IOWA TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE
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FROM THE DIRECTOR The Iowa Technology Institute has adapted and innovated in unexpected ways. From leveraging science to meet the COVID-19 crisis to securing major grants and contracts to supporting our military and industrial partners, challenge brought out the best in our talented faculty, staff, and students. We have continued to grow ITI’s national and international reputation. Prof. Jun Wang is leading an Iowa Space Grant Consortium educational program with faculty from each of Iowa’s regent universities to harness NASA satellite data for Iowans. Prof. Tom Schnell’s work with Collins Aerospace is a live-action blueprint for public-private partnerships. Multidisciplinary teams remain at our core as we tackle large, complex problems through basic and applied engineering research. Prof. Mathews Jacob, working with the Carver College of Medicine, won a National Institute on Aging grant to improve brain scan resolution. Our satellite office is making unprecedented progress penetrating opportunities in Orlando, a hub for human modeling and simulation. The U.S. Army turned to our Virtual Soldier Research Center to validate its first new fitness test in 40 years. We interpreted our findings for generals, congressional leaders, and our nation’s largest media institutions, including the The Washington Post and The New York Times. I would also like to acknowledge Maj. Gen. Stewart Wallace (U.S. Army, retired). He has been a valuable champion of ITI, serving as our military advisor and chair of the advisory board. Despite the headwinds of the past year, ITI has seen unprecedented success. Like a kaleidoscope, at ITI, many individual pieces each contribute to something greater than the sum of the parts. Each shift in how the pieces align creates something unique and brilliant. So please read on, discover, and enjoy our ITI Kaleidoscope, 2021.
—Karim Malek, ITI Director
CONTENTS ITI AT A GLANCE______________________________________ 3
RETIRED GENERAL OPENING DOORS FOR ITI________ 14
LIFE-CHANGING INNOVATION_____________________ 4–5
IOWA VIRTUAL HUMAN SUMMIT____________________ 15
NOTABLE____________________________________________6–7
ITI LAUNCHES ORLANDO OFFICE________________16–17
FACULTY FEATURE: ANANYA SEN GUPTA_____________ 8
SCIENTIFIC IMPACT OF ITI__________________________ 18
MEET OUR STUDENTS_________________________________ 9
OUR PARTNERS______________________________________ 19
A VIRTUAL DOGFIGHT________________________________ 10 SANTOS DELIVERS SOLUTIONS______________________ 11 HARNESSING EARTH’S DATA________________________ 12 NADS BECOMES AN INDEPENDENT CENTER_________ 13 Front cover: Cooperative Autonomous Systems Lab focuses on controlling multiple autonomous vehicles for uses in medical and military environments, among others. cover: Cooperative Autonomous Systems Lab focuses on controlling multiple autonomous vehicles for uses in medical and military environments, among others. 2FrontIowa Technology Institute • iti.uiowa.edu
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ITI AT A GLANCE Leadership Team Karim Malek, Director Tom “Mach” Schnell, Associate Director Jun Wang, Assistant Director Travis Klopfenstein, Executive Director for Programs ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Lisa Lang, Director of Finances and Business Operations
BioMOST Lab Director: Suresh M.L. Raghavan
Solidification Laboratory Director: Christoph Beckermann
Computational Biomedical Imaging Group Director: Mathews Jacob
Soura Dasgupta Research Group Director: Soura Disgupta
Computational Biomolecular Engineering Lab Director: Michael Schnieders Computational Multibody Dynamics Lab Director: Hiroyuki Sugiyama
Melanie Laverman, Editor and Webmaster
Cooperative Autonomous Systems (CAS) Lab Director: Venanzio Cichella
Brian Morelli, Head of Marketing and Communications
David Wilder Research Group Director: David Wilder
Jenny Simpson, Administrative Services Coordinator
Fiegel Lab Director: Jennifer Fiegel
Joel Steele, Research Support Administrator
Gary Christensen Research Group Director: Gary Christensen
Research Centers, Laboratories, and Collaborators CENTERS Atmospheric and Environmental Research Lab Director: Jun Wang Operator Performance Lab Director: Tom “Mach” Schnell Virtual Soldier Research Center Director: Karim Malek Asst. Director: Rajan Bhatt LABORATORIES 3D Bio-Motion Research Lab Director: Salam Rahmatalla 3MT Laboratory Director: Ed Sander Additive Manufacturing-Integrated Product Realization Laboratory (AMPRL) Director: Xuan Song
Gomes Lab Director: Joe Gomes Guymon Research Group Director: C. Allan Guymon Integrated Imaging and Cyberphysical System Lab Director: Yang Liu Laboratory for Advanced Construction Technology Director: David Lee Laser Materials Processing Lab Director: Hongtao Ding
Syed Mubeen Research Group Director: Syed Mubeen Systems Lab Director: Er-Wei Bai Toor Lab Director: Fatima Toor Virtual and Augmented Reality Business Unit Director: Karim Malek Weimin Han Research Group Director: Weimin Han Worthington Lab Director: Kristan Worthington Xiaodong Wu Research Group Director: Xiaodong Wu Yong Chen Analytics Lab Director: Yong Chen COLLABORATORS Landon Evans, Sports Science, University of Iowa Athletics Laura Frey Law, Neuromuscular Biomechanics Laboratory, Carver College of Medicine Enrique Leira, Division of Cerebrovascular Disease and Comprehensive Stroke Center, Carver College of Medicine
Ratner Research Group Director: Al Ratner
Vincent Magnotta, Radiology— Division of Neuroradiology, Psychiatry, and Biomedical Engineering
Reinhardt Biomedical Imaging Lab Director: Joseph M. Reinhardt
FACULTY EMERITUS
Shaoping Xiao Research Group Director: Shaoping Xiao
Jasbir Arora, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Sharif Rahman Research Group Director: Sharif Rahman
Kyung Choi, Mechanical Engineering
WORTHINGTON LAB
Ananya Sen Gupta Research Group Director: Ananya Sen Gupta Ankrum Lab Director: James Ankrum Biomechanics Lab Director: Jia Lu
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CENTERS AND LABS
200+
FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENT RESEARCHERS
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MISSION AREAS
Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Aerospace Technology Biotechnology Environment and Energy Human Modeling and Simulation Systems and Sensors
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LIFE-CHANGING Our mission The University of Iowa Technology Institute, or ITI, cultivates collaboration across disciplines, invents advanced technologies, and conducts trailblazing research in design, simulation, and experimentation that enables a safer and more productive future.
Our promise ITI strives to deliver safe, intelligent, and creative human-centric solutions to the defense, aerospace, manufacturing, and medical sectors through our collaborative engineering and problem-solving approaches and our leadership in high-fidelity human modeling, flight research, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing.
INNOVATION Did you know? In 2019, the Iowa Board of Regents approved renaming the Center for ComputerAided Design as the Iowa Technology Institute. The renaming recognized the significant growth in the team and labs and the expansion of research focus well beyond computer-aided design to biotechnology, energy and environment, flight research, and more.
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GRANT AND CONTRACT AWARDS
$19 M
RESEARCH DOLLARS
50
EXTERNAL SPONSORS
All figures are for 2020
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NOTABLE
ITI Assistant Director Jun Wang named James E. Ashton Professor in Engineering The professor of chemical and biochemical engineering has secured numerous grants to investigate the interaction between atmospheric composition and climate change and the impact of aerosols on air quality. Wang, who joined the college in 2016, also holds appointments in physics and astronomy, civil and environmental engineering, and the interdisciplinary graduate programs in geoinformatics and applied math, as well as directing the Atmospheric and Environmental Research Lab. The professorship honors James E. Ashton, who received a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the UI in 1964 and later pursued advanced degrees from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning a reputation as an expert in composite materials. He worked for General Dynamics for 15 years, rising to the role of vice president of engineering for the Electric Boat Division. He also led several other companies and is a member of the College of Engineering’s Distinguished Engineering Alumni Academy.
Harriet B. Nembhard becomes the 10th dean of the College of Engineering Nembhard brings more than 25 years of experience and leadership in academia with strong ties to industry, an interdisciplinary approach to research, and innovation in engineering education—a record recognized by election as a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers. Her scholarship in healthcare systems engineering has led to several advances, including a patent for manufacturing compliant medical devices and a sensor-based system to conduct early screening for Parkinson’s disease. Appointed as dean in 2020 following leadership roles at Oregon State and Penn State, Nembhard is the college’s chief academic officer, providing strategic vision and oversight for its undergraduate and graduate programs, staff support, research initiatives, and centers and institutes.
Joseph Reinhardt named Roy J. Carver Chair of Biomedical Engineering The professor of biomedical engineering and radiology and departmental executive officer in the Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering is an ITI faculty affiliate. He directs the Reinhardt Biomedical Imaging Lab specializing in pulmonary image analysis, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. 6
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ITI Associate Director Tom Schnell named Jim “Max” Gross Chair in Engineering Schnell is an accomplished commercial pilot, research test pilot, and flight instructor with helicopter, jet, and glider ratings, as well as a teacher and mentor. Specializing in human factors and ergonomics, the professor of industrial and systems engineering founded and directs the Operator Performance Laboratory. Schnell’s research focuses on sensor fusion systems, pilot spatial orientation capability, assessment of operator performance in flight, air warfare systems, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Capt. Gross was a flight instructor and flew test flights, especially the Boeing 777, for American Airlines for many years. Gross had so many type ratings in various aircraft that the list did not fit on a standard FAA pilot license. The grandson of C.S. O’Brien, the founder of the renowned Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa, Gross originally worked for the Walt Disney Co. as an accountant as well as teaching flying lessons. Subsequently he was hired by Lear Jet as a flight instructor and accountant. A gift from Gross’s widow, Donnita Gross, funds the Chair.
Hosin “David” Lee honored with the Outstanding Contribution Award The Ministry of Science and ICT of Korea and the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association recognized a lifetime of work in the field of transportation sustainability. Lee is a professor of civil and environmental engineering and is an ITI faculty affiliate. He directs the Laboratory for Advanced Construction Technology.
Fatima Toor recognized as a Community Champion by the Society for Optics and Photonics Toor made multiple contributions as an author, guest editor, and associate editor, including leading a special issue on solar energy solutions for electricity and water supply in rural areas. Toor is an ITI faculty affiliate and directs an experimental photonics lab that focuses on developing technologies for the biomedical, defense, environment, and renewable energy industries. ITI Kaleidoscope, 2021
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FACULTY FEATURE Ananya Sen Gupta
Joined ITI in 2019 Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Working in a unique sector of the signal processing field where computational algorithms intersect with underwater acoustics, Ananya Sen Gupta has formed an environment of inclusion and innovation in her research group.
graduate students have primarily been funded by the Office of Naval Research. There is a successful pipeline of students transitioning from Sen Gupta’s group to defense- and militaryrelated research at organizations around the country.
“As a professor, I feel that my best ‘products,’ so to speak, are my students,” said Sen Gupta, a University of Iowa assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and an Iowa Technology Institute faculty affiliate. “Papers and grants are very important, but the reason I chose to become a professor is not only to teach science but to train scientists.”
Sen Gupta’s contributions to student development have garnered UI’s Career Kudos award and the Excellence in Teaching and Dedication to Student Learning award. More recently, Sen Gupta has been invited to mentor doctoral students at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and other premier international academic institutions.
Since 2015, Sen Gupta has received more than $2 million in grants and research funding, primarily from the Department of Defense and National Science Foundation. These grants help fund research ventures and opportunities carried out by her cohort of student scientists. Her research group is made up of six undergraduates, three PhD students, and one master’s student. Post8
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Sen Gupta’s mentorship can be seen in the success of her students. PhD candidate Bernice Kubicek recently was awarded the prestigious National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship. Her work has also been included in NASA’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) book that is distributed to Congress.
OUR STUDENTS
More than 100 undergraduate and graduate students are gaining hands-on experience conducting scientific experimentation in ITI labs.
Martell Bell Bio: Master’s student in mechanical engineering from Robbins, Illinois Lab: Laser Materials Processing Lab Q: What do you do at the University of Iowa? A: I enjoy being involved in community outreach and educational programs. Last year I designed and hosted my first-ever event, iGNITE: Engineering Success Conference. It was a success and hosted 55+ high school students who would be first-generation college students. My team and I have plans to host iGNITE again and establish it as our pilot.
Kawther Rouabhi Bio: Undergraduate in computer science and engineering from Iowa City, Iowa Lab: Ananya Sen Gupta Research Group Q: What are your goals for the future? A: Wherever my career takes me, from analyzing the melting of ice caps to volcanic activity to black hole formation, I will strive to make discoveries that drive humanity forward. As a woman and minority in the tech community, I have a mission to show underrepresented individuals that they are capable of being great problem solvers.
Will Julstrom Bio: Undergraduate studying chemical engineering from Johnston, Iowa Lab: Atmospheric and Environmental Research Lab Q: What are your goals for the future? A: I hope to pursue a master’s degree, if not a PhD, in the future. In 10 years, I hope to be an atmospheric researcher at NASA. A pipe dream of mine is to someday do remote sensing work with NASA on other planets or moons like Mars or Titan. My role at the Iowa Technology Institute has opened up many unexpected career opportunities so quickly.
Patrick Highland Bio: PhD candidate in industrial engineering from Churchville, Maryland Lab: Operator Performance Lab Q: What brought you to the Iowa Technology Institute? A: The Iowa Technology Institute is home to the Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL). OPL is one of the few university laboratories in the world conducting airborne, operationally relevant combat aviation research. Additionally, I am very thankful to be afforded the opportunity to serve as pilot-in-command for those OPL research flights. ITI Kaleidoscope, 2021
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Aerospace Technology
A VIRTUAL DOGFIGHT The 1980s film classic Top Gun portrayed state-of-the-art dogfighting that captured the imagination of future pilots. If a sequel were made today, Iowa would make the credits. Iowa is leading the nation in developing the most advanced, next-generation air-to-air training systems. Collins Aerospace has been fielding and developing these nextgeneration solutions for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, and the University of Iowa has been a key enabler and test environment for these breakthrough technologies. The expertise of Iowa Technology Institute Associate Director Tom “Mach” Schnell, who also directs and is chief test pilot for OPL, and others at ITI has been particularly valuable to Collins as military branches transition from live to virtual training systems. Collins turned to Schnell
SPOTLIGHT: OPL The Operator Performance Lab, or OPL, is a world renowned flight test laboratory that conducts research on human-in-the-loop and intelligent autonomous systems to increase efficiency, interoperability, and safety.
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to help test the modernized Top Gun-like program called the Tactical Combat Training System or TCTS II. OPL’s team of faculty, student, and staff researchers and a fleet of jets, helicopters, Humvees, simulators, and other instruments are able to evaluate new systems, such as TCTS II, early in the development process. Collins’s success executing high-tech solutions for the Department of Defense has benefited for years from a productive relationship with OPL. The OPL-Collins relationship is an example of how public higher education and the private sector can partner to address modern needs while creating jobs that our students can fill. The good emerging from healthy partnerships like this is indicative of the value of our public higher education system in Iowa.
SPOTLIGHT: VSR Virtual Soldier Research is a world leader in creating interactive, intelligent, and predictive human models that operate in virtual, physics-based environments. WHO IS SANTOS? At VSR, Karim Malek developed Santos and Sophia, the first-oftheir-kind virtual humans. The physics-based and predictive human simulation framework is used by the U.S. military, NASA, and auto manufacturers.
Human Modeling and Simulation
SANTOS DELIVERS SOLUTIONS Physics-based virtual human model Santos has been integral to U.S. Army efforts to harness modeling and simulation technology to better predict and analyze soldier performance. When the Army for the first time in 40 years overhauled the fitness program used to measure soldier readiness for combat, the military branch turned to the University of Iowa. The VSR team was asked to validate the new Army Combat Fitness Test, which includes the power throw, dead lift, 2-mile run, leg tuck, hand-release push-ups, and sprint-drag-carry. The VSR team applied academic standards to evaluate the soundness of the methodology behind the test. Next, motion capture and Santos were paired to test whether the new battery of drills accurately represents and predicts a soldier’s ability to achieve common tasks in the field when it matters most.
Given the substantial change from the old fitness test, questions have emerged from soldiers and congressional leaders alike. ITI has led the independent review to answer these questions and explain our findings to some of the nation’s largest media organizations, including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Private industry partners also benefit from the capabilities of Santos. Santos is helping Collins Aerospace analyze the stress on the head and vertebrate as the defense giant modernizes aircraft ejection seats.
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SPOTLIGHT: AER The Lab for Aerosol, Radiation, Remote-sensing, and Observation-based Modeling of Atmosphere—better known as the ARROMA Lab—was renamed the Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER) Lab in 2020. The name change reflects the expanding focus of research and success securing external research funding.
Environment and Energy
HARNESSING EARTH’S DATA Imagine if an Iowa farmer could more accurately predict the weather, monitor water quality, and keep tabs on soil conditions. They could better decide when to plant, spray, and harvest, manage the land, and ultimately produce healthier, more abundant crops with less environmental impact. Connecting valuable NASA data and the Iowans who could benefit from them most is at the heart of a new multidisciplinary, multi-university grant from the Iowa Space Grant Consortium called the Infrastructure for Data-Advanced Research and Education (I-DARE). The effort is being led by Jun Wang, ITI assistant director and director of the Atmospheric and Environmental Research Lab (AER). The four-year program awarded in 2020 aims to cultivate a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce in farming-related businesses and operations from the field to precision agriculture. The workforce would be armed with skills to harness NASA’s Earth science and technology data to respond to Iowa-centric problems related to weather, agriculture, and natural resources, such as severe weather, soil moisture, and temperature fluctuations. Wang, the James E. Ashton Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, is principal investigator among a team from UI, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa. 12
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“The data are intended for us to engage with farmers and allow farmers to understand and access the data easily,” Wang said. “Our next-generation farmers need to be equipped with a set of tools and knowledge to manage the weather intelligence and the ever-changing natural resource data that is key for farming operations.” “The severe weather events, such as the recent derecho event, drought, flood, heat waves, or even the outlook of the next week’s weather can affect the harvesting operation. Wind can affect aviation pesticide operation. Soil moisture can affect the fertilization operation. Temperature affects the seed planting operation.” The I-DARE grant includes three main components: • A 12-day STEM research-oriented summer camp in year one with six-day camps each of the following three years. The camp format is subject to change, if needed, in response to the pandemic. • Integration of NASA’s science and research into courses at the home universities of investigators and collaborators. • Online training through the I-DARE virtual facility and the citizen science network, in which citizens measure weather parameters using small, low-cost sensors.
NADS BECOMES AN INDEPENDENT RESEARCH CENTER Until recently, the National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS) was under the ITI organizational umbrella. As of January 2021, however, NADS has become an independent research center directly under the College of Engineering—a testament to its growth, financial independence, and stability. Going back to 1989, the original Iowa Driving Simulator (prototype to the current NADS-1 simulator), was created as part of its predecessor, the Center for Computer-Aided Design (CCAD). The Iowa Driving Simulator was later moved under the Office of the Vice President for Research for a time, until 2006 when it moved back to CCAD and the College of Engineering, under the direction of Prof. Karim Malek, to help reinvigorate it financially and fuel its growth. That year, the NADS-1 simulator underwent an upgrade and enhanced logistics, and the center ran a series of successful studies with a record 540 research participants in one year. “The
center started being what we had originally envisioned it could be,” says Omar Ahmad, now NADS deputy director. A decade and a half later, NADS is stronger than ever as a global leader in the field of human factors and vehicle safety. College of Engineering Dean Harriet Nembhard says of the relationship, “ITI and CCAD provided steady leadership throughout the development of the NADS operation. The NADS is now ready to take its research to the next level as an independent unit.” This is certainly not the end of the ITI-NADS relationship, however. “We look forward to continuing our longstanding relationships with ITI researchers, forming new collaborations, and continuing to combine our expertise to go after new opportunities,” says NADS Director Prof. Dan McGehee.
SPOTLIGHT: NADS NADS is leading a $7 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant called Automated Driving Systems (ADS) for Rural America.
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RETIRED GENERAL OPENING DOORS FOR ITI Maj. Gen. Stewart Wallace had been away from the University of Iowa for nearly 50 years while serving as an Army officer and later an executive in the defense industry. But he remained a Hawkeye at heart. Born at UI Hospitals and Clinics and raised in Britt, Wallace attended Hawkeye games as a child and graduated from UI with a finance and insurance degree in 1968. Participation in the campus Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) led to a distinguished 33-year military career followed by 15 years in the private sector. After retiring from full-time employment, Wallace returned to campus in 2017 to speak at a military ball and began reconnecting with the alma mater that shaped his life. “I thought the best way I could give back to the university was by volunteering my time,” said Wallace, who also donates to a scholarship fund through the Tippie College of Business. “I don’t have enough to build a building, but I can give my time.” The Iowa Technology Institute has been a beneficiary of Wallace’s goodwill. Wallace, who is ITI’s military advisor and advisory board chair, has become one of ITI’s biggest advocates. Before the ball, Wallace met with UI President Bruce Harreld, who made the connection to ITI. At the meeting, Wallace relayed his background in simulation technology, which included 18 months in the Pentagon as director of Army-wide training. The program incorporated simulation to implement new gunnery and tactics. In the private sector, Wallace was an executive in a simulation group at MPRI (Military Professional Resources Inc.) and directed a $100 million simulation contract for the Egyptian National Railway. Harreld urged a meeting with ITI Director Karim Malek. Malek, a professor of biomedical engineering, is a worldrenowned expert in human modeling and simulation and inventor of Santos, a virtual human avatar that has tested product designs and training procedures for the Armed Forces and industrial giants such as John Deere, Caterpillar, and General Motors. “I was blown away with the capability of their simulation,” Wallace said. “I had experience with simulation in the Army,
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so I understood the value and importance of simulation. Iowa has the best, most accurate human simulator that I’ve seen.” Simulation technology allows replicating tests over and over with minimal investment of cost, time, and human resources. In the context of the military, soldiers still need live training, but simulation reduces the demand on soldiers while testing new procedures. Malek offered Wallace a salaried position. Wallace counteroffered to support ITI on a volunteer basis, opening doors to Department of Defense and military leaders. Wallace has become an important liaison, supporting projects such as ITI’s independent review of the Army Combat Fitness Test, a new fitness regimen required annually of all soldiers. In addition to increasing opportunities within the military, Wallace envisions the advisory board will focus on expanding ITI’s commercial partners. “I like what they are doing, and I think it is important,” Wallace said. “This is a good way that I can give back.”
ITI CONVENES IOWA VIRTUAL HUMAN SUMMIT ITI hosted the Iowa Virtual Human Summit (IVHS) on Aug. 12, 2020. Top minds from private industry, academia, military, and politics examined challenges that females and smallstatured men in dangerous professions face because of illfitting equipment. The half-day event centered on the promise a “digital twin” offers in speeding up the development of properly fitting equipment. Virtual technology can process mountains of data and countless scenarios to speed up and save money in the design and testing process for equipment fit, range of motion, area of coverage, and other factors. ITI technology is mature enough to solve real-world problems. ITI’s digital twins—Santos, a physics- and physiology-based digital human model at the forefront of ITI research, and
KEYNOTE U.S. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa shared experiences in active duty with equipment that didn’t fit properly, as well as efforts to address this in Congress.
counterpart, Sophia—are capable of predicting physical human behavior without prerecorded data. Attendees included officials from the U.S. Army, Department of Homeland Security, and innovations centers around the globe. “At the end of the day, what we are trying to do is reduce prototype development, save time, save a lot of resources— time and money—and save lives,” said ITI Director Karim Malek. The second IVHS is expected in August 2021. ITI was also selected to host the 7th International Digital Human Modeling (DHM) Symposium in 2022, bringing DHM experts from around the globe to the University of Iowa campus. IVHS and DHM will occur together in August 2022.
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ITI LAUNCHES ORLANDO OFFICE ITI leader’s military background benefits soldiers Travis Klopfenstein served two combat deployments in the Air Force working closely with coalition forces and host nation units to coordinate close air support and establish peace accords in small villages throughout northeastern Afghanistan and Al Anbar province in Iraq. The military has remained a through line in Klopfenstein’s career. After 12 years with defense contractor Rockwell Collins (now Collins Aerospace), three years of which were leading modeling and simulation efforts out of their Orlando office, Klopfenstein joined ITI in 2018. Leveraging his military background and strong professional network, the executive director for programs has focused on deepening partnerships with federal agencies and private industry to advance and apply ITI’s research capabilities. In addition to representing ITI with key membership organizations and at conferences, Klopfenstein opened ITI’s Orlando office in 2019. This puts ITI at the epicenter of the human modeling and simulation ecosystem. Klopfenstein also heads the University of Iowa’s new Aerospace and Defense Initiative with a goal of expanding UI’s research work with the Department of Defense (DoD).
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Why is ITI in Orlando? Proximity to key customers and clients is the main ingredient for growth. Almost every university with significant federal research investment—especially the DoD—lives next door to their partners. Long-term and large-scale research efforts require close relationships and deep partnerships. The Orlando modeling and simulation ecosystem fosters these relationships. What goals do you have for ITI in the Orlando area? In addition to continuing research development for mature technologies at ITI such as Santos and OPL, we would like to introduce more technology from the UI to the modeling and simulation community in Orlando—especially the medical modeling and simulation market. Also, ITI is providing a key technology to the commercial game engines (the highest fidelity virtual human models available) that DoD sees as a must have. These relationships could provide immense opportunity for the University of Iowa to provide long-term research and development for both commercial and government modeling and simulation. How can others in the UI community benefit from this space? ITI is eager and willing to coordinate scheduling of the multiuse space in order to support prospective student meetings, student-athlete meetings, alumni and donor visits, faculty research or classes, and graduate program marketing or outreach events.
Orlando: Epicenter of modeling and simulation ITI has added an office on the Central Florida Research Park campus in Orlando, Florida. The space strategically situates ITI near U.S. Department of Defense simulation command centers for the Army, Air Force, and Navy, and major industry players including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman. The location is in proximity to Disney World facilities and labs, Kennedy Space Center and other National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facilities, as well as many other large and small aerospace and modeling and simulation firms.
RESOURCES • Smart classroom with Wi-Fi, LCD projector, dry erase board, small and large flat screen displays, and configurable desks. • Classroom space can be configured for large presentations or demonstrations. • Separate conference room for meetings and demonstrations with dry erase board and flat screen projector. • Live feed from Operator Performance Laboratory’s airborne jets onto flat screen projectors. • Space for human motion capture domes. • Space for 3D printing demonstrations. • Workspace for interns, software programmers, graduate students, and researchers. • Space for admissions, athletics, or alumni events. • Located within 30 minutes of Orlando International Airport, Orlando Sanford International Airport, and downtown Orlando.
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SCIENTIFIC IMPACT OF ITI 13
PATENT APPLICATIONS, APPROVALS, AND DISCLOSURES
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PHD STUDENTS GRADUATED
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CONFERENCES FEATURED PAPERS BY ITI MEMBERS
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PUBLICATIONS
ACHIEVEMENTS (partial list)
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DIFFERENT JOURNALS FEATURED WORK BY ITI MEMBERS
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PAPERS PER FACULTY MEMBER
Airplane State Awareness Research Team Award from NASA and FAA: Tom “Mach” Schnell, Mathew Cover, Ezekiel Gunnink, and Jon Stoltz Javier Arango Award from the Society of Experimental Test Pilots: Tom “Mach” Schnell and Patrick Highland* Ada Louise Ballard and Seashore Dissertation Fellowship: Yue (Amanda) Pan* Top 100 papers in Cell and Molecular Biology from Scientific Reports: Mariam Y. El-Hattab*, Yoshiaki Nagumo, Francoise A. Gourronc, Aloysius J. Klingelhutz, James A. Ankrum, and Edward A. Sander Charles C. Shepard Science Award—Data Methods and Study Design: Jun Wang, Huanxin (Jessie) Zhang*, Ying Zhou, Xia Meng, Jessica Hartmann Belle, Caitlin Kennedy, Mohammad Z. Al-Hamdan, and Yang Liu Journal Cover, Atmosphere: Yaasiin Oozeer, Andy Chan, Jun Wang, Jeffrey S. Reid, Santo V. Salinas, Maggie C.G. Ooi, and Kenobi I. Morris People’s Choice Award in 3MT (Three-Minute Thesis) Competition: Mariam Y. El-Hattab* Competition winner from Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research: Xuan Song, Travis Sippel, and H.S. Udaykumar. Career Kudos for Mentorship: Ananya Sen Gupta
Additive Manufacturing-Integrated Product Realization Laboratory studies material-forming processes in nature to benefit next-generation additive manufacturing technologies.
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Published in Scientific Reports: Sehyun Chun*, Sidhartha Roy, Yen Thi Nguyen, Joseph B. Choi, H. S. Udaykumar, and Stephen Baek ITI Members • Graduate Students* Find more scholarly achievements at iti.uiowa.edu/scholarship.
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