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.
Tanya Ennis is the SpectrumX & Research Support Office Broadening Participation Director, effective March 21. Previously, she was the director of the GoldShirt Program, which provides underrepresented students access to engineering. Professor Ennis believes that all students, regardless of their circumstances, are learners and have the creative capacity to achieve and exceed their goals, especially to become and thrive as engineers.
As the mathematics department chair at the Denver School of Science and Technology, Professor Ennis’ passion for teaching helped high school students of all backgrounds exceed math performance expectations. She received a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana an MS in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Ms. Ennis brings a wealth of knowledge from both her professional and educational experience when she advises CU engineering students.
She has extensive corporate experience in the telecommunications industry where she developed and implemented large-scale systems for AT&T, Bell Laboratories, US WEST and Covad Communications.
