{"72793":{"#nid":"72793","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Bill Melvin Tapped to Lead GTRI Laboratory","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) has named William Melvin as director of its Sensors and Electromagnetic Applications Laboratory (SEAL). He replaces Robert N. Trebits, who retired in May after a distinguished 35-year career with GTRI, including 15 years as director of SEAL.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAn expert in signal processing and aerospace radar systems, Melvin has been with GTRI for eight years, most recently as director of SEAL\u0027s Adaptive Sensor Technology Project Office. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMelvin\u0027s research has led to three U.S. patents on adaptive radar technology, and he has authored more than 120 technical articles appearing in journals, conference proceedings and government reports. He holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Lehigh University and is an active member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). This spring Melvin was named the \u0022Young Radar Engineer of the Year\u0022 by the IEEE Radar Systems Panel of the Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Bill Melvin will be an outstanding laboratory director,\u0022 said Stephen E. Cross, GTRI\u0027s director and a vice president of Georgia Tech. \u0022In addition to a keen intellect, he possesses the kind of leadership qualities that Jim Collins cites in \u0027Good to Great,\u0027 such as personal humility coupled with tremendous drive and commitment to the organization. Bill is a hard worker and is well respected by his colleagues at GTRI and Georgia Tech as well as in our stakeholder communities.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAt SEAL, researchers focus on developing radio frequency (RF) sensors, which includes radar, electromagnetic environmental effects and antenna technology. \u0022Our mission is to contribute to the country\u0027s defense, security and well-being by solving complex sensor problems,\u0022 Melvin explained. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022These are exciting times for radar, as a lot has changed in the past 15 years,\u0022 Melvin continued. \u0022It used to be that radar systems directed energy into the skies in their search for Soviet aircraft. Today we\u0027re pointing radar systems toward the Earth to provide defense and intelligence communities with information on all types of ground threats.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThat presents a challenge to make radar systems more effective. For one thing, today\u0027s radar systems must operate in environments with increasingly complex interference, contending with site-specific clutter and man-made objects. What\u0027s more, spectrum has diminished due to the growing number of wireless devices, such as cell phones and wireless LANs. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother emphasis at SEAL is signal processing techniques, which use complex algorithms to process data from RF receive elements. \u0022We\u0027re trying to make radar bang up against the laws of physics,\u0022 Melvin said, referring to radar systems that can look through walls and map the interiors of buildings. \u0022To do that, we need to extract as much information as possible out of the data that a system receives.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKey units at SEAL include:\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E- \u003Cstrong\u003ERadar Systems Division\u003C\/strong\u003E, which develops air-to-ground and space-to-ground sensors. Important areas include electronic protection (anti-jamming), adaptive sensor technology and life-cycle management (helping the government maintain radar systems by identifying shortcomings and developing new parts or upgrades).\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E- \u003Cstrong\u003EAir and Missile Defense Division\u003C\/strong\u003E, which develops sensors for ballistic missile defense. Among areas of expertise are antenna engineering, tracking and sensor fusion.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E- \u003Cstrong\u003EElectromagnetic and Antennas Division\u003C\/strong\u003E, which investigates both new and existing threat systems for the intelligence community and explores electromagnetic effects and antenna design and measurement techniques. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E- \u003Cstrong\u003ETactical Weapons and Sensors Project Office\u003C\/strong\u003E, which develops sensors for tactical weapons systems that support military troops on the ground. Launched in 2004, the TWSPO office is a highly specialized area that Melvin hopes to grow.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the defense community benefits greatly from SEAL\u0027s work, the lab is also pursuing related radar technologies for applications in air traffic control, vehicle safety, site intrusion detection and healthcare. In highway safety, for example, radar systems could be used to keep cars at safe distances. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Radar is a highly multidisciplinary field, and SEAL has a great team of subject matter experts,\u0022 Melvin said. \u0022By pooling their talent, we can develop highly innovative, end-to-end solutions that best meet our customers\u0027 requirements.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 100\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAtlanta, Georgia  30308  USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) or Kirk Englehardt (404-407-7280); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kirk.englehardt@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ekirk.englehardt@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETechnical Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: William Melvin (770-528-3274); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:bill.melvin@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ebill.melvin@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: T.J. Becker\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Radar engineer will head Sensors and Electromagnetic Applications Lab"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) has named William Melvin as director of its Sensors and Electromagnetic Applications Laboratory (SEAL).","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"GTRI taps BIll Melvin to head sensors lab"}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2006-07-25 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:29","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2006-07-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2006-07-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"72794":{"id":"72794","type":"image","title":"William Melvin","body":null,"created":"1449177962","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:26:02","changed":"1475894665","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:25"}},"media_ids":["72794"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gtri.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=jt7\u0022\u003EContact John Toon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-6986\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}