It includes a large cluster of personal
computers, printers, a scanner, and wired and wireless
access to the campus network. Additional computer labs
are maintained by some academic departments to meet their needs.
Information Technology provides
a variety of services. The User Services staff assists users by
providing a staffed help desk, training seminars and workshops,
documentation, timely news updates, and advice on systems access and
usage. The staff coordinates a seminar series intended to aid in the
use of networked resources. Users may
request individual or departmental assistance in planning, implementing
and using information resources, as well as help
with general system information, connecting to and interacting
with the network, using workstations and accessing the Internet resources.
Information Technology assists members of the
community in evaluating, acquiring and supporting networked
resources. This includes help in planning new facilities,
implementing new technologies and establishing support programs. The
Networking Staff assists users and departments in designing and
implementing local area networks, network expansion plans and
network applications. User assistance can be obtained by calling
(201) 216-5500. Help in purchasing computers can be obtained by
calling (201) 216-5108.
The staff of Information Technology has a
long-standing tradition of close cooperation with students.
Undergraduate and graduate students are employed as part-time user
(help desk) consultants, residence hall technical assistants,
personal computer lab assistants, and network support technicians.
All of these students work closely with the Information Technology
staff, gaining valuable practical experience while pursing their
degrees.
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W. M. Keck Geoenvironmental
Laboratory
The W. M. Keck Geoenvironmental Engineering
Laboratory is a fully-equipped facility for state-of-the-art computer
automated geotechnical, as well as environmental, testing of soil
and water media. Some of the major equipment available includes:
optical and polarizing microscope capabilities for geological sample
analysis, X-ray diffraction capabilities for mineralogical characterizations;
scanning electron microscope for surface morphological studies;
zeta potentiometer for solid surface charge analyses; integrated
wet chemistry facilities to accommodate any type of physicochemical
and environmental soil testing, such as particle and pore size distribution,
surface area, cation exchange capacity, batch and sequential extraction,
oxide content, consolidation, triaxial and direct shear strength
testing, flexible and rigid wall permeameters, and CBRs; durability
chambers for simulating environmental stresses, such as freeze and
thaw, wetting and drying, salt fog and acid rain exposure, as well
as other accelerated weathering field conditions; and full sample
collection and specimen preparation set-ups.
Some of the current studies
involve geoenvironmental characterization of heavy metal
contaminated firing range soils from different installations across
the US; fly ash, incinerator ash and other industrial
waste-by-product materials to evaluate their use in construction
applications; evaluating the properties of dredged materials for
reuse in transportation projects, treatment and management of
hazardous wastes; focusing on heavy metal and petroleum hydrocarbon
immobilization in geoenvironments; study of the fate and transport
of contaminants in the subsurface; surface enhancement of currently
used industrial wastewater filtration media; and development of
leaching protocols. To view brief project descriptions, journal,
engineering reports and other pertinent publications, visit
www.cee.stevens-tech.edu/Keck_Lab.html).
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Laboratory for Secure Systems
The Laboratory's mission is to pioneer new
technologies for high-assurance and secure systems and prototype
tools that can provide guarantees that a system will not exhibit
unpredictable behavior in a hostile environment. The objective is
to consolidate and organize research and tool-building efforts already
underway at Stevens. The Lab is funded by grants from the New Jersey
Commission on Science and Technology, the National Science Foundation
and the Stevens Institute of Technology Technogenesis Fund. The
facilities of the Lab include several desktop machines, PDAs with
wireless Ethernet, and Bluetooth devices for experimentation. The
Lab is affiliated with the New Jersey Institute for Trustworthy
Enterprise Software.
Part of the research work is focused on building
better trust models for components. Some of this work
is using static analysis techniques to check access control and information flow properties
for untrusted components. There is also work on pushing
type safety from high-level languages down to the assembly
language level and, in the process, checking properties of heap
space usage. Other work has been on type
systems for dynamic linking and "hot" updates of program libraries
at run-time.
Another thrust
of the work in the Lab has been in
network security, particularly for wireless networks. Work continues on attacks that can be
mounted on ad-hoc wireless networks and in the design
of new authentication and key establishment protocols that can
be used to improve the security of wireless communication in
general. Recent work has also looked at type-based
approaches to cryptography, to specify and ensure trustworthiness guarantees for
communication channels.
A new area of
research at the Lab is the study of secure
electronic transactions, such as banking operations or voting. The work
consists of using secure patterns of communication described
using type-systems to detect unauthorized modification of data between trusted
communicating parties.
The Lab has a seminar series
where guests from industry and academia as well as members of the
Stevens community present recent advances in all areas of computer
security.
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Lawrence Schacht Management
Laboratory
Today, educating engineers, scientists and
managers requires more than traditional laboratory facilities. The
Lawrence Schacht Management Laboratory provides facilities to learn
and practice business skills in realistic environments: to learn
the art and science of making effective presentations, to understand
and improve interpersonal and organizational skills, to develop
the computational skills needed in today’s competitive world,
and to conduct research in management and technology management.
The laboratory is composed
of a seminar room and five conference rooms,
a computation laboratory and a networking and video
control center. Video cameras and screens in each of
the conference rooms can be operated and controlled remotely from
the control center. Network and video connections are
installed throughout the laboratory, enabling laboratory activities to
combine the use of audio, video and computing techniques.
These facilities are well suited
for use in
many academic programs. For example,
students practice presentation skills in the seminar room,
and undergraduate and graduate students simulate a variety
of managerial situations in the conference rooms as they
learn the dynamics of small groups. Exercises can be monitored
and videotaped by an experienced manager who may
both intervene in the process and guide it,
or offer criticism and feedback immediately after its conclusion.
In addition to providing students
with valuable educational experiences, the laboratory is used
in management and other small-group research. The laboratory is
designed to accommodate controlled experimentation on managerial functions and processes.
Our ultimate goal in management research is to
understand the managing mechanism as it relates to
individuals involved, their organization and the community at large.
The computing center portion
of the laboratory includes thirty
advanced personal computers, all connected to the campus-wide
network. The equipment supplements the training of management
students by allowing them access to, and training them
in the use of, fully-supported analytical tools in accounting, statistics
and simulations. From the Schacht Lab computers, the
student can access and use the worldwide capabilities
available through the Internet on their projects and assignments.
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Materials/Structures Laboratory
The Materials/Structures Laboratory is equipped
for state-of-the-art materials testing. Equipment includes a universal
400,000 lb. compression/200,000 lb. tension testing machine; a computerized
data acquisition system; beam loading frame, freeze-thaw testing
apparatus; Versa test compression machine; high-pressure flexible
wall permeameters and environmental testing chambers. Current studies
include high-strength concrete, fiber-reinforced concrete, use of
by-products in concrete production and durability of materials in
construction.
Mechanical Engineering Labs
- Alfred W. Fielding Computer-Aided Design Laboratory
This laboratory contains a number of high-speed
workstations and peripherals serviced via local area networks.
The installed software includes the general purpose CAD/CAM package
Pro-Engineer and Solid Works, as well as finite element codes
ABAQUS, ALGOR, ANSYS and Pro-Mechanica. Also installed are several
special purpose design, analysis and educational packages.
- Clean Air Vehicle Facility
The Clean Air Vehicle Facility focuses
on methods to reduce automotive pollutant emissions. The laboratory
houses a 50-hp single-axle chassis dynamometer and a 1000-hp engine
dynamometer with fully-computerized instrumentation. The emission
sampling and analysis systems permit accurate determination of
CO, CO2, Ox, NOx, total hydrocarbons, methane and non-methane
hydrocarbons in raw or constant-volume sampled exhaust.
- Engineered Structural Materials Laboratory
This laboratory focuses on the design,
modeling and analysis and characterization of modern micro/nano
structurally engineered materials. The laboratory has filament
Winding, Resin Transfer Molding and Robotic Lamination equipment
for prototyping tailored composite materials. The laboratory is
capable of characterizing physical and mechanical properties,
long-term durability and failure behavior of composite structures.
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- Fluid Mechanics Laboratory
This laboratory includes a low-noise subsonic
wind tunnel with several custom-fabricated test sections, a pump
performance test-rig, a blower and internal-flow test-rig, a hydraulic
bench and experimental set-ups for flow metering, force of a jet,
and dimensional-analysis/similitude. The laboratory is fully networked
and includes space to support undergraduate and graduate design
and research projects in aerodynamics and hydraulics with modern
flow instrumentation and computer-aided data acquisition systems.
- Kenneth A. Roe Senior Design Laboratory
This facility provides work space and
support (instrumentation, tools, etc.) for the design, construction,
and testing of capstone-design projects in Mechanical Engineering.
The laboratory serves as a base for all the senior design teams.
It has workbenches for at least ten design teams to build and
assemble prototypes.
- Mechanical Systems Laboratory
This laboratory houses 10 experimental
set-ups in mechanisms, machine systems, and robotics including
apparatus for experiments on vibrations of machine systems (natural
response, step response, frequency response, resonance, etc.),
gear mechanisms (train value, rigid vs. flexible machine, etc.)
and balancing of rotors as well as the experiments with various
displacement sensors to measure beam deflection and calculate
beam stiffness; to measure backlash existed in mechanical joints
and motion system; to measure motion errors in mechanical systems
of various components. Several educational robot manipulators
and Lego-based mobile platforms are included.
- Metal Forming Laboratory (MFL)
This Laboratory focuses on advancing the
state of the art in computer modeling of thermo-mechanical processing
of metals. The results of the computer simulations are verified
using experimental techniques. The manufacturing processes investigated
include forging, rolling, extrusion and stamping. Recent projects
explored the microstructure changes in metals during the hot forging
of aerospace components, whereby the resulting grain size is predicted
as a function of the processing parameters using heuristic models
and numerical approaches on multiple lengths scales.
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- Noise and Vibration Control Laboratory
Research activities in the areas of engineering
acoustics, vibrations and noise control are conducted in this
Laboratory. The Laboratory has an anechoic chamber with internal
dimensions of 4.52m x 5.44m x 2.45m high. In addition, the Laboratory
houses sophisticated instrumentation such as multi-channel signal
analyzer and sound and vibration transducers, transducers with
adapters for mounting to a robot end effector and a number of
grippers designed and constructed by students.
- Precision Engineering Laboratory
The facility focuses on advancing the
state of the art in the areas of precision machine design, precision
robot design and precision manufacturing. Nano-precision sensors
and actuators, as well as precision coordinate measuring machines
provide powerful tools for research, development and education.
Current experimental studies include the development of an innovative
diamond wheel sharpening process at high-speed; a six degree-of-freedom
robotic measuring system; precision industrial robot design and
performance evaluation techniques; service robots; and ultra-precision
fine-position systems for industrial robots.
- Robotics and Control Laboratory (RCL)
The Robotics and Control Laboratory (RCL)
provides experimental research support in advanced intelligent
control of robotic systems with emphasis on nonlinear systems
adaptive control, intelligent control, neural networks and optimization-based
design and control. Projects include investigations on man-machine
systems, telerobotics, haptics, robotic deburring and robust and
adaptive motion, force and vision-based control. The major facilities
consist of one PA-10 robot, a Phantom haptic device with GHOST
development software, two PUMA 500s and several robotic arms.
The PA-10 is equipped with a JR3 wrist and an ATI base force sensor
and a Sony eye-in-hand camera system.
- Thermal Engineering Laboratory
The principal equipment in this Laboratory
includes: a single cylinder CFR engine with dynamometer and data
acquisition systems, a fully-instrumented oil-fired hot water
furnace and a heat pump experiment and reciprocating air compressor
setup. Modern emissions testing equipment and computer-aided data
acquisition systems are available for student use.
- Thermodynamics Laboratory
This laboratory includes a CFR engine
set-up equipped with a custom made power controller and a fully
computerized data-acquisition system, a two-stage, 10-hp, air
compressor with inter-cooling instrumented with a computer-assisted
data acquisition system, a hot water furnace experimental set-up
and an educational version of a vapor-compression refrigeration/heat
pump cycle. Modern emissions testing equipment and computer-aided
data acquisition systems are available for use.
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New Jersey Center for MicroChemical
Systems (NJCMCS)
The
New Jersey Center for MicroChemical Systems was recently established
under the auspices of the New Jersey Commission on Science and
Technology and with grants from several major federal government
agencies such as the US Department of Energy and the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). NJCMCS exemplifies the
Stevens approach to doctoral education - students, faculty, and
industrial partners work closely together, sharing ideas and
nurturing technology from innovation to implementation.
NJCMCS uses a systems approach to design,
manipulate, and control chemical reaction and separation processes
that occur in micro-volume environments. This research area includes
a broad range of new technologies such as microfluidic biochips for
drug discovery, combinatorial catalyst evaluation, micro-reactor
systems for on-demand production of industrial chemicals and
pharmaceuticals, and micro-power systems. The center's vision is to
become a global leader in developing innovative micro-kinetic test
and design methodologies for rapid microchemical systems
development, demonstration and commercialization. In partnership
with industry and government, the Center develops microchemical
systems that can be used in miniature power devices, in on-demand
chemical production facilities and in biomedical devices.
New Jersey Center for Software
Engineering (NJCSE)
Members of the Computer
Science Department hold a large grant from the New Jersey Commission
on Science and Technology (NJCS&T), focused on research in
software engineering aspects of networks and distributed
programming. This grant is held jointly with New Jersey Institute of
Technology (NJIT) and Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
The New Jersey Center for Software Engineering
(NJCSE) was founded in mid-2000 as the corporate outreach
(technology transfer) arm of this research activity. NJCSE is based
at Stevens.
Academic institutions affiliated with NJCSE are
Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey Institute of Technology,
Rutgers University in New Brunswick, and Monmouth University.
NJCSE
activities include regular technical meetings with Stevens, Rutgers
and NJIT researchers, and industry representatives. Other activities
include a Student Project Showcase and a Career Opportunities
Program. As of January 1, 2001, Industry Affiliates included Avaya,
Telcordia, Rational and IBM. NJCSE offers companies state-of-the-art
technical programs and early access to some of the best CS graduates
in New Jersey.
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New Jersey Institute for
Trustworthy Enterprise Software
The New Jersey
Institute for Trustworthy Enterprise Software was established by a
grant from the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology. The
focus of the Institute is on improving the trustworthiness,
reliability and security of enterprise software, particularly for
distributed and Internet applications. The Institute comprises
partners at Stevens, Rutgers University and New Jersey Institute of
Technology. It is based at Stevens and is involved in the following
research: secure electronic business, reliable Internet programming,
saft components and componential programming, document processing,
software design process and web engineering. The Institute is
affiliated with the Laboratory for Secure Systems and the Software
Engineering Laboratory, and has sponsored several research symposia
in Trustworthy Software and CyberSecurity, held at Stevens.
New Jersey Marine Sciences
Consortium
Stevens is a member of
the consortium which was established to provide resources for the
conduct of marine science and engineering research in New Jersey
coastal waters. The consortium maintains three research vessels,
ranging from 25 to 60 feet in length, together with an extensive
suite of oceanographic instrumentation, which is available for use
by Stevens faculty and students. In addition, the consortium
operates field stations at Sandy Hook and Seaville, NJ. Finally, the
consortium serves as a focal point for bringing together diverse
specialists to attack substantial interdisciplinary problems in the
marine environment. Our faculty and students have participated in
several large studies undertaken by the consortium.
Optical Communications Laboratory
Research is conducted in this Laboratory
on optical communication systems and components with computer-assisted
electronic and optical instrumentation. The properties of single-mode
optical fibers, Er-doped optical fiber amplifiers, wideband optical
transmitters and receivers, external cavity tunable semiconductor
lasers, single-frequency laser diodes and fiber optic sensors are
studied and tested using fast-pulsed lasers, signal synthesizers,
spectrum analyzers, spectrometers and a wide variety of optical
instruments. The effects of cabling and temperature on the propagation
of optical signals are investigated. Ultra-high frequency fiber
optic communication systems are being designed and tested for use
in telecommunications and video leaks.
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Physics and Engineering
Physics Research Laboratories
The Physics and Engineering Physics facilities
include the following:
- Laboratory for the Study of Electron-Driven Processes
- Prof. K. H. Becker
Electron collisions
with atoms, molecules and free radicals; experimental and
theoretical studies of excitation, dissociation and ionization
processes; measurement of electron attachment and detachment cross
sections and rates; collision induced emission spectroscopy;
laser-induced fluorescence experiments; collision processes in
low-temperature plasmas; atomic processes in atmospheric pressure
plasmas; application of collisional and spectroscopic data to
plasma diagnostic techniques; atomic, molecular, and plasma
processes in environmental systems; internal collaborations with
the Center for Environmental Systems (CES) and the John Vossen
Laboratory for Thin Film and Vacuum Technology; external
collaborations with the Universität Greifswald and the Institut
für Niedertemperaturplasmaphysik (Institute for Low-Temperature
Plasma Physics), Greifswald, Germany and the Universität
Innsbruck, Austria.
- John Vossen Laboratory for Thin Film and Vacuum Technology
- Prof. A. Belkind
Basic and applied research in the field
of plasma generation at low and atmospheric pressure, plasma diagnostics,
and plasma implementation with particular emphasis on plasma-assisted
deposition, surface cleaning, and environmental processes; special
efforts are being devoted to the development of novel pulsed power
plasma sources. Collaborations exist with industry (power supply
and vacuum deposition system manufacturers) and, internally, with
the Laboratory for the Study of Electron-Driven Processes and
the Center for Environmental Systems.
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- Solid State Electronics and Nanodevices - Prof. H.
L. Cui
Theoretical research
on quantum electron transport, resonant tunneling devices and
optical devices; modeling and simulation of semiconductor devices
and acoustic wave devices and networks; large-scale,
massively-parallel simulations of MM-wave spectroscopes and fiber
optical communication devices.
- Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy and Communication Lab -
Prof. R. Martini
The realization of
ultrahigh-speed communication networks at and above Terahertz
bandwidth is one of today's most challenging problems, as the
limiting factors are given by fundamental physical properties and
laws. To overcome the restrictions, new concepts and materials
have to be invented and utilized. In this laboratory we
investigate the high-speed response of new lasers and materials,
as well as passive and active optical systems using ultrashort
laser pulses (<100fs) to develop towards higher speed networks.
In addition to this, the ultrashort laser techniques in this
laboratory enable us to apply many different measurement
techniques accessing the world of the "ultrafast." Time-resolved
Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy setup, for example, gives us the
unique ability to measure optical as well as electrical properties
in this ultrahigh-speed frequency region and use it also for new
and fascinating applications in this new "frequency world."
- Quantum Electron Physics and Technology - Prof. N. J.
M. Horing
Quantum field theory
of many-body systems; nonequilibrium and thermal Green's function
methods in solid state and semiconductor physics and response
properties; open quantum systems; nonequilibrium fluctuations;
surface interactions; quantum plasma; high magnetic field
phenomena; low dimensional systems; dynamic, nonlocal dielectric
properties and collective modes in quantum wells, wires, dots,
superlattices; nanostructure electrodynamics and optical
properties; nonlinear quantum transport theory; magnetotransport,
miniband transport, hot electrons and hot phonons in submicron
devices; mesoscopic systems; spintronics; relaxation and
decoherence in semiconductor nanostructures; nanoelectrical
mechanical systems (NEMS); device analysis for quantum
computations.
- Theoretical Quantum and Matter Wave Optics - Prof. C.
P. Search
Theoretical
investigations into the dynamical properties of atomic and
molecular Bose-Einstein condensates and quantum degenerate Fermi
gases. Particular areas of interest include nonlinear wave-mixing
of matter waves, quantum statistics and coherence properties of
bosonic and fermionic matter waves, atomic recoil effects in the
interaction between light and ultracold atoms, atom-molecule
conversion via Feshbach resonances and photoassociation, and phase
sensitivity in atom interferometers. Applications include
precision interferometers for inertial navigation, gravity
gradiometers for geophysical prospecting, and matter wave
lithography. Other areas of interest include open quantum systems,
control of environmental decoherence, and cavity quantum
electrodynamics.
- Light and Life Laboratory - Prof. K. Stamnes
Atmospheric/Space
Research including satellite remote sensing of the environment.
Measurements of broadband and spectral radiation including solar
ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Inference of cloud and stratospheric
ozone effects on UV exposure. Numerical modeling of geophysical
phenomena and comparison with measurements. Study of radiation
transport in turbid media such as the atmosphere-ocean system and
biological tissue.
- Photonics Science and Technology Lab - Prof. E. A. Whittaker
The theme of this laboratory is the development
and application of laser-based methods for remote sensing, chemical
analysis and optical communications. Techniques used include frequency
modulation spectroscopy, laser vibrometry and free space optical
communications. The laboratory is equipped with a wide range of
laser sources and detectors, high frequency electronic test equipment,
computer controlled measurement systems and a Fourier transform
infrared spectrometer.
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Samuel C. Williams Library
Service Philosophy
The S.C. Williams
Library
offers just-in-time service tailored to the needs of Stevens faculty,
students and staff. This model maximizes use of Library materials
and serves individual information needs.
Using networked computers,
students, faculty and staff can access bibliographic and full-text
databases to locate references to millions of books, articles, patents,
theses, conference proceedings, technical reports and statistics. The databases are
available 24 hours a day.
Information Services
Information Specialists are available to
members of the Stevens community to do the following:
- assist in library research,
- visit departments for one-on-one or group
instruction,
- teach students the effective use of
library resources, and
- provide customized database searching by appointment.
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Document Delivery Services
Through the Library’s just-in-time
service model, the Stevens community benefits from 24-hour on-campus
and remote web-based access to subscription databases in diverse
subject areas, including science and engineering, management and
business, and the humanities. The Interlibrary Loan and Document
Delivery department, conveniently located on the main floor of the
Library, supports research needs by determining the most prompt
method of retrieving documents and materials requested by faculty,
students and staff.
Also, located directly
across the Hudson River from Stevens is New York
City, where important publishers, bookstores and major research libraries
provide additional resources.
Cultural Services
The Library functions as a cultural campus
center offering a wealth of artworks, mechanical models, special
collections and musical recitals. The Library’s art collection
includes two works by Alexander Calder, a 1919 Stevens graduate:
the "Stevens Mobile," created and presented by Calder,
who developed this art form, is exhibited in the three-story Great
Hall; a jagged black metal stabile, "Hard to Swallow,"
stands on the second floor.
"Safari," a mural by Pierre
Bourdelle, an internationally renowned craftsman and teacher, is exhibited
above the Information Services area. His cast aluminum
"American Spread Wing Eagle" adorns a south-facing exterior wall. A
stunning three-part gilded bronze work designed by American
sculptress Mary Callery, called "Moon and Stars," hangs over the entrance
portico. On the great lawn is Anna Hyatt Huntington’s
magnificent sculpture, "The Torch Bearer."
Special Collections
A collection pertaining to Leonardo da Vinci
is one of the finest accumulations of manuscripts, notebooks and
drawings in facsimile available for the use of scholars, media professionals
and humanities students.
The Library also houses
manuscripts, drawings, artifacts and monographs by and about
Frederick Winslow Taylor, Class of 1883, who originated Scientific
Management. Furniture from Taylor’s home is also included in the
collection. Additional holdings of the Library include the Stevens
archives, the original construction drawings for the Civil War
ironclad U.S.S. Monitor, and treasures from the
Stevens family 1854 "Castle." The four-story Library
building, a showplace in library architecture, was designed by Perkins
& Will. It is dedicated in memory of Samuel C. Williams,
Class of 1915.
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Software Engineering Laboratory
The Laboratory for Quantitative Software
Engineering, supported by a grant from the New Jersey Commission
on Science and Technology and by affiliates of the New Jersey Center
for Software Engineering, has several Windows and Linux workstations
connected by Ethernet and wireless LANs. The Lab is affiliated with
the New Jersey Institute for Trustworthy Enterprise Software.
The Lab's use is two-fold:
First, it is used by students
in the required two-semester Senior Design sequence. Their
projects are more profitably implemented on networked workstations
than on personal laptops, with which all Stevens
students are equipped. A special feature of the Senior
Design course is that it uses a novel pedagogic methodology
entitled "Live-Thru Case Histories." Further development of, and the
study of, the efficacy of the Live-Through Case History Method,
are being studied under grants from the New
Jersey Commission on Science and Technology and the National
Science Foundation, in part with the aid of
custom software being developed in the
Lab.
Second, as affiliates of both
Prof. Barry Boehm's University of Southern California Center for
Software Engineering and of the DOD-sponsored CEBASE (Center for
Experimentally-based Software Engineering) led by Prof. Boehm and
Prof. Victor Basili of the University of Maryland, the Software Engineering Lab's faculty
are using the lab for experimentation in software
engineering technologies and methodologies. Subjects of these studies include
high-reliability software, methods for avoiding the need to perform full-scale
defect detection and elimination, and modern agile software development
practices pair programming, refactoring, etc. Specific studies of software reliability
theory in concert with the Stevens Computer Engineering
program are conducted with the goal of constraining the
execution of software products from executing inherent faults
so that they do not become
failures.
Stevens Alliance for Technology
Management
The Alliance is an industry-university partnership
under the auspices of the Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management
at Stevens Institute of Technology. It was founded in 1991 to identify,
disseminate and facilitate the deployment of more effective practices
for the development and utilization of technology. Current Alliance
Sponsors, in addition to Stevens Institute, are AT&T, Bestfoods,
ExxonMobil Research and Engineering, ISO, Lucent Technologies, Pershing,
Teknor Apex and the US Army Research, Development, and Engineering
Center. Past Sponsors have included AlliedSignal, Bellcore, Engelhard
Industries, GTech, IBM, Merck, and SIAC.
Visualization Laboratory (VLAB)
Research in the VLab falls under the general
areas of visualization, computer graphics and computer vision with
applications in medical imaging and diagnostics, cell biology, scientific
computing, robotics and computational finance. Current research
projects include the development of new geometric methods and efficient
computational algorithms for representation, recognition and visualization
of surface shapes and shape deformations, and for pre-compression
data reduction in visual data communications.
The
VLab is part of the mV2 (multimedia
vision and visualization) group, and has close ties with
the Vision Lab at Stevens. chick
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