Computer scientist, engineer receive prestigious Air Force grants
RESEARCH | Two UD faculty members are among 37 scientists and engineers nationwide selected to receive grants through the Air Force’s Young Investigator Research Program, which targets those who have received doctoral degrees in the last five years and show exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research.
Jingyi Yu, assistant professor of computer and information sciences, will carry out research to develop a new hybrid camera array for tracking and reconstruction under low light. Earlier this year, Yu received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award to study multi-perspective imaging, rendering and projection—techniques that have the potential to dramatically change how images are captured, delivered and viewed by the human eye.
David Saunders, chairperson of the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, calls Yu’s work “amazing” and says the funding “enables a project to go forward that is revolutionizing what can be done with camera systems.”
David Burris, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, plans to conduct research focusing on linking tribofilm nanomechanics to the origins of low friction and wear. Tribology, Burris’ area of expertise, is the science and technology of such phenomena as friction, wear and lubrication.
The awards mark the second year in a row that UD has had two winners. Thomas H. Epps, III, assistant professor of chemical engineering, and Erik Thostenson, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, both received the grants last year.
“UD was one of only seven schools to have multiple winners this year, and we were in good company,” says Michael Chajes, dean of the College of Engineering. The others were Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern and Florida State universities, California Institute of Technology and the universities of Texas at Austin and California Berkeley.
