Pratt Awarded Office of Naval Research DURIP Grant

Dr. Tom Pratt has been awarded a Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) grant in the amount of $497,685 from the Office of Naval Research to procure two field research vehicles from MBF Industries, Inc., a designer, and manufacturer of mobile command center vehicles. The vehicles will be equipped with instrumentation, antennas, and a telescoping mast to support research in radar, wireless communications, and remote sensing.

Some of Dr. Pratt’s research will include the development of new radar sensing approaches, the development and evaluation of energy-efficient wireless communications strategies, and the development of novel sensing approaches for agriculture and for atmospheric characterization and prediction.  Applications of the vehicles to support research in public safety communications and for use in high-density environments is also anticipated in the future.  

Two field research vehicles, similar to the vehicle is depicted in the photograph to the left, will be acquired by the University of Notre Dame. The vehicles will be equipped with a telescoping mast and will house instrumentation for both radiofrequency transmit and receive operation. Testing with the vehicles is anticipated to cover a wide range of frequencies, including High Frequency (HF), microwave frequency, and millimeter-wave frequencies up to 60 GHz.