[This article originally appeared on the CSEE website]

CSEE professor Ting Zhu received an award from the National Science Foundation to develop improved techniques for identifying a person’s location in dynamically changing environments. The award of $250,000 will support the three-year research project, Real-Time Indoor and Outdoor Simultaneous Localization and Mapping.

Location-based service was ranked number one for the top technology trends by a recent survey in Time magazine, with potential applications in the area of location-based advertising, recommendation, navigation, asset recovery, and gaming. While many companies are working to improve location-based services, most existing indoor and outdoor maps are relatively static. In reality, many indoor and outdoor environments are highly dynamic, raising the need for novel techniques and systems to improve simultaneous localization, mapping, and navigation in modern cities. Moreover, in tasks such as disaster recovery, teams of individuals must cooperate with one another and benefit from accurately knowing their relative positions.

Dr. Zhu’s project introduces a holistic approach for providing real-time, light-weight, and accurate relative positioning to detect peers in both indoor and outdoor environments. The research will advance the development of both the theoretical foundations and practical algorithms for simultaneous localization and mapping.

NIH has simplified the Vertebrate Animals Section (VAS) of grant applications, cooperative agreements, and contract proposals to remove redundancy with IACUC review while meeting the requirements of the PHS Policy.   UMBC Investigators applying for PHS funding should review the NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-16-006 to learn more about the updated VAS requirements, the implementation schedule, and what has changed. 

UMBC Investigators applying for PHS funds are encouraged use the Worksheet for the Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section when developing protocol applications for review by the IACUC. This will ensure that what is being proposed for funding is consistent in the description the IACUC reviews and approves.

For more information see the NIH Vertebrate Animals Section webpage, or contact compliance@umbc.edu.

National Biosafety Stewardship Month is a period during which institutions, such as UMBC, are encouraged to focus  efforts on promoting awareness of investigator responsibilities and sustaining a culture of safety/responsibility in life science research.

 For more information and materials about biosafety stewardship, please click on the IBC website or contact Environmental Safety and Health at safety@umbc.edu or the ORPC at compliance@umbc.edu.