Faculty

It’s science, not magic: Capitol researchers harness brainpower to control devices

raherschbach2 — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 16:29:32 +0000

It’s science, not magic: Capitol researchers harness brainpower to control devices raherschbach2 March 16, 2018

Being able to use your thoughts – no mouse or joystick required – to control computerized devices may once have sounded like sci-fi fantasy, but a research team at Capitol is working on projects that demonstrate such capabilities are very real.

Drs. Jason M. Pittman and Garima Bajwa are co-leading the Brain-Machine Interface program at Capitol, with a lab on campus providing space and equipment for experimentation. Currently on the agenda: enabling humans to fly drones using just their thoughts.

“You think ‘drone go up, drone go down, drone go left, drone go right – there’s no joystick,” Pittman explained. “You fly it and think it. We have a team of four students who are working with Dr. Bajwa on this.”

In addition to the Capitol community, opportunities are available for students at area community colleges to visit the university and see this technology in action. Capitol will be holding a special BMI workshop on Saturday (March 24) for community college and high school students.

“We’ll have activities for them that involve interacting with the drone, or using your brain to interact with a piece of software and control an object moving on a screen – like playing a game of Pong using only your thoughts,” Pittman said. “It’s some pretty cool stuff.”

And the potential applications are boundless. Human activities are increasingly linked to a variety of computerized, networked devices that, together, constitute what many refer to as the Internet of Things. Tools like the “personal assistants” Alexa or Siri allow humans to control these devices with voice commands.

The technology being explored at Capitol takes the process a step further – one day, Pittman says, we may not need to utter a voiced command to control our devices. They will respond to our thoughts.

“It’s exciting and scary,” he says. “Exciting because of the benefits – for instance, people with certain kinds of disabilities or impairments will have access in a way that they didn’t have before. Scary because of the security aspect. A nefarious actor could theoretically get between you and your devices. The lights turn on, leaving you to wonder ‘did I think that?’” There is the potential to mess seriously with people’s minds and sense of agency.”

As a cybersecurity expert, it’s part of Pittman’s job to consider such risks and devise ways of mitigating them. For now, though, the BMI workshop’s main focus is to explore the technological possibilities – in ways that are educational and excitement.

“We’re having a blast,” Pittman says. “And we hope area students will join us on the 24^th to join in the fun.”

Categories: Faculty, Engineering Technologies

Soren Ashmall: Marine Officer, Executive, Professor, and Education Professional

raherschbach2 — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 20:35:17 +0000

Soren Ashmall: Marine Officer, Executive, Professor, and Education Professional raherschbach2 February 9, 2018

Soren Ashmall is well-known to students in Capitol Technology University’s business programs for his dynamic teaching methods, employing multimedia and even music to reinforce the concepts he is teaching. In addition to being a professor, Ashmall is also deeply involved in the development of new programs at the university, in his role as Associate Director of Master’s Programs and Assessment. We spoke with Professor Ashmall about his academic vocation, his goals and priorities, and some of the activities – both professional and personal – that engage him.

How did you become involved in higher education?

It’s been part of my life from the beginning – literally. I grew up in Ann Arbor, where my mother was a professor at the University of Michigan. My grandfather was the deputy director of the university hospital, where I was born. The university campus was my playground. The law library was where I studied. If my mom was teaching evening classes, I’d grab a meal at the student union. The educational arena, for me, has always felt like home.

Although much of my adult life has been outside of academia, including a 22-year career as a Marine Corps officer and later a corporate executive, I’ve kept up my connection with education – teaching in enrichment programs or as adjunct faculty. It’s something I keep coming back to.

A few years ago, after a successful stint at a major government contractor, I found myself considering the next phase of my career – where I wanted to be, what I wanted to accomplish. After much self-reflection, I recognized that I’ve had an abiding connection to higher education, one that I’ve wanted to explore more fully.

What are some of your goals and priorities with regard to academic programs at Capitol?

My goal is to help the university grow and flourish. Not just survive, but survive and thrive. The way we do that is by creating new programs and degrees that meet emerging needs in our technology-driven economy, and in so doing bring in new students that might not have looked at us before. In this way we remain true to our STEM foundation, which goes back to Capitol’s origins in 1927, while adding new layers.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) recently recognized you for your leadership in its Games and Simulation Network. Could you tell us more about interest in this area?

As a business professor at Capitol, I’ve brought simulations into the classes I teach. These are designed to give students practical experience with the material we cover in class, so that they’re not just learning passively but actually applying what they’ve learned. Some put you in the role of a CEO. In others, you might be part of a team that runs a small coffee house. In my role in the ISTE, I’ve been able to share our experiences at Capitol, while also hearing about what other schools have been doing.

There is a great deal of discussion today about the importance of teaching technology, but a crucial part of the discussion is about how technology is taught. The old-school method is to stick a bunch of students in a room and bore them with PowerPoints. But seeing a technology explained on a PowerPoint isn’t the same as learning to use it. Simulations not only offer students a more engaging learning environment, but they provide a way to make the critical leap from concept to practice.

You are Capitol Technology University’s representative at the Fort Meade Alliance (FMA). What is the purpose of the Alliance and how is Capitol involved?

Fort Meade is the headquarters of the NSA and the US Cyber Command, and home to 116 federal agencies and military commands. It’s Maryland’s largest employer. The Fort Meade Alliance is an independent community organization that supports the organizations hosted at Ft. Meade, as well as the personnel stationed there, and helps bring about partnerships among stakeholders, including small and large businesses as well as educational institutions.

For Capitol, FMA membership is one of the ways in which we integrate with our community and nurture connections with businesses and organizations in the area. As a local university with a technology emphasis and a 90-year track record of academic support for our nation’s service men and women, we’re in a position to help provide educational opportunities for military personnel at Ft. Meade.

Outside of professional and academic life, what are some of your activities and interests?

Singing has been one of my activities since a very young age, both as part of choirs, and as a soloist. Currently, I’m a member of two different choirs in the greater DC area, and I also enjoy going to watch performing arts. I’m a strong advocate of the view that the arts and sciences go together and reinforce each other.

I also enjoy traveling and exploring new places – and also exploring places I’ve been to before and seeing what’s new. I go back to Ann Arbor periodically and there’s always a new business open, or something new on the campus. Exploration isn’t always about where you go – it’s about the spirit in which you go there.

Categories: Faculty

Capitol professor stresses practical education, student engagement

raherschbach2 — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 18:00:00 +0000

Capitol professor stresses practical education, student engagement raherschbach2 June 29, 2017

The mood in Professor Andrew Mehri's class in not what many would expect from a college course.

Instead of stressed-looking students trying to sustain attention during a lengthy lecture, Mehri's class is engaged and enthusiastic. The students gather around the monitors, sharing ideas and finding ways to bring their collaborative projects to completion. They are on-task and focused, and seem to be enjoying their work.

Meanwhile, Professor Mehri keeps an eye on the proceedings and is ready to answer their questions or offer assistance.

"Most of the work they are doing is based on their own research,” explains Mehri, who also teaches robotics and engineering courses. “They can consult with me as needed, but they’re doing most of the work themselves. My lecture gets lighter and lighter as the course progresses.”

During the early weeks of each semester, Mehri carefully presents the foundational knowledge students will need. As their skill levels improve, however, he increases their role and level of responsibilty. The reason, he says, is simple: this is how the real world functions. In actual on-the-job situations, employees don't spend every day studying textbooks or listening to an instructor. Rather, they do hands-on work. They collaborate with each other. They solve problems and brainstorm solutions.

“What happens is that by the time they get out, they’re in that mode – they know how to research, they know how to find things and put them together," Mehri says. "If I’m just here to lecture and give them a test, then it would become a course like any other – six months later they will have forgotten everything. Not only that, but they won’t have developed the habits of success.”

Mehri’s vision for the course reflects the guiding philosophy of the institution where he teaches. The hands-on, practical approach has been favored at Capitol for decades – indeed, since its establishment in 1927. Founder Eugene Rietzke believed that engaging students in projects and tasks was as vital to learning as traditional instruction and study, and that guiding principle has persisted – primarily because decades of experience have shown it to be a recipe for success.

“The question I ask is ‘what do I want these students to be able to do afterwards,’” Mehri says. “I plant the seeds during the course so that they gain a level of independence. They become more curious and start to explore further avenues."

“At the same time, they’re working in collaboration with other students, doing group projects. So you have these different ingredients working together: the students are independent thinkers and at the same time co-operating. That combination is what I’m looking for.”

Capitol may be a small school, but it delivers outsized results when it comes to preparing students for the job market: more than 85% of graduates have found a job in their field within the first few months after graduation -- and many are snapped up by employers before they walk across the stage at commencement The hiring rate over six months after graduation is double the national average. Employers, including federal agencies as well as private corporations, hire Capitol graduates because they know the university's students are well-prepared and ready to contribute from day one.

In part, this is because of Capitol's technology focus. The university offers degrees in fields such as astronautical engineering, business administration, computer science, cyber and information security, electrical engineering, software engineering, and web development – all of which are in high demand among potential employers.

But it also reflects the hands-on experience students gain in classes such as Mehri's. Capitol students graduate not only with theoretical knowledge, but experience applying that knowledge to real-time situations. That makes Capitol graduates quick starters, and also provides them with the agility and flexibility needed in today’s job market, where roles and responsibilities can change quickly and new opportunities are always emerging.

“They can adapt quickly,” Mehri notes.

Categories: Faculty

Engineering at Capitol: Dr. Chandra Bajracharya is newest addition to faculty

raherschbach2 — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 15:27:00 +0000

Engineering at Capitol: Dr. Chandra Bajracharya is newest addition to faculty raherschbach2 December 15, 2016

Capitol Technology University welcomes the newest member of our electrical engineering faculty, Dr. Chandra Bajracharya. Dr.Bajracharya earned her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Old Dominion University in 2014. Prior to that, she earned a Master’s Degree in Power Systems Engineering from Norwegian University of Science and Technology and a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Tribhuwan University, Nepal. An experienced instructor, she has taught both in Nepal and the United States.

In the following interview, Dr. Bajracharya discusses her academic background, research interests and teaching vocation.

What inspired you to become an electrical engineer?

I was interested in science, math and technology-related subjects when I was in high school, and my teachers, friends and family always encouraged me to get into technical field. Given that very small percentage of girls choose to go in STEM field, it was a challenge for me to go into a profession where girls are not very much encouraged, and I was determined to take up that challenge.

What are your research interests?

While doing my PhD, I had an opportunity to get involved in research at the Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics, ODU where I was introduced to an exciting field of research, bioelectrics, which is the study of the effect of intense pulsed electric fields on biological cells and tissues. Apart from bioelectrics and pulsed power, I’m also interested in renewable energy, power electronics, smart grid technology and communication systems. So these are the areas that interest me most at the moment.

What do you find most rewarding about teaching?

It’s a great responsibility to be a teacher, and the role of teachers in guiding students thinking and behavior is very critical. When you work hard towards fulfilling that responsibility, and you see the students improving their skills, gaining knowledge and succeeding in their career, the sense of satisfaction, I think is the most rewarding thing. And during the process, you also build a bond with your students, and that is also something a teacher cherishes.

What do you feel are the most important attributes for success in electrical engineering?

Just as any building structure needs a strong foundation to be stable, engineers need an understanding of fundamental principles. For anyone coming into the engineering field, strong mathematical background, analytical and problem solving skills, and ability to think critically and logically are important.

What appeals to you about Capitol?

I find that Capitol is very student-focused; the class sizes are small, and the courses are designed to provide theoretical knowledge integrated with hands-on experience. Capitol being a small university has a family-like atmosphere, and that’s what makes the work environment appealing as well.

What are some of your interests outside of teaching and research?

I like to read books and watch sports. I follow college sports with enthusiasm, mostly football and basketball. Other than that, most of my time outside teaching and research is spent with my kids.

Categories: Faculty