EECS 823 Project Information Fall 2018

Outline Purpose Two components: phenomenology investigation system study Phenomenology investigation: presentation only System study: presentation and report Constraints Potential project activities

Purpose The class project will be used to assess the student’s grasp of the course material, their ability apply the course concepts to a meaningful problem. With these goals, the project will remove the need for a final exam. That’s right – no final exam for this course. So do your very best on the project as it will be my primary measure of your understanding of the course material. The final course grade will be based on 50% homework and 50% project. If you are dissatisfied with this change, please contact me and I’ll develop a final exam for you so that the original 40% homework, 20% project, 40% final exam formula will be applied. Do not plagiarize! Plagiarized work will result in a zero score on the project for the guilty party (which will devastate their course final grade).

Two components – investigation, study The EECS 823 class project has two independent components. The phenomenology investigation component is less rigorous and is intended to stimulate learning and curiosity (may even be fun). Presentation only, no report The student is expanding our knowledge target phenomenology by exposing us to new aspects of interactions between microwave signals and targets (natural or man-made) – maybe address absorption/emission, scattering, transmissivity, polarization effects; topics may range from dielectric properties of solids (e.g., rocks, carbon-composite materials, ammonia ice), gases, plasmas, or structures (micro or macro). The system study is more rigorous and is intended to demonstrate scholarship. Presentation and report The student formally applies radiometer or radar understanding of concepts to analysis of a system or data.

Phenomenology investigation After some initial exploration of this space, the student will propose a relevant topic of interest. The topic proposal will address the scope of the work and be approved before proceeding (please consult with me early in the process to get approval). Pick some interesting aspect of phenomenology for presentation. Clearly present your findings to the class (~10 minute presentation). The presentation is intended to promote discussion, i.e., it should raise questions that we can discuss. Presentations begin Tuesday Nov 27

Phenomenology investigation constraints Team size: 1 person Presentation of preliminary progress to class presentation duration 10 to 15 minutes with additional 5 minutes for questions presentations begin on 27 November 2018 purpose is to enlighten the class on the selected topic presentation will be graded on content and delivery sources should be cited There is no report required for the Phenomenology Study Presentation slides should be emailed to the instructor no later than 2 hours before the start of class on the presentation day.

Phenomenology topics I am presenting a range of candidate phenomenology topics. Other topic concepts may be entertained – please consult with me early in the process to get approval. Listed below are the candidate topics: Airborne volcanic ash – detection and mapping Asphalt roadway – characterization Bragg backscattering from periodic structures – characterization Carbon composite structure – scattering, absorption Depolarization – characterization, modeling Extraterrestrial microwave radiation – characterization, mapping Hurricane water vapor and temperature – mapping Precipitation – spaceborne mapping Reinforced concrete – EM shielding effectiveness vs. freq RFI – characterization and mapping Vegetation – scattering, absorption

Presentations begin Tuesday Dec 4 Reports due 5 pm Sunday Dec 10 System study After some initial exploration of this space, the student will propose a relevant topic of interest. The topic proposal must address the scope of the work (including the nature of the analysis) and be approved before proceeding (please consult with me early in the process to get approval). Pick a microwave remote sensing system that interests you or a class of such systems. Then apply your understanding of relevant concepts to analysis of this system or data. Clearly present your findings to the class (10-15 minute presentation). The presentation is intended to educate the audience and should reach clear conclusions regarding this body of work. Presentations begin Tuesday Dec 4 Reports due 5 pm Sunday Dec 10

System study constraints Team size: 1 person Presentation of preliminary progress to class presentation duration 10 to 15 minutes with additional 5 minutes for questions presentations begin on 4 December 2018 purpose is to provide feedback on process and initial results presentation will not be graded – it is intended for information sharing only Presentation slides should be emailed to the instructor no later than 2 hours before the start of class on the presentation day. Project report Report contents Cover page (1 pg) includes title, author’s name, abstract Report body (10 pgs max) clearly identify the analysis material References page cite references properly to avoid plagiarism Appendices data, graphs, program code, minimal text Format: All margins 1”, 11-pt Arial font, line spacing of 1.5 Due on 10 December 2018 at 5 pm Electronic submission, pdf format Evaluation based on technical content, quality and clarity of writing, format, etc.

System study report Project report must include: Clear system overview and a statement focusing on the analysis area Outline of the project study System description and analysis and/or data analysis and interpretation Conclusion assessing capabilities and limitations of system Be thorough and rigorous. Cite references appropriately. Do not duplicate the work of others. Document your work (provide Matlab code where appropriate). Point out difficulties or results you know are incorrect. Discuss your findings – simply presenting a final plot is inadequate; a discussion of it’s meaning and interpretation is required. Propose what others might try in the future to yield improved results.

System study approaches I am presenting a range of candidate system study approaches. Other approaches may be entertained – please consult with me early in the process to get approval. Listed below are the candidate approaches: Present about a specific operational microwave remote sensing system, its application, and example data products. Student-derived analysis of some aspect is required (e.g., system design, signal analysis via simulation, etc.) Develop proposal for novel microwave remote sensing system application. Include high-level system design backed up by simulation and/or analysis. Simulation of an microwave remote sensing system. Devise a system concept, simulate system to produce simulated signal data, process signal data, produce relevant data product.

System study topics I am presenting a range of candidate system study topics. Other topic concepts may be entertained – please consult with me early in the process to get approval. Listed below are some candidate system study topics: Particle size distribution of Saturn’s rings SeaWinds Scatterometer Microwave remote sensing of snowpacks Polarimetric Scanning Radiometer (PSR) K-Band Ranging System(KBR) Delay Doppler Mapping Instrument (DDMI) More can be found at: https://earthdata.nasa.gov/user-resources/remote-sensors