Center for National Security Initiatives (NSI)
University of Colorado Boulder, Research and Innovation Office

Research faculty and the Space Domain Awareness (SDA) research lead at the Center for National Security Initiatives (NSI) at CU Boulder.

Space Domain Awareness research interests at NSI include:

Remote Sensing:

• Image processing and analysis over many spectral regions (visible, infrared, ultraviolet, microwave, multispectral, hyperspectral)
• Image processing and analysis from point cloud instruments (Radar, Lidar, SAR)

Mission Data Processing:

• Signal, image, and video processing
• Feature extraction and exploitation
• Event and target detection, tracking, and characterization
• Multi-sensor and Multi-modal upstream data fusion
• Stochastic process modeling (HMM and Bayesian Inference)

Machine Learning:

• Image classification
• Image segmentation
• Feature extraction
• Automatic target recognition (ATR)
• Anomaly Detection
• Synthetic image generation and discrimination
• Physics-informed neural networks
• Stochastic process modeling (Natural Language Processing)

APEX, Advanced Programs and Exploitations
Lockheed Martin Space Systems

• Develop innovative algorithms which improved the efficiency and accuracy in signal and image processing for a variety of sensor types (EOIR, Radar, Lidar, and SAR). Develop data fusion algorithm for object detection, object tracking, and object state estimation.
• Design novel machine learning networks for super resolution, image-to-image translation, and style transfer with Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), image segmentation with UNETs and FCNs, and object classification with Convolution Neural Networks (CNNs).
• Improve methods for synthetic radiometric scene generation to enhance fidelity of an optical payload simulation.
• Selected as a Recognized Technical Talent for technical contributions within first year.
• Generated intellectual property which was awarded and protected as a trade secret.

Telescope Array Cosmic Ray Observatory
University of Utah, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute of High Energy Astrophysics
Research Advisor: Douglas Bergman
Thesis: Observation of the GZK Suppression with the Telescope Array Fluorescence Telescope and Deployment of the Telescope Array Expansion
Thesis Defense Slides: pptx pdf

• Analyzed 10 years of UV fluorescence event data to calculate a cosmic ray energy spectrum. Raw cosmic ray event data were analyzed by reconstructing event geometry and energy. The event information was aggregated into a large database to produce the event energy distribution. The aperture of the optical detectors was calculated through simulating cosmic events in the atmosphere and simulating the response of the detectors.
• Analyzed the significance of the Greisen–Zatsepin–Kuzmin (GZK) Suppression at the highest energies of cosmic rays in the 10 year cosmic ray spectrum. Analyzed other features that give insight into cosmic ray populations or propagation effects.
• Analyzed the preliminary data from the new fluorescence detectors for the expansion of TA known as TAx4 into a preliminary Cosmic Ray Energy Spectrum and compared to previous results to gauge the new detector’s abilities.
• Classified weather over TA with the fluorescence detector photomultiplier tube baselines to create false color images of the detectors’ field of view. Videos of these snapshots were then used as inputs in a Recurrent Convolu on Neural Network (RCNN) model constructed with Keras machine learning framework to determine clear weather data for further cosmic ray analysis.
• Created composite satellite maps in Python with site geographic information overlays of TA using data from the Landsat 8 satellite pulled from Amazon Web Services. Created topographical and shaded relief maps in Python with site geographic information overlays using Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data (SRTM).
• Built, tested, and deployed the new fluorescence detectors in TAx4.
• Field team leader charged with the safety of field crew and overseeing the deployment of the new surface detectors to their field site for TAx4.
• Maintained and operated surface and fluorescence detectors for cosmic ray event data collection.
• Analyzed fluorescence detector’s sensitivity to energy and development of cosmic ray event interactions in the atmosphere through Monte Carlo simula on. The reconstructed event information were analyzed by being binned into histograms and fitted using ROOT data analysis framework.
• Linux systems administrator of the Telescope Array’s data server and computational clusters at the University of Utah for 2 years.

Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory
Michigan Technological University, Department of Physics
Research Advisor: Brian Fick
Senior Research Project: Preliminary Search for Exotic Events in the Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory Surface Detector Data

• Conducted a preliminary search for exotic particle events in the Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory surface detector data by identifying possible delayed development features in the cosmic ray’s interaction in our atmosphere.

Michigan Technological University, Department of Physics
Research Advisor: Yoke Khin Yap

• Analysed growth parameters for Boron Nitride Nanotubes and Vertically Aligned Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in a Chemical Vapor Deposition method.
• Adapted Chemical Vapor Deposition synthesis method to a scanning thermal source for greater growth yield.