EMERALD HONORS WINNERS Most Promising Scientist
Ayodeji Coker, Ph.D. Senior Research Scientist SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific
D
iminishing risk to U.S. military personnel is at the heart of research that Ayodeji Coker is conducting, and experts in his field view his work as promising. Coker, a research scientist with the Space and Naval Warfare Sys- tems Center-Pacific is developing a meth- odology and tool for predicting the probability of achiev- ing communication
between heterogeneous teams of unmanned vehicles operating in maritime and joint military environments. In the words of one of his colleagues, if Coker’s work proves to be successful it will be a “key enabler to the future war fighting capacity of the Navy and military.”
Coker is a graduate of State University of New York at
Albany, where he received a bachelor’s degree in physics, and Northwestern University, where he earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering. He was awarded his doctorate in comput- er engineering in 2008 by Texas A&M University. The increased use of unmanned vehicles is a key element of the National Military Strategy. Unmanned Surface Vehicles are expected to carry out missions that require long-term operational indepen- dence, such as being able to traverse long distances, assess and avoid potential threats and collect necessary target information independent of direct human operators. However, communication with these vehicles can be compromised due to enemy jamming and atmospheric factors. Coker’s research is explained as “essential for our U.S. military dominance in this war fighting capability.” He is credited with bringing forth innovative ideas and rapidly advancing the state of the art. Coker is also highly praised for his ability to foster an environment of collaboration. “Dr. Coker’s leadership and team building skills are unique in that he has tailored his project team to include engineering and scientific expertise from recent college graduate interns to seasoned subject matter military experts.” He is also involved in a number of organizations and has established and maintained relationships with universities that are referred to as valuable by his colleagues.
“His connection with local San Diego universities and his ties back to his personal academic universities and organizations that he established there have proven to be a valuable umbilical cord to unique, diverse and highly talented scientists and engi- neers,” said one colleague.
68 USBE&IT I WINTER 2013 Outstanding Technical Contribution
Kingsley Fregene, Ph.D. Principal Research Scientist Lockheed Martin Corporation
K ingsley
Fregene has a richly deserved reputation for winning and ex- ecuting programs for the Depart- ment of Defense, leading research collaborations with academia and leading
successful teams in advanced technology development. As the principal research scientist at Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories in Cherry Hill, N.J., Fregene crafts concepts for new robotics technol-
ogy and communicates these concepts with stakeholders to win investments. He also leads the execution of these projects, manag- ing the team of engineers, scientists and support personnel. He has also led the development of the Samarai unmanned aerial system. For this system, he invented entirely new control approaches. The Samarai has only two moving parts—a propeller and single flap, which reduces the likelihood of mechanical failures. In addi- tion to being inexpensive enough to purchase in large quantities, the Samarai offers each soldier and Marine his or her own personal aerial sensor for scouting and security patrol. It is described as “revolutionizing the art of war.”
One of his colleagues at Lockheed Martin describes Fregene as a “key thought leader” and another cited his “initiative, dedication and strong technical leadership.” Fregene served as vice chairman of Lockheed Martin’s Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) Technology Focus Group and in 2012 chaired the 10th Lockheed Martin GNC/Modeling and Simulation/Unmanned Systems Joint Technology Focus Groups Conference, which was called an “im- mense success.” “Dr. Fregene helps to shape the future of Lockheed Martin on a daily basis,” said a company vice president. Fregene has attained four patents and has applied for an additional five patents. He also has produced more than 40 publications across a number of differ- ent technical domains. He is an adjunct associate professor of elec- trical and systems engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Fregene earned his doctorate in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Waterloo.
www.blackengineer.com
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