Small Science -- Big Impact Rick Campbell Electrical and Computer Engineering Portland State University
Big Science: Atacama Large Millimeter-Wave Array -- ALMA
Science: High Resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectrometer Bell Labs Crystal Physics Research Laboratory
High Resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectrometer Bell Labs Crystal Physics Research Laboratory 4 years... work published in Physical Review and Phys Rev Letters Science is a profession. Scientists are paid professionals like Brain Surgeons. Rick Campbell Photographs
Small Science: Individual Researcher Driven by Curiousity Open-ended questions Without External Funding Small Science can be done by anyone: Students, Amateurs, Retired Sciencists, Professional Engineers, Medical Doctors, The Governor of Lower Egypt, Swiss Patent Office workers, Scientists, English Lords...
All Science Scientific Method: Propose a theory Devise and conduct an experiment Evaluate results and modify theory Publish discoveries
What Small Science Looks Like: Rad Lab
Scientific Instruentation measures things that haven t been measured before. You generally can t buy the equipment off the shelf. Research Two-Element Array HF Signal Processor
When you have the skills and knowledge to design and build Scientific Instrumentation, you can perform new experiments Research Spectrum Analyzer Small Science is not limited by commercially available instrumentation...and designing and building instruments is good practice for engineering. Note: Practice!
Small Science at Work... Actual Rad Lab note: Practice!
Small Science might be mistaken for Tinkering: Individual Researcher Driven by Curiousity Open-ended questions But Small Science is different in both Who and What: Who: Training and Practice in the Scientific Method What: Apply Scientific Method to discover new knowledge Propose a theory Identify and control variables Devise and conduct an experiment Evaluate results and modify theory Publish results
Small Science produces New results that are Published! No Publication = No Impact
Why I m Passionate about Small Science: Spin - Off Spin - Back High Impact Publications Standard Engineering Practice
Funding: US Navy Bell Labs NIST WESMAR Physio Control NASA ITS GM TriQuint CMI ADI Problem: Global Security Surface Physics UHF Propagation Satellite Navigation UHF Propagation Satellite Propagation mm-waves Microwave Telemetry Cell Phone Receivers THz measurements mm-wave RFICs Small Science: Ionospheric Physics Earth Satellites Radio Astronomy Acoustics Microwave Electronics Digital Signal Processing Binaural Array Processing Direct Conversion Receivers Microwave Electronics DSP IF Receivers Reproducible Microwave Electronics Analog Signal Processing Direct Conversion Receivers Low-Power Electronics for Hostile Environments Binaural Signal Processing Analog Signal Processing Modulated Scatterer Radar Acoustics Noise Cancelling Antennas Ocean Engineering
Funding: US Navy Bell Labs NIST WESMAR Physio Control NASA ITS GM TriQuint CMI ADI Small Science: Ionospheric Physics Earth Satellites Radio Astronomy Acoustics Microwave Electronics Digital Signal Processing Binaural Array Processing Direct Conversion Receivers Microwave Electronics DSP IF Receivers Reproducible Microwave Electronics Analog Signal Processing Direct Conversion Receivers Low-Power Electronics for Hostile Environments Binaural Signal Processing Analog Signal Processing Modulated Scatterer Radar Acoustics Noise Cancelling Antennas Ocean Engineering Spin Off Down East Microwave Inc. Applied Radio Science Kanga US IR Telemetrics Analog Signal Labs
Funding: US Navy Bell Labs NIST WESMAR Physio Control NASA ITS GM TriQuint CMI ADI Spin-Back Global Security Surface Physics UHF Propagation Satellite Navigation UHF Propagation Satellite Propagation mm-waves Microwave Telemetry Cell Phone Receivers THz measurements mm-wave RFICs Small Science: Ionospheric Physics Earth Satellites Radio Astronomy Acoustics Microwave Electronics Digital Signal Processing Binaural Array Processing Direct Conversion Receivers Microwave Electronics DSP IF Receivers Reproducible Microwave Electronics Analog Signal Processing Direct Conversion Receivers Low-Power Electronics for Hostile Environments Binaural Signal Processing Analog Signal Processing Modulated Scatterer Radar Acoustics Noise Cancelling Antennas Ocean Engineering
Small Science: Ionospheric Physics Earth Satellites Radio Astronomy Acoustics Microwave Electronics Digital Signal Processing Binaural Array Processing Direct Conversion Receivers Microwave Electronics DSP IF Receivers Reproducible Microwave Electronics Analog Signal Processing Direct Conversion Receivers Low-Power Electronics for Hostile Environments Binaural Signal Processing Analog Signal Processing Modulated Scatterer Radar Acoustics Noise Cancelling Antennas Ocean Engineering Standard Practice note the time delay: ~ten years Book: Experimental Methods in RF Design--4th printing Handbooks, Textbooks widely referenced reprinted, and translated journal articles
Case Study: Science: NASA, Institute for Telecommunications Science UHF-Microwave-mm Wave propagation in random media: separating the coherent and incoherent waves. Instrument: Bistatic CW Synthesized Aperture Polarimetric UHF Channel Probe with 10 milliradian Signal Arrival Angle Resolution Digitized IF receiver system with minutes of coherent integration time--off axis signal arrivals deep into the noise floor of a conventional receiver. After publishing results, invitations to speak to the lunatic fringe of amateur radio--guys who bounce microwave signals off the moon. Note: path loss >270 db -- tough problem!
What an Interesting Community! Students, Amateurs, Retired Scientists, Professional Engineers, Medical Doctors, Metrologists, Astronomers, Professors, IEEE Fellows, Farmers... Highly productive, disciplined, working on tough problems that haven t yet been solved. Annual International Technical Conferences that they attend at their own expense.
How Science Instrument spins off Small Science Instrument: Problem: UHF -- Microwave -- mm Wave Propagation in Cities and Forests 1982-1996 Bistatic CW Synthesized Aperture Polarimetric UHF Channel Probe with 10 milliradian Signal Arrival Angle Resolution. Digitized IF receiver system with minutes of coherent integration time--off axis signal arrivals deep into the noise floor of a conventional receiver. Science: Wave Propagation in Random Media Small Science: Random Electromagnetics approach to microwave electronics using transmission line elements printed on lossy, poorly-characterized dielectrics.
5.7 GHz Low Power SSB Communications System IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine
Bill Olson, CEO of Downeast Microwave: I want this as a product. Designed 902 MHz 1.3 and 2.3 GHz transmitter-receivers on FR-4 dielectric. Within a few years these low-cost No-Tune designs dominated the small, fringe market. Another Characteristic of Small Science:Tenacity From first attempts through general acceptance of microstrip filters on lossy, random dielectric was approximately 4 years. Picked up by the Microwave Handbooks. Within a few years, the microwave circuitry in cell phone handsets was all done on FR-4 substrate.
Why Call it Science and not Engineering? Engineering: Smaller, Faster... If it s new, it s an invention. Science: New Knowledge* If it s new, it s a discovery. Engineering: Applied Science Apply the scientific method to quickly solve a problem someone else cares about. Example: Capstone Projects. Engineers need basic training and practice in the scientific method! *If only to the researcher and community. Much of undergraduate learning feels like science to students. But real science doesn t have the answers at the back of the textbook.
This is a University -- It s not about me... How do we grow the next generation of Small Scientists? We are taking this seriously--experiments, publications, collaboration across universities
Small Science in Engineering Education Start with Template Problems Develop basic skills, basic understanding Then open-ended student-owned projects Publications: IEEE Microwave Magazine Focus Issue Pejcinovic and Campbell, EuMC 2013
Case Study: ECE510 Sonobouy Project Problem: Sketch, design, build and deploy a recoverable undersea acoustic sensor with VHF FM wireless link and hydrophone with total parts cost less than $50. Time Scale: sketches to deployment in one quarter
Signal Conditioning Electronics in the Lab
A prototype Sonobouy Platform Signal Conditioning Wireless Link Hydrophone
Students prepping for deployment Bryant Baker Engineer Liz Kusel NEAR Lab Scientist
From Sketch to Deployment in 8 weeks Note guitar string and drinking straw antenna and rubber duck recovery system. Small Science requires creativity!
Deployed! Note Submarine on horizon...
Thank You for your Attention These Slides will be Posted on: http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~campbell/...along with some other examples of Small Science in action at Portland State U