Boston University Launches Sensor Network Consortium to Drive Sensor Network Research & Development Partnership Between Research and Industry Will Result in the Commercialization of Better Products
BOSTON, MA. - November 30, 2004 - For immediate release
Contact: Linda Grosser at lgrosser@bu.edu, or 617 358 1295
The Center for Information and Systems Engineering (CISE) at Boston University announced today the launch of a new initiative to foster collaborative research in sensor networks. The Sensor Network Consortium (SNC) will facilitate the interaction between academia and industry participants that include sensor networking technology innovators, system integrators, OEMs, and adopters or users.
Striving to accelerate technology adoption, the Consortium will capitalize on federal funding and state initiatives, such as Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. The SNC will foster joint projects in related technology areas, expedite the transfer of advanced research from university labs to industry, and facilitate the development and transition of well-trained graduates to industry positions. Device and sensor networks, the epitome of a pervasive technology, are shaping many activities in society with an endless array of potential applications, ranging from building automation and homeland security to manufacturing, robotics, and healthcare.
Founding members include BP, Honeywell, INETCO Systems Limited, Invensys Inc., L-3 Communications- Henschel, Millennial Net Inc., Radianse Inc., Sensicast Systems and Textron Systems. In addition to faculty from Boston University College of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Management, academic affiliates include Harvard University and University of Massachusetts Amherst.
The SNC appeals to two broad groups of companies, those creating the technology and those using it as part of a larger business solution.
“The Consortium is a terrific platform for technology development that is both innovative and practical,” said Sokwoo Rhee, chief technology officer at Millennial Net, a Burlington, MA based innovator of sensor network platform solutions.” Having an organized forum that links cutting-edge research with real-world requirements will enable the industry to get high-quality products and systems to market more quickly.”
Bob Waring, of the Chief Technology Office at BP notes “We believe there are areas where we can achieve strategic advantage through gains in operational efficiencies that can be garnered through sensory networks. We see an opportunity for BP to be a testbed for technologies developed here with the SNC.” BP, headquartered in the UK, is of one of the world's largest energy companies.
“Sensor networks and the revolution of their applications stem from the convergence of computing, communications and control technologies being taught and researched here at Boston University and other academic institutions in the region,” noted Professor Yannis Paschalidis, Academic Director of the SNC and Co-Director of CISE.
“The Center’s graduate education mission also creates mutual benefit for SNC participants,” notes Linda Grosser, Associate Director at CISE. “Students witness real world R & D challenges, industry gets access to bright and energetic minds, and they both get a peak at potential future employment relationships.”
Welcoming SNC members at the November 12, 2004 launch, David Campbell, Boston University Provost ad interim and Dean of the College of Engineering commented that the CISE SNC initiative “takes advantage of Boston University’s entrepreneurial and interdisciplinary approaches to research activities.”
For more information, please contact Linda Grosser, CISE Associate Director, at lgrosser@bu.edu, 617 358 1295 or Professor Yannis Paschalidis, SNC Academic Director and CISE Co-Director at yannisp@bu.edu, 617 353 0434, or please visit http://www.bu.edu/systems/consortium/index.html.