CPS: Medium: Collaborative Research: The Cyber-Physical Challenges of Transient Stability and Security in Power Grids
Ian Dobson
Lead PI:
Ian Dobson
Abstract
The national transmission networks that deliver high voltage electric power underpin our society and are central to the ongoing transformation of the American energy infrastructure. Transmission networks are very large and complicated engineering systems, and "keeping the lights on" as the transformation of the American energy infrastructure proceeds is a fundamental engineering challenge involving both the physical aspects of the equipment and the cyber aspects of the controls, communications, and computers that run the system.
Performance Period: 09/01/2011 - 05/31/2012
Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1135825
CPS: Medium: Making Cloud Computing Sense, Act, and Move (SAM)
Raja Sengupta
Lead PI:
Raja Sengupta
Co-PI:
Abstract
This project takes the paradigm of cloud computing developed in the cyber-world and puts it into the physical world, to create a cyber-physical computing cloud, SAM-C. Unlike conventional cloud computing, SAM-C servers move in space, meaning, they are vehicles with physical constraints. The server vehicles also have sensors and actuators to create a way to re-organize mobile sensor networks in the paradigm of cloud computing. The project envisions an industry offering sensing as a service provided by the cloud.
Performance Period: 09/01/2011 - 08/31/2016
Institution: University of California-Berkeley
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1136141
CPS: Medium: Foundations of Secure Cyber Physical Systems
Suhas Diggavi
Lead PI:
Suhas Diggavi
Co-PI:
Abstract
Cyber-physical systems regulating critical infrastructures, such as electrical grids and water networks, are increasingly geographically distributed, necessitating communication between remote sensors, actuators and controllers. The combination of networked computational and physical subsystems leads to new security vulnerabilities that adversaries can exploit with devastating consequences.
Performance Period: 09/01/2011 - 08/31/2016
Institution: University of California-Los Angeles
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1136174
Project URL
NSF-CPS-Medium: Collaborative Research: Design and development of a cybernetic exoskeleton for hand-wrist rehabilitation through the integration of human passive properties
Ashish Deshpande
Lead PI:
Ashish Deshpande
Abstract
Robotic devices are excellent candidates for delivering repetitive and intensive practice that can restore functional use of the upper limbs, even years after a stroke. Rehabilitation of the wrist and hand in particular are critical for recovery of function, since hands are the primary interface with the world. However, robotic devices that focus on hand rehabilitation are limited due to excessive cost, complexity, or limited functionality. A design and control strategy for such devices that bridges this gap is critical.
Performance Period: 09/01/2011 - 08/31/2017
Institution: University of Texas at Austin
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1135949
CPS: Medium: Collaborative Research: The CyberPhyscial Challenges of Transient Stability and Security in Power Grids
Bruno Sinopoli
Lead PI:
Bruno Sinopoli
Abstract
The national transmission networks that deliver high voltage electric power underpin our society and are central to the ongoing transformation of the American energy infrastructure. Transmission networks are very large and complicated engineering systems, and "keeping the lights on" as the transformation of the American energy infrastructure proceeds is a fundamental engineering challenge involving both the physical aspects of the equipment and the cyber aspects of the controls, communications, and computers that run the system.
Performance Period: 09/01/2011 - 08/31/2015
Institution: Carnegie-Mellon University
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1135895
CPS: Medium: Dense Networks of Bacteria Propelled Micro-Robotic Swarms
Metin Sitti
Lead PI:
Metin Sitti
Co-PI:
Abstract
This project aims to develop a computational framework and a physical platform for enabling dense networks of micro-robotic swarms for medical applications. The approach relies on a new stochastic framework for design and analysis of dense networks, as well as new fabrication and characterization methods for building and understanding bacteria propelled micro-robotic swarms.
Performance Period: 09/01/2011 - 08/31/2016
Institution: Carnegie-Mellon University
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1135850
CPS:Medium:Collaborative Research: Smart Power Systems of the Future: Foundations for Understanding Volatility and Improving Operational Reliability
Munther Dahleh
Lead PI:
Munther Dahleh
Co-PI:
Abstract
This project addresses the impact of the integration of renewable intermittent generation in a power grid. This includes the consideration of sophisticated sensing, communication, and actuation capabilities on the system's reliability, price volatility, and economic and environmental efficiency. Without careful crafting of its architecture, the future smart grid may suffer from a decrease in reliability. Volatility of prices may increase, and the source of high prices may be more difficult to identify because of undetectable strategic policies.
Munther Dahleh

Munther A. Dahleh was born in 1962. He received the B.S. degree from Texas A & M university, College Station, Texas in 1983, and his Ph.D. degree from Rice University, Houston, TX, in 1987, all in Electrical Engineering. Since then, he has been with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Com- puter Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA, where he is now a full Professor. He is currently the associate EECS department head at MIT. Previously, he was the acting director of the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems. He has been a visiting Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Califor- nia Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, for the Spring of 1993. He has held consulting positions with several companies in the US and abroad. Dr. Dahleh has been the recipient of the Ralph Budd award in 1987 for the best thesis at Rice University, George Axelby outstanding paper award (paper coauthored with J.B. Pearson in 1987), an NSF presidential young investigator award (1991), the Finmeccanica career development chair (1992) and the Don- ald P. Eckman award from the American Control Council in 1993, the Graduate Students Council teaching award in 1995, the George Axelby outstanding paper award (paper coauthored with Bamieh and Paganini in 2004), and the Hugo Schuck Award for Theory (for the paper coauthored with Martins). He became a fellow of IEEE in year 2000. He was a plenary speaker at the 1994 American Control Conference, at the Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automa- tion in 2003, at the MTNS in 2006, at SYSID in 2009, at Asian Control Con- ference in 2009, and at SING6 in 2010. He was an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions On Automatic Control and for Systems and Control Letters. He is the co-author (with Ignacio Diaz-Bobillo) of the book Control of Uncertain Systems: A Linear Programming Approach, published by Prentice-Hall, and the co-author (with Nicola Elia) of the book Computational Methods for Controller Design published by Springer. Dr. Dahleh is interested in problems at the interface of robust control, filter- ing, information theory, and computation which include control problems with communication constraints and distributed mobile agents with local decision capabilities. In addition to methodology development, he has been interested in the application of distributed control in the future electric grid and the future transportation system with particular emphasis in the management of systemic risk. He is also interested in various problems in network science including dis- tributed computation over noisy network as well as information propagation over complex engineering and social networks. He is also interested in model reduction problems for discrete-alphabet hidden Markov models and universal learning approaches for systems with both continuous and discrete alphabets. He is also interested in the interface between systems theory and neurobiology, and in particular, in providing an anatomically consistent model of the motor control system.

Performance Period: 10/01/2011 - 09/30/2016
Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1135843
CPS: Medium: Hardware/Software Co-Design for the Life Sciences: Towards a Programmable and Reconfigurable Lab-on-Chip
Co-PI:
Abstract
This project integrates digital microfluidics with thin-film photodetectors and control software to realize DNA target sensing using fluorescence. This cyberphysical vision is being realized through tight coupling between physical components, the microfluidic platform and miniaturized sensors, and cyber components, software for control, decision-making, and adaptation. Such a level of integration, decision, and controlled reconfigurability is a significant step forward in clinical diagnostics using digital microfluidic biochips.
Performance Period: 09/01/2011 - 08/31/2016
Institution: Duke University
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1135853
CPS: Medium: Collaborative Research: Information and Computation Hierarchy for Smart Grids
WenZhan Song
Lead PI:
WenZhan Song
Abstract
The electric grid in the United States has evolved over the past century from a series of small independent community-based systems to one of the largest and most complex cyber-physical systems today. However, the established conditions that made the electric grid an engineering marvel are being challenged by major changes, the most important being a worldwide effort to mitigate climate change by reducing carbon emissions. This research investigates key aspects of a computation and information foundation for future cyber-physical energy systems?the smart grids.
WenZhan Song

Dr. WenZhan Song is Georgia Power Mickey A. Brown Professor of Engineering and Founding Director of the Center for Cyber-Physical Systems at the University of Georgia. Dr. Song’s research focus on smart sensing, networking, computing and security technologies and has made significant impact in health, energy and environment systems. He is a world leading expert on IoT/CPS data analytics & security and has a strong tracking record on leading large multidisciplinary research projects with numerous grant support from broad government agencies (NSF, NASA, DOE, DOD, NIH, USDA) and industry. His research was featured in MIT Technology Review, Network World, Scientific America, New Scientist, National Geographic, etc. Dr. Song received numerous awards from his university and professional society, such as NSF CAREER Award, Outstanding Research Contribution Award, Chancellor Research Excellence Award, Mark Weiser Best Paper Award. Dr. Song serves as editor, chair or TPC member in premium IEEE conferences (such as IEEE PERCOM, IEEE INFOCOM) and journals (such as IEEE Internet of Things, ACM Transaction on Sensor Networks). Dr. Song holds the faculty courtesy appointment in UGA computer science and statistics department.

Performance Period: 09/15/2011 - 08/31/2016
Institution: Georgia State University Research Foundation, Inc.
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1135814
CPS:VO: Virtual Organization for Cyber-Physical Research (VO-CyPhER)
Chris vanBuskirk
Lead PI:
Chris vanBuskirk
Co-PI:
Abstract
This NSF award provides support for a CPS Virtual Organization. The National Science Foundation established the Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) program with the vision of developing a scientific and engineering foundation for routinely building cyber-enabled engineered systems in which cyber capability is deeply embedded at all scales, yet which remain safe, secure, and dependable -- "systems you can bet your life on." The CPS challenge spans essentially every engineering domain.
Chris vanBuskirk

A Research Project Manager at Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Software Integrated Systems (http://www.isis.vanderbilt.edu) since 1999, Chris’ general professional interests lie in the practical application of novel, model-based formalisms and design methodologies to complex, real-world, human-in-the-loop, science/engineering activities.  After completing his B.S. in Computer Science and an M.S. in Engineering at The University of Mississippi, Chris has pursued a career in R&D at organizations such as Cray Research Inc., UMiss Medical Center, The National Cancer Institute's Biomedical Supercomputing Center, and The Mind/Brain Institute at Johns Hopkins University.  Currently, Mr. vanBuskirk serves as Executive Director for the NSF’s CPS Virtual Organization (http://cps-vo.org/), which actively supports the formation and development of distributed research communities required by the demanding challenges of the massively multi-disciplinary cyber-physical systems domain.  

Performance Period: 03/01/2010 - 08/31/2016
Institution: Vanderbilt University
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 0931632
Project URL
Project URL
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