IAP 2016 Activities by Sponsor - Lincoln Laboratory

Patrick Bell

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/08
Limited to 24 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: See Course Description

Are you interested in building and testing your own imaging radar system? MIT Lincoln Laboratory is offering a course in design, fabrication, and test of a laptop-based radar capable of forming Doppler, range, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. This course will appeal to anyone interested in the following: electronics, amateur radio, physics, or electromagnetics. Teams of three will receive a radar kit and will attend sessions spanning topics from fundamentals of radar to SAR imaging. Experiments will be performed as the radar kit is implemented. You will bring your radar into the field and perform experiments such as measuring the speed of passing cars or plotting the range of moving targets. A final SAR imaging contest will test your ability to form a detailed and creative SAR image of a target scene of your choice. The best image wins.

Laptop computer running Windows, Mac OS, or Linux. Other versions of Unix should work but have not been tested. At least one available USB port.  Matlab 2009b or later (The Instrumentation Control Toolbox for Matlab is strongly encouraged)

*This work is sponsored by the Department of the Air Force under Air Force Contract FA8721-05-C-0002.  Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the United States Government.

Sponsor(s): Lincoln Laboratory, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT-SUTD Collaboration
Contact: Dr. Bradley Perry, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, radar.course@ll.mit.edu

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Build a Small Radar System

Jan/11	Mon	01:00PM-05:00PM	NE-45 2nd floor
Jan/13	Wed	01:00PM-05:00PM	NE-45 2nd floor
Jan/15	Fri	01:00PM-05:00PM	NE-45 2nd floor
Jan/20	Wed	01:00PM-05:00PM	NE-45 2nd floor

IMPORTANT:

Sessions will be held at Beaver Works @ 300 Technology Square, 2nd Floor

Laptop computer running Windows, Mac OS, or Linux. Other versions of Unix should work but have not been tested. At least one available USB port.  Matlab 2009b or later (The Instrumentation Control Toolbox for Matlab is strongly encouraged)

Mischa Shattuck, MIT Lincoln Laboratory Staff, Brice MacLaren, MIT Lincoln Laboratory Staff

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/03
Limited to 30 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: None

There are many opportunities to improve the quality of life of those involved in humanitarian crises and disasters through technical advancements.  However, it is common for these technical systems to fail due to lack of consideration for the complicated context of the humanitarian space.  In this course, an introduction will be provided to the organizations and cultural issues involved in the humanitarian space and the socio-political considerations involved in developing systems in this arena.  Attendees will participate in a conceptual design exercise that will bring to light some of the complexities of HADR design.  Design concepts will be presented and discussed with evaluators who have had humanitarian field experience. 

Sponsor(s): Lincoln Laboratory, Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Hayley Reynolds, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, 781 981-3309, HAYLEY@LL.MIT.EDU

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Hum. Assist. & Disaster Relief

Jan/04	Mon	10:00AM-12:00PM	Beaverworks class
Jan/11	Mon	10:00AM-12:00PM	33-319
Jan/20	Wed	10:00AM-12:00PM	Beaverworks class
Jan/25	Mon	10:00AM-12:00PM	Beaverworks class, Bring laptop for presentations

Mischa Shattuck - MIT Lincoln Laboratory Staff, Brice MacLaren - MIT Lincoln Laboratory Staff

Dr. Hayley Davison Reynolds, Lincoln Lab Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief Sys

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 12/28
Limited to 30 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions

There are many opportunities to improve the quality of life of those involved in humanitarian crises and disasters through technical advancements.  However, it is common for these technical systems to fail due to lack of consideration for the complicated context of the humanitarian space.  In this course, an introduction will be provided to the organizations and cultural issues involved in the humanitarian space and the socio-political considerations involved in developing systems in this arena.  Attendees will participate in a conceptual design exercise that will bring to light some of the complexities of HADR design.  Design concepts will be presented and discussed with evaluators who have had humanitarian field experience. 

 
 

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics, Lincoln Laboratory
Contact: Dr. Hayley Davison Reynolds, hayley@ll.mit.edu

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Humanitarian Assistance+Disaster Relief

Jan/04	Mon	10:00AM-12:00PM	Beaverworks
Jan/11	Mon	10:00AM-12:00PM	33-319
Jan/20	Wed	10:00AM-12:00PM	Beaverworks
Jan/25	Mon	10:00AM-12:00PM	Beaverworks

Mischa Shattuck, MPH, and Dr. Brice MacLaren - Lincoln Lab Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief Sys, Dr. Hayley Davison Reynolds - Lincoln Lab Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief Sys

Dr. Robert A. Freking, Dr. Joseph Vornehm, Gregory Balonek

Jan/06	Wed	09:00AM-12:00PM	NE 45 2nd floor
Jan/08	Fri	09:00AM-12:00PM	NE 45 2nd floor
Jan/11	Mon	09:00AM-12:00PM	NE 45 2nd floor
Jan/13	Wed	09:00AM-12:00PM	NE 45 2nd floor
Jan/15	Fri	09:00AM-12:00PM	NE 45 2nd floor

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/04
Limited to 30 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: Laptop with MATLAB, MATLAB experience

Hands-On Holography, Misjudged as passé art or entertained only as an amusing physical paradox, holography critically encompasses all the essential principles governing propagating wave interactions across every domain of matter and energy.  Yet, surprisingly few in the applied sciences and engineering appreciate how to leverage holographic phenomena in real-world sensing applications.  This course will demystify holography by demonstrating how to gather and interpret  2-D, phase-preserving recordings to recover a hidden , encoded third dimension of information. Course topics progress from basic phenomenology on to specialized applications of holographic techniques in the physical and computational domains.  Participants will practice holography hands-on in the electromagnetic and audio domains through interactive laboratory exercises employing traditional film, computer-generated holography (CGH) and sonic recordings.  Measurement devices, supplies and MATLAB starter code will be provided. 

All participants must supply their own laptops with MATLAB installed.

*This work is sponsored by the Department of the Air Force under Air Force Contract FA8721-05-C-0002.  Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the United States Government.

Sponsor(s): Lincoln Laboratory, MIT-SUTD Collaboration
Contact: Dr. Robert A. Freking, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, holographycourse@ll.mit.edu

Jade Wang, David Caplan, Gavin Lund, Dave Geisler, Neal Spellmeyer, Rich Kaminsky

Jan/05	Tue	01:00PM-04:00PM	NE45 2nd floor
Jan/07	Thu	01:00PM-04:00PM	NE45 2nd floor
Jan/12	Tue	01:00PM-04:00PM	NE45 2nd floor
Jan/14	Thu	01:00PM-04:00PM	NE45 2nd floor
Jan/19	Tue	01:00PM-04:00PM	NE45 2nd floor
Jan/21	Thu	01:00PM-04:00PM	NE45 2nd floor

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/01
Limited to 20 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: None

Free-space laser communication (lasercom) is poised to revolutionize space-based data transmission, by enabling links with higher data rates and longer ranges than are practically achievable with radio-frequency systems. MIT Lincoln Laboratory and NASA recently demonstrated a record-breaking high-data-rate lasercom link, from a spacecraft orbiting the moon to ground stations on Earth, in the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD).

 Although we won’t be sending laser beams into space, this class will provide students with hands-on experience designing and building a basic lasercom system. The accompanying lectures will provide an overview of lasercom concepts, lasers and optical components, lasercom-relevant electronics, communication link design, and analog and digital modulation techniques. Students will learn to apply these principles by building their own laser audio communication systems, and will work in teams to compete for a best-project award.   

 

To register,  email Jade Wang (jpwang@ll.mit.edu).  Include "2016 IAP Lasercom Course Registration Request" in subject line and provide a brief description of your MIT affiliation and interest in the course.

 

*This work is sponsored by the Department of the Air Force under Air Force Contract #FA8721-05-C-0002. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the United States Government.

Sponsor(s): Lincoln Laboratory, MIT-SUTD Collaboration
Contact: Jade Wang, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, jpwang@ll.mit.edu

Prof. Sertac Karaman, Dr. Michael Boulet, Owen Guldner, Ken Gregson, Dr. Luca Carlone, Postdoctoral Associate, Aero/Astro

Jan/04	Mon	01:00PM-05:00PM	32-081
Jan/06	Wed	01:00PM-05:00PM	32-081
Jan/08	Fri	01:00PM-05:00PM	32-081
Jan/11	Mon	01:00PM-05:00PM	32-081
Jan/13	Wed	01:00PM-05:00PM	32-081
Jan/15	Fri	01:00PM-05:00PM	32-081
Jan/20	Wed	01:00PM-05:00PM	32-081

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/01
Limited to 30 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: See description.

Modern robots tend to operate at slow speeds in complex environments, limiting their utility in high-tempo applications. In this course you will push the boundaries of unmanned vehicle speed. Teams of 4-5 will develop dynamic autonomy software to race an RC car equipped with LIDAR, cameras, inertial sensors, and embedded processing around a large-scale, “real-world” course. Working from a baseline autonomy stack, teams will modify the software to increase platform velocity to the limits of stability. The course culminates with a timed competition to navigate the MIT tunnels. Classes will provide lectures on algorithms and lab time with instructor-assisted development. Must attend every class and plan on 6-10 hr/week of self-directed development.

Prereqs: Advanced undergraduates and graduates with some background in controls or robotics. Majors include AeroAstro, Mechanical, Ocean, and EECS. Students with a background in computer science with interest in robotics and controls may also effectively participate. Must have experience with software development. Past exposure to robotics algorithms and/or embedded programming will be useful. Email racecar-iap-course-subscribe@mit.edu with a brief description of your programming/robotics experience.

*This work is sponsored by the Dept. of the Air Force under Contract FA8721-05-C-0002.  Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the U.S. Government.

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics, Lincoln Laboratory, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Contact: Owen Guldner, racecar-iap-course-subscribe@mit.edu

Thomas Royster, Devin Kelly, James Streitman, Mike McLarney, Dwight Hutchenson, Fred Block, John Chang

Jan/12	Tue	10:00AM-04:00PM	NE45 2nd floor, 1 hr. break for lunch
Jan/14	Thu	10:00AM-04:00PM	NE45 2nd floor, 1 hr. break for lunch
Jan/19	Tue	10:00AM-04:00PM	NE45 2nd floor, 1 hr. break for lunch
Jan/21	Thu	10:00AM-04:00PM	NE45 2nd floor, 1 hr. break for lunch

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 12/18
Limited to 10 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: Engineering Background or Interest

Software radio technology is having a tremendous impact not only in consumer devices but also in the areas of rapid prototyping and research and development.  MIT Lincoln Laboratory is offering a course to introduce students to software radio fundamentals and applications.  Students will gain hands-on experience with the USRP software radio platform while learning theory and practice of digital signal processing and digital communications.  The course will consist of several projects, such as FM radio receivers, digital video transmission and reception, and spectrum sensing, highlighting the flexibility of software radios. 

* This work is sponsored by the Department of the Air Force under Air Force Contract FA8721-05-C-0002. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the United States Government.

Sponsor(s): Lincoln Laboratory, MIT-SUTD Collaboration
Contact: Thomas Royster, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, troyster@ll.mit.edu

Tim Leek, Jeremy Blackthorne, Patrick Hulin

Jan/04	Mon	01:00PM-05:00PM	NE 45 2nd floor
Jan/05	Tue	01:00PM-05:00PM	NE 45 2nd floor
Jan/06	Wed	01:00PM-05:00PM	NE 45 2nd floor
Jan/07	Thu	01:00PM-05:00PM	NE 45 2nd floor
Jan/08	Fri	01:00PM-05:00PM	NE 45 2nd floor

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/01
Limited to 30 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: see description.

Software reverse engineering (RE) is the process of discovering undocumented internals in computer programs. RE is a critical activity in cyber operations not just in the government sector, but also in industry, finance, and anywhere that computer programs and information need to be protected. It is also fun and challenging! This course will provide a brief, hands-on, immersive introduction to RE. The course will driven by hands-on labs with theory and visual aids as needed. On days one through four, students will cover static and dynamic analysis of programs. The class will then culminate on the fifth day, with students tackling a single large RE challenge.

Prereq: Students are expected to have a familiarity with programming, assembly, and enjoy problem solving. We will not be programming assembly but we will be looking at programs and their disassembly. No previous reverse engineering experience is expected.

* This work is sponsored by the Air Force under Air Force Contract FA8721-05-C-0002.  Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the United States Government.

Sponsor(s): MIT-SUTD Collaboration, Lincoln Laboratory, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Contact: Tim Leek, tleek@ll.mit.edu