Our Goal: To develop and implement innovative and relevant research collaboration focused on ice sheet,

coastal, ocean, and marine research.

NSF: Innovation & Transformation through Science, Technology and Education Partnerships

ECSU’S CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN REMOTE SENSING EDUCATION AND RESEARCH (CERSER) SUPPORTS FOUR CLOSELY RELATED PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

CReSISPolarGridCI-TEAM for Remote Sensing of Ice SheetsResearch Experience for Undergraduates

What is CReSIS?CReSIS - NSF FY 2005-108CM1

Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets

CReSIS National Science Foundation Science and Technology

Center established in 2005 in now in year 6 of a 10 year grant.

Mission – Develop new technologies and computer models to measure

and predict the response of sea level change to the mass balance of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica

Provide students and faculty with opportunities to pursue research in a variety of disciplines

Collaborate with scientists and engineers in the US and abroad Make meaningful contributions to the ongoing, urgent work of

addressing the impact of climate change

CReSISCReSIS is comprised of six partner universities, with the headquarters

located at the lead institution, the University of Kansas. 

Elizabeth City State UniversityIndiana UniversityThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity of WashingtonInternational institutions and industry partners.

ECSU’s CERSER lab contributes to the: •Cyberinfrastructure for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (GRID) •Education and Outreach

Students are actively engaged in Polar Science Research and Education Activities.

Antarctica

Greenland

International Partner Sites

PI: Dr. Geoffrey Fox, Indiana University Co-PI: Dr. Linda Hayden, Elizabeth City State UniversityCo-PI: Dr. Prasad Gogineni, CReSIS

Greenland Expedition, Summer 2008Dr. Eric Akers, Je’aime Powell - ECSUPhoto Credit: Je’aime Powell, ECSU Grid Manager

West Antarctic Ice Sheet, Winter 2005Jerome Mitchell - ECSUPhoto Credit: Jerome Mitchell, ECSU Graduate, KU Graduate Student

The PolarGrid ProjectNSF Grant CNS-0723054

PolarGridPolarGrid will deploy the Cyberinfrastructure which provides the polar community with a state-of-the-art computing facility to process the large volumes of data to be collected by CReSIS field operations and support large-scale ice-sheet models.

Jacobshavn Channel

Elizabeth City State University and Indiana University are responsible for designing the field and base camps and will be responsible for the installation and maintenance for Greenland and Antarctica base and field camps

Polar GridThe Polar Grid project is the designing and building of the hardware and which supports data analysis and simulations for Polar Science.

PolarGrid-Key AreasThe PolarGrid implementation and development will focus on these key areas:• Field data collection systems to be taken with Polar

Science researchers as they collect data.• A base camp 64-core cluster, allowing near real-time

analysis of radar data by the polar field teams.• A large 17 Teraflops cluster, to be integrated with

the NSF-funded TeraGrid, to serve the polar research community in final processing of data and supporting simulations. This is split between IU and ECSU to support research and education/training respectively.

Cyberinfrastructure for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets

CI-TEAM NSF fundingEngaging the General PublicNSF Grant OCI-0636361

Distinguished Lecture Series

K-12 Active Engagement

Engaging Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Antarctic Temperature Mapping 

Holistic Ice Sheet Modeling

Airborne Measurements of Snow Thickness over Ice

Robotic Simulation

Engaging Undergraduate and Graduate Students

With particular attention to the current and next generation of traditionally underrepresented minority scientists engineers and educators, the NSF CI-TEAM project prepares students with the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct interdisciplinary research in areas including Cyberinfrastructure, remote sensing, engineering and modeling related to glaciers and ice sheets.

Summer 2007 Research Training in GRID and CReSIS related science

Engaging Minority Serving Institutions

The Association of Computer and Information Science/Engineering Departments at Minority Institutions (ADMI) was founded in August 1989. (http://www.admi.us)

Represented on the Board of ADMI are Spelman College, Mississippi Valley State University, North Carolina Central University, ECSU, Howard University, Jackson State University, University of the District of Columbia, Hampton University, Fisk University and Florida A&M University.

”

"Younger Dryas Impact StudyAn investigation of local paleo-lake depressions known to harbor impact markers and whose stratigraphy could have revealed a clearer understanding of the processes that shaped the coastal topography during the Younger Dryas. The research was carried out using a combination of Ground Penetrating RADAR (GPR) and sample coring to probe the subsurface deposits of selected depressions.

Ground Penetrating Radar The SIR-3000 by Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc. is the latest GPR data acquisition system and the industry’s number one choice for data accuracy and versatility. The SIR-3000 is a small, lightweight system designed for single user operation. The SIR-3000 incorporates advanced signal processing and display capability for ‘in-the-field’ 3D imaging. The high-performance, single-channel radar system is designed for professionals and includes RADAN 6 software package, GPR signal processing and interpretation software, 3D Quick Draw Analysis, and 3D Data interpretation software.

Research Vessel The CERSER research vessel is a Sea Pro Model 210 Fiberglass boat and trailer with UHF Radio, Raytheon 300 GPS and Raytheon 365 Depth Finder. The vessel is used for support of ground truthing and water sample collection associated with many of the remote sensing research projects. Sidescan Sonar The Imagenex SportScan is a dual channel, high-resolution, digital sidescan sonar. The sonar/PC Features of the SportScan include an 8-bit, digital data over a full-duplex RS-232 link, 30 m depth rating, 23 m (75’) tow cable included, up to 240 m (800’) total coverage, GPS interface, speed correction, and height/length measurements.  

CReSIS Middle School ProgramDuring summer selected students worked with a team mentor on projects which involved learning the fundamentals of earth science.

Participants also:•Learned about Remote Sensing and Satellite Imagery •Took scientific measurements in the fields of atmosphere and hydrology

•Learned about the Polar Regions •Published their research projects •Collaborated with scientists and faculty

CReSIS Middle School ProgramCReSIS and NSF are committed to recruiting, retaining and educating students within a diverse, multidisciplinary research team that focuses on topics related to global climate change and remote sensing. Equally important is our goal to reach out to K-12 students, their teachers and the general public. We want to give them resources to learn more about the Polar Regions and understand how they are studied, so all members of society can better comprehend why changes in Polar Regions could impact everyone in the world.

K-12 middle and elementary school teachers also participated in the e-Science Conference at Indiana University. Teachers were led through an overview of the “Ice, Ice, Baby” lesson plans.

On September 24, 2008, the Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing and Education (CERSER) observed International Polar Day - People with a presentation by Mr. Je'aime Powell, Polar Grid Manager, at Elizabeth City Middle School. This event was held as part of the International Polar Year a large scientific program focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009. Mr. Powell's presentation took the students to Ilulissat, Greenland where he participated in the 2008 Greenland Research Expedition as a representative from Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) along with Dr. Eric Akers to join Polar Grid Team members from Indiana University (IU) and the University of Kansas (KU). The members of the CReSIS project utilized a Twin-Otter fixed wing airplane to map the ice sheet layers. The antennas attached to the wings produced radio waves in the VHF range which were used to map the base of the Jakobshavn Glacier.

International Polar Day Event at Elizabeth City Middle School

NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates

NSF Research Experience for UndergraduatesONR - URE/OMS N00008-1-0832      NSF REU ANT-0944255     20 Undergraduate students/year at ECSU, IU, PSU, KU and IU