News

Jorge Quijano, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) in the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science at Portland State University (PSU), has been awarded a Graduate Traineeship Award by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The award is competitively given to students who “have demonstrated a special aptitude and desire for advanced training in ocean acoustics.” Quijano’s award will provide financial support for up to three years of his Ph.D. studies, including stipend, tuition, and travel expenses.

Quijano came to PSU in 2004 as a Fulbright scholar to pursue a masters degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. In 2005 he joined the Northwest Electromagnetics and Acoustics Research Laboratory (NEAR-Lab, http://nearlab.ece.pdx.edu/) and worked on signal processing for sonar applications in shallow water using the Bistatic Invariance Principle, a new target tracking technique that exploits temporal and frequency structure in propagating waves. In 2006, Quijano was invited to participate in the Navy sponsored Shallow Water 2006 Experiment as part of the team aboard the Research Vessel Knorr (operated by MIT Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute). The experiment was conducted off the eastern coast of the United States and it provided high quality data on ocean bottom acoustic scattering. This experimental data, in addition to laboratory tank experiments conducted in the NEAR-Lab Measurement Facility, will support Quijano's Ph.D. research.

“The ONR Graduate Traineeship Award is a prestigious award given only to a few of the best graduate students nationwide and it reflects the excellent research work done by Jorge,” states Professor Lisa Zurk, Jorge’s academic advisor and, an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Director and founder of the NEAR-Lab.

The Graduate Traineeship Award will support his ongoing research on Ocean Bottom Scattering at mid-frequencies. This research is of great interest for navy sonar applications in shallow water, because the interaction of acoustic energy with the ocean bottom results in high levels of reverberation noise that can diminish the performance of current sonar systems. It is also applicable to the more general problem of monitoring the ocean environment with emphasis on classification of ocean bottom sediments and layers. Quijano’s research is helping to develop more accurate models to increase our understanding of acoustic wave propagation and interaction with very complex media such as ocean bottom sediments.

Quijano is currently a student member of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) and a member of the Organizing Committee for the Portland ASA meeting to be held in May 2009. He was recently selected Outstanding ECE Ph.D. student for 2008 and is the author of several papers and presentations.

The Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science at Portland State University creates an inspiring educational and research environment for students, faculty, and staff to expand knowledge and improve lives through innovation in research and engineering education. The hallmark of the college is a locally relevant and globally significant impact, demonstrated by: a diverse portfolio of collaborative and cross-disciplinary research; exceptional students who apply cutting-edge research to current issues and who are sought after in the global market; strong partnerships with industry, government, and non-profit organizations that promote economic opportunities and contribute to the economic development of the region.

Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science
P.O. Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751
Phone: 503-725-2820
Website: www.pdx.edu/cecs