Hochwald, a panelist at the Science and Engineering Spectrum: Current Challenges and Future Directions

Professor Hochwald, of the University of Notre Dame Wireless Institute, was a panelist at the NSF-sponsored virtual workshop “Science and Engineering Spectrum: Current Challenges and Future Directions” held on May 20. This workshop supported the National Science Foundation (NSF) Spectrum Innovation Initiative (SII).

The NSF workshop seeked to address the unprecedented demand for radio spectrum. The projected demand for 5G and beyond-5G wireless systems that have ubiquitous connectivity, high-speed, and low-latency has highlighted the challenges of radio spectrum scarcity and interference management. Furthermore, forthcoming commercial deployments must operate in harmony with scientific and passive uses such as radio astronomy, atmospheric sciences, and weather prediction. The key to the interconnected future is establishing harmony between scientific uses of the electromagnetic spectrum with technological advances for high-speed, low latency, secure connectivity among pervasive devices, autonomous vehicles, and numerous other platforms. This workshop explored the technologies that can help establish this harmony.

Professor Bertrand Hochwald participated in a panel discussion on “PHY Layer Advancements,” where he was joined by panelists from Princeton, North Carolina State University, Ohio State, UC Berkeley, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. 

He spoke about “Exposure testing for portable 5G and millimeter-wave devices,” where he discussed how testing human exposure from portable devices that are now going on the market is getting very difficult. There are many challenges to ensuring that the devices do not exceed safe limits, and he touched upon some of the latest thinking.

Hochwald, who is Co-Director of the University of Notre Dame’s Wireless Institute, specializes in high-frequency radio circuits, sixth-generation cellular technologies, and methods to reduce human exposure to electromagnetic radiation from cell phones. 

Information about  the workshop is available at https://sites.google.com/tamu.edu/nsf-nets-resource-site/science-and-engineering-of-spectrum-workshop

About the ND Wireless Institute

The Wireless Institute at the University of Notre Dame was founded in 2010 within the College of Engineering to provide a unique cooperative research environment for faculty, students, visitors, and industry partners. The Institute maintains state-of-the-art laboratories, builds shared platforms to demonstrate new technologies, and provides opportunities to lead teams that address complex projects involving all aspects of wireless sensing, communications, and networking.