Clemson University Institute for Intelligent Materials, Systems and Environments (CU-iMSE)

Streaming and texting on the Moon: Nokia and NASA are taking 4G into space

Posted on by sgswift

A SpaceX rocket is due to launch this year — the exact date has yet to be confirmed — carrying a simple 4G network to the Moon. The lander will install the system at the Moon’s south pole and then it will be remotely controlled from Earth.

“The first challenge to getting a network up and running is having a space-qualified cellular equipment that meets the appropriate size, weight, and power requirements, as well as being deployed without a technician,” Walt Engelund, deputy associate administrator for programs at NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, told CNN. No less of a challenge, it will need to operate in the harsh lunar environment of extreme temperatures and radiation.

Read more here.

Posted in iMSE News & Events

U of T initiative encourages computer science students to incorporate ethics into their work

Posted on by sgswift

Computer science students at the University of Toronto are learning how to incorporate ethical considerations into the design and development of new technologies such as artificial intelligence with the help of a unique undergraduate initiative.

The Embedded Ethics Education Initiative (E3I) aims to provide students with the ability to critically assess the societal impacts of the technologies they will be designing and developing throughout their careers. That includes grappling with issues such as AI safety, data privacy and misinformation.

Read more here.

Posted in iMSE News & Events

A Paris Paradigm Shift

Posted on by sgswift

In a remarkable moment for the building decarbonization movement, 70 countries signed the Declaration de Chaillot in Paris on March 8, promising to center buildings in their national climate policies. The agreement commits its signatories to systemic, sufficiency-first strategies and endorses a raft of regulatory, financial, and private-sector tools to achieve them.

Read more here.

Posted in iMSE News & Events

STEAM: a transformative enabler for STEM practitioners and society

Posted on by sgswift

STEM and STEAM differ by the letter ‘A:’ the Arts. As motivation, consider an alternate ‘A’: Apple, Inc. Presently the most highly-valued publicly-traded company, one might speculate which competitive advantages have helped it realize this position. While underlying circuits, algorithms, and associated engineering are clearly important contributors to Apple’s success, their masterful integration with world-class design — both of physical, visual, and interaction varieties — has been central to Apple’s attainments.

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Faculty:

Brygg Ulmer

Posted in Materials

Weaving Peripheral Interaction Within Habitable Architectures

Posted on by sgswift

As researchers and practitioners seek to operationalize peripheral interaction, many key questions remain unresolved. Where might such technologically-mediated interventions best be deployed? What might they look like? How might such deployments age and evolve through time?Toward engaging these questions, one path is to consider related exemplars from centuries past, and use these to inform forward looking prototypes and envisionments. With an eye toward the future of peripheral interaction and as description of our particular trajectory, we begin by reflecting on early “tangible bits” peripheral interaction experiences. We follow these with ancient examples from the walls of Lascaux, Ur, and Babylon. Drawing from these inspirations, we illustrate and discuss three grounding envisionments upon the halls and walls of habitable spaces.

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Faculty:

Brygg Ulmer

Alexandre Siqueira

Chris Branton

Miriam Konkel

Posted in Materials

ANFA Doctoral Platform

Posted on by sgswift

The Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture is excited to announce a new initiative, the ANFA Doctoral Platform, inviting early career and doctoral researchers from all levels to participate and present at this upcoming event series.

The platform presents an invaluable opportunity for prospective participants to share their work with a wider audience of academia and practice and provide an opportunity to receive feedback or inspire future researchers in neuro-design related fields investigating human neurophysiological response to the built environment.

The first meeting took place February 29, 2024 with presenters Dr. Sneha Jain, Qi Yang, and Nour Tawil. More information about the platform can be found here.

Posted in National News & Events

Digital Ecologies – Moon Studio

Posted on by sgswift

The Moon Studio was offered as an advanced fluid design studio to senior undergraduate and graduate students, led by Dr. Winifred Newman and Shan Sutherland. Students were tasked to think critically about the potential of life on Mars, and to perform deep research into the built limitations of another planet.

Throughout the semester, students performed research into the history and climate of Mars, the evolution of the geological system, and how to prepare for human exploration. Students referenced the “Human Research Program” conducted by NASA as a precedent for exploring life on another planet.

Students studied materials and models suitable for habitation in the climate of Mars. They developed devices, skins, interfaces, and environments that would make life on Mars possible.

Posted in Student Research

Digital Ecologies – Applied Mapping

Posted on by sgswift

Applied Mapping is a graduate level course taught by Dr. Winifred Newman. The course focuses on developing more effective ways to employ mapping by studying them as cartographic histories. In Applied Mapping, students study maps as objects of historical explanation to understand place. 

Throughout the semester, students evaluated historical maps, identified map types and their corresponding utility, and collected data to make their owns maps. Students had the opportunity to work with drones to develop their own mapping projects.

The following images are student work created throughout the course of the semester.


 Student Tony Garland created a study of how trees are experienced in different times at different levels.
Student Seth Lauderdale studied an image in google earth and dissected it to create multiple maps to explain activity and experience.

Posted in Student Research

ACADIA 2024 Conference Letters of Interest

Posted on by sgswift

The Association for Computer-Aided Design In Architecture (ACADIA) announces a call for preliminary “Letters of Interest” to host, organize, and chair ACADIA’s annual North American conference to take place in late October or early November 2024. The ACADIA conference represents the benchmark for computational research in architecture, showcasing the most advanced work in academia and practice. More->>

Posted in National News & Events