November 1, 2001
Kaigham (Ken) J. Gabriel, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Robotics, will head the new Office for Security Technologies created by Carnegie Mellon in response to Sept. 11th's terrorist attacks. The office will work with the federal government to match Carnegie Mellon's capabilities with national security needs; more than 40 faculty members were identified who can offer substantive expertise.
"The office will provide a mechanism for us to offer fast turnaround advice, launch short-term projects and studies, or provide other responses to specific needs that may become apparent in our conversations with the new U.S. Office of Homeland Security, other federal agencies and the offices of elected officials," said Christina Gabriel, vice provost for corporate partnerships and technology development.
An expert in developing microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), miniature high-performance sensors and controls that help information systems sense, act and compute, Gabriel led the Electronics Technology Office in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) before joining CMU. Responsible for roughly half of all the federal electronics technology investments, totaling more than $400 million per year, he worked closely with corporations, universities, and other federal agencies, including the FBI, CIA, and National Science Foundation. Gabriel was also co-chair of the Defense Science Board Study on 21st Century Defense Technology Needs, Acquisition and Management.
"The combination of ruggedness, low power consumption, low cost and high storage capacity will make these devices indispensable," said Richard Carley, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Director of CHIPS.
NASA awarded a research grant to Carnegie Mellon to study the design of integrated MEMS storage devices (IMSDs) for satellites. With faster access times at lower costs than existing disk-drive technologies and improved portability, CHIPS research may also be used in 1- to 10-Gbyte applications in the future, including intelligent cell phones, digital cameras, smart toys, and smart VCRs.