"Smart technologies" have been developed in urban areas; however, those products do not easily adapt to help rural communities that lack much of the infrastructure and "connectivity" of more densely populated cities. This planning grant seeks to assess and develop technology and targeted training to advance a small rural population in Eastern Texas. The program will integrate engineering, computer science and social science expertise to engage community stakeholders. The leadership will work with the city government to improve the quality of life through advancing the use of smart technology. Surveys and focus groups will be used to identify technology priorities of the region. This adaptive structure and plan could be used as a model for other rural communities to engage in similar programs.
A lack of communication, low income, an aging population and infrastructure are just some of the challenges facing the rural community that is the target of this planning grant. This project seeks to engage the community in order to complete an extensive needs and capability assessment that can be used to inform smart technology researchers as to the best way to implement smart technologies. Approach: Focus groups and surveys will be used in order to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Technology researchers will work alongside educational and social behavioral specialists to integrate an appropriate educational plan into the implementation timeline. Intellectual Merit: This project seeks to enable smart technologies to address concerns that are specific to rural communities. The largest potential benefit from this proposal will come from enhancing rural residents' quality of life though the exploration of smart technology. In addition, government and other stakeholders will learn about how to use smart technologies to manage a rural town with aged infrastructure and limited capacity efficiently. Broader Impacts: This project will engage students and faculty in the research and development areas and provide training to students and community members. This project provides a unique opportunity to train two student researchers.
Abstract
Cajetan Akujuobi
Prof. Cajetan M. Akujuobi was the former Vice President of Research, Innovation and Sponsored Programs at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), Texas, USA. A
position he held from January 2, 2014 to August 31, 2018 where he increased the research expenditure growth by over 10% annually. He was also the Dean, Graduate Studies from January 2, 2014 to July 31, 2017. He is a tenured full professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering. He is the founder and Executive Director of the Center of Excellence for Communication Systems Technology Research (CECSTR) where he attracted over $25 Million in research grants. In addition, he is the Principal Investigator and the founder of the over $7 Million SECURE Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. He is also the founder and Director of the Broadband (High Speed Network) Communication Systems Program; Analog & Mixed Signal Programs (AMSP), THE DSP Solutions Programs, and the founder and
Director of the Communication Control Research Programs at PVAMU. Prof. Akujuobi was the founding Dean of the STEM College at Alabama State University
(ASU), the founding Director of the Center of Excellence for Communication Systems & Image/Signal/Video Processing (CECSIP) and the STEM Center of
Excellence for Modeling & Simulation Research (SCEMSR) at ASU. He is a member of the Texas Biomedical Society Board of Directors. He has held various positions in
academia and industry for the past 35 years working with such corporations as Bell Labs, Intelsat, Advanced Hardware Architecture, Schlumberger, Texas Instruments,
Argonne National Lab, Spectrum Engineering, Data Race Corporation, and NASA. His major research interests are in the areas of Signal/Image/Video Processing,
Cyber and Information Security, Internet of Things (IoT), Broadband Communication Systems, Wavelet Transform Analysis and Application, Mixed
Signal Systems, Smart City Technologies, AI, ML and Nanotechnology Security.
Performance Period: 10/01/2017 - 05/31/2019
Institution: Prairie View A & M University
Award Number: 1737592
Core Areas:
Community Planning, Education, and the Workforce