In November 2023, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) put out a request for information on the Implementation Plan for the National Spectrum Strategy (NSS). Seventy-five spectrum stakeholders responded to the request, including NSF SpectrumX, the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Spectrum Innovation Center.
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU) hosted the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM)’s Committee on Radio Frequencies (CORF) Fall meeting on October 3-4, 2023. CORF considers the needs for radio frequency requirements and interference protection for scientific and engineering research, coordinates the views of U.S. scientists, and acts as a channel for representing the interests of U.S. scientists.
In August, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a special invitation. In a Notice of Inquiry (NOI), it called upon researchers and others to help the FCC use “today’s tools to understand tomorrow’s commercial spectrum usage.”
SpectrumX, a National Science Foundation (NSF) Spectrum Innovation Center, rose to the occasion. It submitted a center NOI comment with ten contributing authors and eight center endorsers.
During the week of July 10, 2023, faculty and researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) hosted participants from five continents for the United States Telecommunication Training Institute (USTTI). Each day of the five-day course focused on a new topic: trends and impact in telecommunications, spectrum management and radio frequency technology, law and regulatory aspects around the globe, technology and innovations, and participant case study presentations.
In early January, radio science researchers from across the United States and beyond came together for the National Radio Science Meeting (NRSM) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The meeting was attended by six SpectrumX members, who hosted workshops and participated in multiple panel discussions. The NRSM is sponsored by the U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Radio Science.
Interference conflicts are ongoing challenges within the radio spectrum field. Within the U.S. spectrum ecosystem, commercial wireless networks for communication, internet access, scientific sensing for both environment and radio astronomy, broadcast, radar, position/navigation/timing, and more create a sometimes crowded atmosphere where signals compete.
The SpectrumX Center Meeting on October 3 and 4, held at the University of Virginia (UVA), brought together over 65 learners and leaders for cross-cutting discussions on timely and interdisciplinary topics.
“The meeting provided an opportunity for students, researchers, stakeholders, and professionals in policy making to come together at UVA to discuss some of the most important subjects in our field,” said Bobby Weikle, SpectrumX Steering Committee Chair and Radio and Network Technologies Research Lead, and Professor at the University of Virginia. “UVA has a long history of collaboration with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), and it was a great opportunity to bring their teams and our center together in-person and online.”
SpectrumX, a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Spectrum Innovation Center, will host its next semi-annual center meeting on October 3 and 4, 2022. The event will bring together the center’s members and partners, including faculty and student researchers, industry collaborators, and government agency representatives, in a hybrid meeting format with in-person attendees enjoying the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville. The center launched in September 2021 with a $25 million grant from the NSF Spectrum Innovation Initiative, and its members have been working hard to execute on plans and realize its vision as the world’s largest academic hub in the radio spectrum ecosystem.
Remote Sensing, Earth, & Space Sciences
Vehicle Systems
Astrodynamics & Satellite Navigation
Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of Colorado, 1994
M.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Colorado, 1990
B.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Clarkson University, 1987
2013 – Present, Professor, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado
2014 – 2017, Associate Dean for Research, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado
2011 – 2014, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Affairs, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado
2008 – 2013, Associate Professor, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado
2001 – 2008, Assistant Professor, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado
1995 – 1997, Postdoctoral Researcher, National Center for Atmospheric Research, High Altitude Observatory
Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award, College of Engineering and Applied Science (2019)
Distinguished Performance, Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences (2016)
Victor Charles Schelke Endowed Professor (2014)
Outstanding Service, Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences (2014)
University of Colorado Emerging Leaders Program Fellow (2012)
Erskine Fellowship, University of Canterbury (2009)
NASA Group Achievement Award – TIMED mission (2008)
Dean’s Award for Outstanding Junior Faculty, University of Colorado (2007)
AIAA Rocky Mountain Section Educator of the Year (2007)
College of Engineering & Applied Science Dean’s Award for Outstanding Junior Faculty (2007)
NSF CAREER Award (2005)
Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award (2005)
Sigma Xi Northwest Regional Young Investigator (2004 & 2005)
Design, construction, deployment and operation of small satellite systems. Remote sensing of the thermosphere and ionosphere. Meteor radar design and operation. Arctic and Antarctic UAS measurement systems.
