I N S T I T U T E F O R H U M A N & M A C H I N E C O G N I T I O N

V O LU M E 2 I S S U E 2

Featured ResearchAgent Technology: IHMCresearchers developthe infrastructure forreliable systems 3

Recent LecturesPresentations hosted byIHMC, including severaldistinguishedmayors and lead-ing scientists 6

Director’s Letter IHMC’s partnershipswith NASA

GrantsNew grants award-ed to IHMCtotalling more than$2.2 million

ArrivalsWho’s new atIHMC and whatthey do

2

9

11

©2004 IHMC

Happenings Events, honors and newsof IHMC and itsresearchersincluding aspace boardmeeting 10

ihmc

IHMC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

IHMC and NASA have sustained a long and extraordinary relationship that goes far beyond thatusually observed between a Federal funding agency and a research organization. From its earlydays IHMC has worked closely with NASA in a variety of research areas. An early IHMC collab-oration with NASA used the first version of our Concept Map software to model and representthe knowledge of expert rocket designers whose expertise is being lost to the agency by retire-ment. In more recent times NASA has supported IHMC research in such diverse areas as the useof advanced Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD) methods for improved forest fireprediction, the interaction between teams of astronauts and robotic assistants, concept mapknowledge modeling and sharing tools for the new scientific field of Astrobiology, and improvedcockpit display methods for the Space Shuttle and advanced aircraft.

Another important element of the partnership has been the flow of personnel between IHMCand NASA. Personally, I had the privilege of serving for one and one-half years (1997-1999) as theAssociate Center Director of Ames Research Center, leading the formulation of NASA’s ITresearch and development agenda. IHMC’s Dr. Bill Clancey is currently chief scientist forHuman-Centered Computing at Ames Research Center; Dr. Michael Freed conducts ground-breaking research in NASA’s Cognition Laboratory. Jack Hansen, who at the time of my serviceto NASA was Deputy Center Director of Ames, joined IHMC at the beginning of 2001.

In addition to direct interaction of IHMC personnel, NASA frequently taps our broad scientificexpertise. We have guided the Agency through collaborative studies toward new visions for futurework in areas critical to NASA’s mission. One such study focused on human-robot exploration ofMars, and a second investigated applications of mobile computing in space exploration. NASAalso provides IHMC with offices at the Ames Research Center to facilitate research collaborationin the area of Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining.

Finally, the value that both NASA and IHMC place on our relationship is evidenced by itsendurance and even growth through major changes in NASA leadership and the inevitable shift-ing of priorities. We at IHMC look forward to expanding this fruitful partnership to assist NASAin achieving the vision of human and robotic space exploration recently laid out by PresidentBush and other initiatives that the Agency may undertake in the future.

Kenneth M. Ford, Director

IHMCInstitute for Human &Machine Cognition

A University Affiliated Research Institute

40 South Alcaniz StreetPensacola, Florida 32502850-202-4462 phone850-202-4440 faxwww.ihmc.us

Ms. Pamela BilbreyBaptist Hospital

Ms. Carol H. CarlanWachovia Bank

Dr. John CavanaughUniversity of West Florida

Mr. John DelaneyUniversity of North Florida

Mr. Eugene FranklinPremier Mortgage Funding

Mr. Timothy GoldfarbShands HealthCare

Mr. Charles C. “Chris” HartOne Eighty Consulting

Dr. Terry L. HickeyUniversity of Central Florida

Mr. Hal HudsonHudsco, Inc.

Ms. Bev KitaokaSAIC

Dr. Larry F. LemanskiFlorida Atlantic University

Mr. Collier MerrillMerrill Land Company

Mr. Eric NickelsenJohn S. Carr & Co

Mr. Jim ReevesReeves and Davis

Mr. Ray RussenbergerNetwork Telephone

Throughout history, people

have been fascinated with the

idea of automated assistants

with human-like capabilities—

whether conceived as embod-

ied robotic agents like the

mechanical maid in the Jetsons

or else as software agents such

as HAL in 2001: A SpaceOdyssey. Though the benefits

of such a dream are obvious,

science fiction also loves to

play on people’s latent fears of

such technology going awry,

with autonomous robots over-

powering their human masters.

Such apprehensions, though

greatly exaggerated in the pub-

lic mind, cannot be completely

ignored if we want the power-

ful software and robotic agents

of the future to be acceptable

to people.

Though agents like HAL are

still confined to the realm of

science fiction, their simpler

cousins are already being

deployed in an ever-wider

range of settings. Computer

system administrators rely on

software agents to monitor for

intruders. Military opera-

tions routinely depend on

airborne, ground-based, and

amphibious robotic agents

for remote surveillance and

reconnaissance. NASA has

used software agents to oper-

ate satellites in deep space

and is designing robotic

agents as assistants to

humans in future manned

missions to the moon and

Mars. As the next generation

Semantic Web comes online,

people will increasingly turn to

Web agents to help negotiate

its overwhelming abundance

of information and services.

There are both technical

and social aspects to agent

acceptability. From a technical

perspective, people need assur-

ance that agents will perform

reliably and efficiently, and

that when something goes

wrong—as it inevitably will—

they have the ability to quickly

intervene to put things right.

From a social perspective,

agents must interact with people

in a way that is natural, effective,

and mannerly. The agent must

make its intentions and actions

obvious, so people can coordi-

nate their own plans and behav-

ior accordingly. People signal

their friends by subtle ges-

tures, winks, and nods—

agents will need to be able

to indicate their thoughts

with the same economy of

expression.

IHMC agent researchers,

including Jeff Bradshaw and

Niranjan Suri, are developing

theoretical and practical founda-

tions for more trustworthy

and effective

agents.

These foundations

include both policy frameworks

and protocols for agile comput-

ing, permitting the operation of

agents on foreign hosts.

F E AT U R E D R E S E A R C H

“Let every eye negotiate foritself and trust no agent.”

—W I L L I A M S H A K E S P E A R E

Lucian Galescu

Page 3

Jeff Bradshaw

AgentTechnology

The results are being used in a

wide range of applications.

Some of the technical aspects

of agent acceptability are being

tested as part of projects spon-

sored by the Army and Navy.

For example, in field exercises

this August at Ft. Benning,

Georgia, software developed by

IHMC agent researchers must

enable appropriate information

to flow from sensors to soldiers,

while assuring that sensitive

data is not leaked to individuals

lacking proper clearances.

Unlike traditional security

approaches that simply grant or

deny access to the data, the

framework supports the use of

policies that specify how to

transform the data in order to

allow selected aspects of data to

flow in different ways to differ-

ent people.

In these field exercises, these

robot policies are expressed and

analyzed by the KAoS frame-

work—initially conceived by

Bradshaw and later developed

by Renia Jeffers, Andrzej Uszok,

Maggie Breedy, Matt Johnson,

Hyuckchul Jung, Shri Kulkarni,

James Lott, William Taysom,

and Gianluca Tonti. In this

application, KAoS policy servic-

es allow commanders to specify

the nature of the transforma-

tion (e.g., reducing the resolu-

tion of an image or time-

delaying the data) and iden-

tify code that can be

deployed to achieve the

transformation. IHMC’s

agile computing middle-

ware—developed by Suri

and his teammates Marco

Carvalho, Maggie Breedy,

Tom Cowin, and Raul

Saavedra—discovers and takes

advantage of the computing

capabilities of nearby robotic

platforms to ensure that only

appropriate data is released.

Software developed by

IHMC agent researchers also

controls the movement of

autonomous ground robots in

order to maintain network con-

nectivity. For example, in today’s

urban battle settings, when a

group of soldiers run into a

building, the concrete walls act

as a barrier that can cause them

to lose network connectivity.

IHMC’s agile computing mid-

dleware can detect this loss of

connectivity and move a ground

robot closer to the building so

the soldier can stay in network

range. KAoS policies are used to

limit the movements of the

robot so that the system does

not move it inappropriately.

In other applications, IHMC

agent researchers have devel-

oped approaches to ensure that

software agents execute robust-

ly and reliably. As part of an

international experiment in

simulated coalition operations,

Suri and Bradshaw were able to

successfully configure agent-

based command and control

components of

a new

Page 4

SC I E N T I ST P RO F I L E SNiranjan SuriHometown: Hyderabad, India

Education: B.S. and M.S. incomputer science, University ofWest Florida

Joined IHMC: 1994

Niranjan enjoys making computers dointeresting things. He chose UWF for hisundergraduate work because his cousinis a professor in the physics department.He stayed because of the opportunity topursue exciting research at IHMC.

From a family of scientists, Niranjanalways expected that he would becomeinvolved in research. As an undergradu-ate he wondered if he could create aprogram that would allow another pro-gram to be sent from one computer toanother and run remotely. That interestbecame the foundation of his mastersthesis, the creation of the Nomads sys-tem. Since then, Nomads has provideda mobile agents infrastructure in a num-ber of agent collaborations.

The strength of his research has puthim in an unusual position of being aprincipal investigator without a doctor-ate. On a recent trip to the University ofLancaster, England, a professorapproached him with a proposal hecouldn’t turn down. Niranjan could con-vert his research into a Ph.D. dissertationand get his degree from the Universityof Lancaster without having to leaveIHMC. He expects to finish within thenext year or two.

The flexibility of IHMC appeals tohim. He can advance simply on themerits of his research. Niranjan alsoenjoys the freedom to pursue whateverresearch he’d like with very little man-agement overhead. He hopes that thisflexibility and other aspects of working atIHMC will permit him to accomplishmany things.

A fan of classical music, Niranjangoes to every opera and symphonyperformance in town. However, he can’tquite get his fill, so he attends perform-ances on his many trips, too.

He does like the small town feelingof Pensacola and living so close to work.The community here, along with theresearch opportunities at IHMC, haskept him in Pensacola longer than any-where else. Although he is fromHyderabad, India, he now considersPensacola his hometown. Niranjan Suri

Jeff BradshawHometown: Salt Lake City, UT

Education: B.S. in psychology,University of Utah; Ph.D. in cognitivescience, University of Washington

Joined IHMC: 2000

Jeff intended to become a clinical psychol-ogist, but, just before starting residency, hediscovered artificial intelligence. At thattime, Boeing had recently opened aresearch center in Seattle and, with ashrinking pool of experienced engineers,they wanted to conserve their corporateexpertise by developing automated toolsfor knowledge acquisition and reasoning.Later, while a Fulbright Scholar in France,he became interested in the new field ofagents. The success of the internet gaveagents not only a lot to “think” about butalso plenty to learn from and act upon. Hisfirst book on the topic, Software Agents,became a classic in the field.

At Boeing, Jeff led a team that devel-oped the first versions of KAoS, which hasbeen used in many collaborative agentexperiments. From experience he learnedthat people are reluctant to use intelligentsystems they don’t trust, so KAoS was tai-lored to provide trustworthy servicesthat help agents work more effectivelywith people.

Jeff was involved early in the creation ofIHMC, but he didn’t move permanently toPensacola until his two oldest children fin-ished high school. He enjoys working atIHMC with many of the friends he’sadmired and collaborated with over theyears. He finds the Pensacola area a won-derful place to live.

Jeff gets the most joy and satisfaction inlife from his family. He enjoys backpack-ing, camping, and canoeing with his fourchildren, and traveling with Kathleen, hiswife of twenty-five years. He spendsSundays and many weeknights servinghis church as a lay leader for congrega-tions in the Pensacola area. Jeff is a loverof good books and classical music.

While the paths of his research inter-ests will fill many more years, Jeff knowswhat he’d like to do when he retires.Following his parents’ example, he and hiswife hope to spend their later years as fulltime missionaries in some corner of theworld and continue to enjoy their childrenand grandchildren.

coalition partner in a fraction of the

time it would have taken without the

use of their technologies. In

another DARPA project, over a

thousand agents from different

groups were interacting to assure

the continuity of the military

logistics pipeline. Policies were

used to dynamically adapt the system

to continuously varying conditions. Under a full volley of deliber-

ate attacks and loss of computing capability, the simulated

wartime environment suffered minimal loss of performance.

Trust of agents is critical, particularly for mobile agents.

Mobile agents are able to move between networked host comput-

ers and can execute programs at these remote sites. One mobile

agent system under development with NSF funding will provide

continuous, proactive network monitoring. In modern local com-

puter networks, security against attacks by hackers and viruses is

challenging but critical. Humans don’t have time to proactively

check the security; most system administration is reactive, like

cleaning a hard drive after infection from a virus.

The IHMC mobile agents move between hosts and routers on

a network, locally fixing vulnerabilities and monitoring accessibil-

ity. In addition, they can compare activity at multiple locations to

identify possible attacks. No longer will system administrators

have to rely on individual users to update virus protection or run

only authorized programs.

Research on making agents socially acceptable takes advantage

of the interdisciplinary talents of a wide range of IHMC collabo-

rators. For example, Paul Feltovich has investigated how to take

advantage of what we know about animal and human cultures to

design agents that are effective team players. In Utah, IHMC's

Bill Clancey conducts field experiments simulating exploration of

Mars (see Vol 1, Issue 2, page 6). In this NASA-funded effort,

KAoS coordinates agent communication. James Allen’s natural

human-machine interfaces also benefit from agent policies, such

as dialogue-based coordination of robots searching for simulated

underwater mines (see Vol 2, Issue 1, page 3) supported by the

Office of Naval Research. Other efforts, including personalized

office assistants, augmented cognition, and next-generation

semantic web approaches, rely on natural and effective interac-

tion between humans and agents.

Only to the degree that agents show themselves to be both

technically reliable and socially astute will people feel comfort-

able in granting them the kind of autonomy that will unlock their

full potential as powerful assistants. Motivated by the promise of

that vision, IHMC agent researchers are developing new ways to

help agents qualify themselves for that trust.

n n n Only to the degree that agents show themselves to be

both technically reliable and socially astute will people feel com-

fortable in granting them the kind of autonomy that will unlock

their full potential as powerful assistants. n n n

Page 5

Page 6

RECENT LECTURESn n n IHMC LECTURE SERIES

Three of America’s most influ-ential mayors recently visitedIHMC and Pensacola to sharetheir insights. William Hudnut,former mayor of Indianapolis;John Norquist, former mayor ofMilwaukee; and Joseph Riley,current mayor of Charleston,each addressed the ways that thedesign of the urban realm cre-

ates great cities.Hudnut’s focus in his talk,

“Halfway to Everywhere,” onApril 22 was on the needs of thefirst ring of suburbs. As metro-politan pivot points, these com-munities are caught between theenergetic revitalization of down-towns and the growth of newersuburbs farther out. As theirpopulations and infrastructureage, blight threatens to creep in.He proposed twelve suggestions,what he calls “urban acupunc-ture,” for strengthening thesecommunities, such as developingaround transit, creating a senseof place, and thinking small.

Hudnut served as Mayor ofIndianapolis from 1976 to 1991where he formed partnershipsthat led to an exemplary down-

town renewal. He currently is theJoseph C. Canizaro Chair forPublic Policy at the Urban LandInstitute in Washington, DC.

Zoning laws and highway regu-lations have begun to make thetraditional main street illegal,noted Norquist. In his talk,“Unlocking the Value of theUrban Form” on May 6, he pre-sented the contrast between thebeauty of the traditional city andthe sprawl that characterizesmodern developments. Ironically,he pointed out, one main streetbuilt in the seventies encompass-es many of the strengths of the

traditional main street; that streetis Main Street USA in Disney’sMagic Kingdom. Norquist advo-cates a change in zoning andtransportation planning to returnto the appealing town centers ofthe past.

The Mayor of Milwaukeefrom 1988 to 2003, Norquistoversaw a boom in new down-town housing. He championed

the removal of almost onemile of elevated freeway,allowing a major urban infilldevelopment in the heart ofthe city. He is currentlyPresident of the Congress forthe New Urbanism.

“Our cities are precious heir-looms handed down by ourancestors,” said Riley. In histalk “Creating andMaintaining a Liveable City:Everybody’s Responsibility”on June 10, he discussed howeach urban project can add toor subtract from the qualityof life in the city. Every citi-zen deserves beautiful areas inthe city, and Riley has workedhard to make low incomehousing attractive and fit inthe fabric of the city. Publicareas are some of the choicepieces of property, ringed byprivate development.

First elected as Mayor ofCharleston in 1975, Riley isserving his eighth term.Under his leadership,Charleston achieved aremarkable revitalization ofits historic downtown busi-ness district. He has activelyused public-private partner-ships to leverage all of thecity’s resources in this trans-formation.

n n n “Our cities are precious heirlooms handeddown by our ancestors,” said Riley n n n

Mayors describe visions for urban development

Joseph Riley

John Norquist

William Hudnut

To view video of this and other lectures at IHMC, please visit http://www.ihmc.us/movies/index.php.

Page 7

Albert Einstein, as part of histheory of general relativity, pre-dicted the existence of gravita-tional radiation. Dr. BarryBarish, Director of the LaserInterferometer GravitationalWave Observatory (LIGO) and aprofessor of high-energy physicsat the California Institute ofTechnology, is working to provetheir existence.

In his talk, “Einstein’sUnfinished Symphony: Soundsfrom the Distant Universe,” onMay 20, Barish, a member ofthe National Science Board,described these waves and the

current technology for theirdetection.

Concentrations of mass (orenergy) warp spacetime. Violentevents, such as the collision ofblack holes or the explosion ofsupernovae, cause ripples in thefabric of space and time. Theseripples, gravitational waves, canbe detected on Earth and bringinformation about their origins.Of particular interest are thegravitational waves that occurredearly in the creation of the uni-verse. While electromagneticradiation before 100,000 yearsafter the big bang was absorbed,gravitational waves from within10-43 seconds of the big bangshould remain visible.

LIGO, an NSF-funded, jointCaltech-MIT program, aims todetect such gravitational waves.Current resolution is too poor todetect these waves, which aresmaller than the diameter of aproton. With improvements tothe observatory, Barish hopes toprovide strong evidence for oneof the remaining unknowns ofgeneral relativity.

“Great places are magnets for

great people, and great people

make great places,” said Carol

Coletta. During her talk enti-

tled “Smart City: The Ultimate

Act of Creativity” on March 4,

Coletta stressed the need for

cities to attract 25-34 year olds

since they are the mobile class.

Older groups have typically set-

tled down and chosen a commu-nity. To attract these youngadults, cities need leadership,decisiveness, and focus, or elsethey become like the Chevycar/truck hybrid, the El Camino:

a city that doesn’t know what itwants to be. The creativity,courage, and connectivity of acommunity are critical to its suc-cess in the new economy.

Coletta is the host of theaward-winning syndicated pub-lic radio program Smart City,featuring provocative inter-views with the world’s smartestthinkers on urban life andopportunities for cities. In addi-tion, she created and hosted theMemphis Manifesto Summit

with Richard Florida, the first

gathering of the creative class to

write their call to action for

cities. A Knight Fellow in

Community Building for 2003 at

the University of Miami School

of Architecture, Coletta is fre-

quently interviewed as an expert

on urban issues by national

media, including the Washington

Post, National Public Radio,

USAToday, the Denver Post, and

The New York Times.

Barish describesefforts to detectgravitational waves

Radio show hostaddresses creativecommunities

Washington details climate model predictionsThe climate on Earth hasalways been changing. Therate of change in the last cen-tury or so indicates to manyscientists that mankind ischanging the equation, acceler-ating the warming of theatmosphere. Dr. WarrenWashington, senior scientistand head of the ClimateChange Research Section atthe National Center forAtmospheric Research(NCAR), reviewed climatemodel simulations of therecent past as well as predic-tions for the future in his talk,“Modeling Historical andFuture Climate Change,” onMay 27.

The increase in computingpower allows more detailedsimulations of the climate.Washington’s recent modelingis able to include ocean and seaice components, better model-ing effects such as El Niño andthe Gulf Stream, increasing theaccuracy of the models. Thepredictions of these modelsinclude warming of the oceansand melting of the polar icecaps, resulting in measurableincreases in sea level.

Even if all nations adopt theguidelines of the KyotoProtocol, which calls for areduction of carbon dioxideemissions to 1990 levels,Washington cautions that wewill still continue pouring largequantities of carbon dioxideinto the atmosphere. Emissiondecreases will slow but notstop the global warming trajec-tory; the current levels of car-bon dioxide in the atmospherewill continue to increase globaltemperatures.

Dr. Barry Barish

Dr. Warren Washington

Carol Coletta

Page 8

RECENT LECTURESn n n IHMC LECTURE SERIES

Allen describes natu-ral language systemBuilding a conversational agentrequires a concerted effort tobring work in speech recogni-tion, natural language under-standing, dialog modeling, plan-ning, knowledge representation,and reasoning into a singlecoherent system. IHMC’s JamesAllen described ongoing workon the TRIPS system, a conver-sational agent that can supportunconstrained dialogue, duringhis talk, “Human ComputerInteraction via SpokenDialogue,” on February 13. Therobust system can perform welleven with speech recognitionerrors and can continue the dia-logue in a natural way under anycircumstances.

Cañas outlinesCmapTools historyand futureCmapTools is IHMC’s softwaretoolkit that supports the con-struction and sharing of knowl-edge models based on conceptmaps. In his talk, “Cmap, theTool,” on March 8, AlbertoCañas, Assistant Director ofIHMC, described the transfor-mation from the initial programto the current toolkit. The cur-rent version contains featuresthat enable users of all ages,from elementary school chil-dren to scientists from over 150countries, to build and sharetheir knowledge models. Healso described the researchissues that are part of the current efforts.

Mathematiciandescribes shape theoryMany computer systems, such ascomputer-aided design androbotic vision, must transformcomplex three dimensional sys-tems into mathematical repre-

sentations. Michael Leyton ofthe Center for DiscreteMathematics & TheoreticalComputer Science, RutgersUniversity, presented his algebra-ic theory for conversion of com-plexity into understandabilityduring his talk, “A GenerativeTheory of Shape,” on March 18.His novel group-theoreticapproach formalizes transfer andrecoverability and major object-oriented concepts. The result isan object-oriented theory ofgeometry.

Researcher discussesfuture of physiologi-cal monitoringTraditionally, portable physiolog-ical monitors, such as those forECG and EEG monitoring, havebeen used only to perform dataacquisition. Emil Jovanov,Associate Professor of Electricaland Computer Engineering,University of Alabama-Huntsville, spoke on“Ubiquitous PhysiologicalMonitoring: Issues andApplications” on March 19. Hedescribed how recent develop-ments in wireless and mobiletechnology provide a foundationfor ubiquitous monitors. He pre-sented system design ideas andpossible applications for remote,ubiquitous monitoring.

Bonnlanderdescribes fire modelsFire prediction has long assumeda connection between weatherconditions and the probability ofa wildfire occurring; however,the connection has not been

assessed rigorously, and the keyfactors are unknown. In his talk,“Statistical Prediction ofWildfires in the U.S.: A BaselineStudy,” on March 30, IHMC’sBrian Bonnlander detailed a sta-tistical study to find causal rela-tionships of these factors.Preliminary results indicateimproved predictive abilities.

Psychologist illustrates behavior modelsComplex behavior can emergefrom simple computationalmodels. In his talk on April 12entitled “Model Tales: ASampling from Three Streams ofResearch,” Michael Prietula,Director of Research andProfessor at FloridaInternational University's Schoolof Business, described severalmodels he is investigating. Thesecomputational models canengage in complex behavior seenin human and animal interac-tions such as cooperation with-out consideration of reciprocityand the influences on an individ-ual’s participation within lawsand norms. Such computer mod-els can offer insight into humandynamics and organizational sci-ence.

Researcher outlinessemantic interoper-ability requirementsAutomated semantic interoper-ability requires architecturesthat support translation duringthe dynamic invocation of serv-ices. Mark Burstein, Director ofthe Human Centered SystemsGroup, BBN Technologies,argued in his talk, “SemanticInteroperability in Architecturesfor Semantic Web Services,” onApril 23 that this need is not metby simply introducing middleagents to translate messagesbetween parties. He describedprogress in developing a model

of the service invocation processthat folds in translation and thedevelopment of a commonarchitecture for interoperability.

Scientist presentsbehavioral modelingsystemUser modeling techniques areoften overly simplistic andremain static. In his talk, “OnUser Intent and InformationRetrieval,” on April 29, EugeneSantos, Director of the IntelligentDistributed Information SystemsLaboratory at the University ofConnecticut, described a newmodel that captures user intentdynamically by analyzing behav-ioral information. This modelingapproach improves efficiency,learnability, and interactivity ofthe information retrieval system.

Researcher describescommon sense modelsOne of the hurdles to strongartificial intelligence systems isencoding the vast array of com-mon-sense knowledge that peo-ple have. Dr. Henry Liebermanof the MIT Media Labdescribed the development andapplication of common senseknowledge bases in his talk,“Beating Common Sense intoInteractive Applications,” onMay 28. A database created bystudents in his lab allows anyoneto enter common sense informa-tion over the internet.Lieberman has used this data-base in a number of applications,including improved word sug-gestions and internet searches.

Agile Computing forArmy FutureCombat SystemsPI: Niranjan SuriAmount: $299,490Granting Agency: U.S. Army ResearchLaboratoryThe United States Army’s FutureCombat System (FCS) will include awide array of sensors designed to pro-vide critical information to soldiers incombat and decision makers, regard-less of their location. The sensors willvary widely in complexity, design, andmission. The sensor platforms may beground-based, vehicle-based, aerial, orspace-based. They may be fixed ormobile. They may be manned orunmanned, and they will have varyingdegrees of autonomy. They must com-municate with a wide network ofcomputers and other sensors throughcommunication links that differ wide-ly in reliability, bandwidth, power, andrange. IHMC researchers will adapt

the concept of agile computing toimprove the FCS sensor network’scapability, performance, efficiency,fault-tolerance, and survivability. Byquickly adapting the flexible structureof the computer/sensor/communica-tion network to the assets available atany moment, agile computing willenable the commanders and soldiersto gain access to crucial informationreliably and quickly.

Human SystemsTechnology toAddress Critical NavyNeeds of the Presentand the FuturePI: Dr. Jack HansenAmount: $937,999Granting Agency: ONRThe emerging multidisciplinary fieldof human systems technology exploitsadvances in cognitive research andcomputer science to optimize per-

formance of experts, expert teams,and the information systems that sup-port them. This grant allows IHMCresearchers to continue progress inseveral areas. Dr. David Still willdirect efforts in the development ofadvanced visual displays that enablenon-pilot operators to successfullycontrol unmanned aerial vehicles. Dr.Anil Raj will coordinate efforts in thecreation of advanced tactile displaysthat provide enhanced situationalawareness in complex operatingdomains. Under the direction of Dr.Clark Glymour, IHMC researcherswill design improved algorithms forKnowledge Discovery and DataMining from large data sets, focusedon enabling humans to rapidly diag-nose failures in complex systems.Joint Interactive Planning is a newresearch area using the Institute’sconcept mapping expertise to facili-tate distributed, interactive planningamong Joint forces.

Naval Automation and InformationManagementTechnologyPI: Dr. Jerry PrattAmount: $422,500Granting Agency: ONRMilitary uses of unmanned systemsare growing. In future military sce-narios, large numbers of unmannedground, air, underwater, and surfacevehicles will work together, coordi-nated by a smaller number ofhuman operators. In order to beoperationally efficient, effective anduseful, these robots must have com-petent physical and sensing abilities,perform complex tasks semi-autonomously, coordinate with eachother, and ultimately be observableand controllable in a useful and intu-itive fashion by human operators.Towards this end, IHMC researcherswill work with the Naval SurfaceWarfare Center in Panama City, FL

(NSWC-PC) to further technologiesin the following three areas. Dr. JerryPratt will lead a program in the devel-opment of unmanned underwatervehicles. Under the direction of Dr.Jeff Bradshaw, IHMC researcherswill advance research in human-agentteamwork and agile computing. Dr.James Allen will adapt mixed initia-tive control systems for interactionswith the agent and robotic systems.The IHMC efforts will complementresearch being done at the USFCenter for Robot Assisted Searchand Rescue (CRASAR) and atNSWC-PC.

Advanced SpaceTechnology StudyPI: Dr. Ken Ford, Dr. JackHansen, VADM Tim WrightAmount: $592,277Granting Agency: NASAThe new national Vision for U.S.Space Exploration includes the “devel-opment of innovative technologies,knowledge, and infrastructures bothto explore and to support decisionsabout the destinations for humanexploration.” NASA’s existingAdvanced Space Technology Program(ASTP) will support this objective byinvesting in research and technologiesenabling this vision. As an independ-ent review, IHMC will study whichprogram content and processes willbest serve the new vision for spaceexploration. The study will examinewhat new technologies are required torealize the long term vision. In addi-tion, it will identify what processesshould be employed by NASA in theselection and evaluation of programcontent and quality. Adequatelyaddressing this fundamental changein vision and attendant restructuringof technology requirements andprocesses has broad implications for both NASA and the extramuraland intramural performer communi-ties it supports.

GRANTSn n n APRIL AND MAY 2004

During April and May 2004,IHMC was awarded over $2.2million for research.

Page 9

Page 10

HAPPENINGSn n n EVENTS, HONORS, AND NEWS AT IHMC

rx,

One of the first steps inIHMC’s transition to a not-for-profit public benefit cor-poration took place on April30th. The Florida Institutefor Human and MachineCognition officially enteredinto an affiliation agreementwith the University of WestFlorida.

The affiliation between thetwo entities creates a stronglinkage, allowing each organi-zation to benefit from theother’s strengths. In particu-lar, the agreement outlinesthe mutual sharing of facili-ties and the relationship ofjoint faculty with each entity.

As a result of its new status

as a not-for-profit organiza-tion, IHMC now has the flex-ibility to enter into suchagreements with many otheruniversities. Of course, it isfitting that UWF is the firstaffiliate. Over the past four-teen years, UWF has nur-tured IHMC into a world-class research institute.

IHMC scientists havetaught or continue to teach atthe university, and undergrad-uates and graduate studentsof UWF conduct research atIHMC. This affiliation agree-ment allows this seamlesstransfer of knowledge and tal-ent to continue unabated.

According to IHMC’s

Director, Ken Ford, “Thisaffiliation agreement betweenthe University of WestFlorida and the FloridaInstitute for Human &Machine Cognition is animportant milestone in thedevelopment of the Instituteand reaffirms the close rela-tionship between IHMCand the University fromwhich it sprang.”

In applauding the newagreement, Marny Gilluly, aUWF trustee, stated, “Bycreating the not-for-profitFlorida Institute for Humanand Machine Cognition,[the Institute] has the free-

dom to explore funding andexternal relationships withother universities andresearch centers whileretaining a permanent rela-tionship with the Universityof West Florida. In short, wehave the best of bothworlds.”

The new relationshipbetween IHMC and UWFallows each to focus on whatit does best. The growth andnew status of IHMC is a tes-tament to the foresight ofthe leaders of UWF andserves as a model for univer-sities across the nation.

IHMC and UWFsign affiliationagreement

IHMC HOSTS FLORIDASPACE BOARD MEETING

The quarterly meetingof the Florida SpaceAuthority Board ofSupervisors was heldon May 12 at IHMC.The Authority wasfounded in 1989 by

Florida’s Governor and Legislature tocoordinate and improve the climate forspace-related work within the state. Theboard is comprised of nine membersappointed by the Governor and two exofficio members from the Florida Senateand House of Representatives. IHMC’sDirector, Ken Ford, is on the board.

Florida’s role in space exploration isnot limited to simply hosting the

Kennedy Space Center. Businessesthroughout the state are space busi-nesses, developing the launch vehiclesand satellite components, telecommuni-cations infrastructure, remote sensingtools, and other technology for future

space endeavors. The Florida SpaceAuthority is charged with improving thebusiness climate for the development ofthese space technologies, including theconstruction of spaceport infrastructureand fostering research and education.

IHMC DIRECTORFEATURED ON SMART CITYIHMC’s Ken Ford was a guest on SmartCity, a national weekly radio talk showhosted by Carol Coletta that takes anin-depth look at urban life, the people,places, ideas, and trends shaping cities.During the program “Connecting Townand Gown” on April 10th, Forddescribed the relationship of IHMCwith the Pensacola community as amodel of the role of universities andresearch institutes in the creation of astrong community. He stressed that thelargest impact of universities on theircommunities is not technology transferbut the attraction and creation of talent.The show can be heard athttp://www.smartcityradio.com/smartcityradio/past_shows.cfm.

UWF President John Cavanaugh, UWF Trustees Chair Collier Merrill, andIHMC Director Ken Ford sign the affiliation agreement.

Space Board members tour Pensacola's Naval Aviation Museum

n n n MARCH 2004 THROUGH MAY 2004ARRIVALS

Page 11

Julie Sheppard: Julie joins thestaff of IHMC as General Counseland Special Assistant to theDirector. She will focus in the nearfuture primarily on the transition ofIHMC to not-for-profit status, work-ing with the Board of Directors andother committees and handling thelegal issues for the Institute.

She is pleased to be returning toPensacola after working for the pasttwo years at the University of NorthFlorida in Jacksonville. During herprevious stint in Pensacola, Julieserved as the General Counsel atthe University of West Florida.

Other experience includes work asCounsel to the former FloridaBoard of Regents Office of HumanResources and Labor Relations aswell as serving as an AdministrativeHearings Officer.

She began her legal career inprivate practice with the Maine lawfirm of Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer andNelson after clerking for JusticeRobert C. Cauchon of theMassachusetts Trial Courts. Anative of a small coastal town inNew England, Julie earned her J.D.from Suffolk University Law Schoolin Boston, Massachusetts and herB.A. from the University of Virginia.

Julie is excited to be at IHMCand working once again with manyformer colleagues. She is lookingforward to attending the manycommunity and cultural events, suchas the summer Concerts in thePark, with her husband, Phil Turner,an architect, and their two youngdaughters, Marina and Delaney.

Angela Adams: A senior at UWFin interdisciplinary humanities,Angela is assisting Tracie Moore withfaculty travel. After graduating thisspring, she plans to obtain a mastersdegree.

Florian Bertele: Florian is anexchange student at UWF from theUniversity of Ulm, Germany. He ispursuing a master’s degree in com-puter science and working withNiranjan Suri and Marco Carvalhoon the NOMADS project.

Jerod Durbin: Jerod is a junior atUWF in the Computer InformationSystems program. He is working ondeveloping the CmapTools help files.

Liza Hinkley: Liza is a UWF stu-dent majoring in anthropology. She isan assistant to Tracie Moore in coor-dinating IHMC travel.

James Horsley: A senior at UWFmajoring in both Computer Scienceand Physics, James is working with

Marco Carvalho to implement aseries of computer based tests forpotential pilots. Upon graduation hewould like to pursue a graduatedegree in either theoretical computerscience or physics.

David Pickett: David is a studentadministrative assistant and is cur-rently a senior at UWF majoring inPsychology. Upon graduation heplans to continue his education withanother undergraduate degree inBusiness Administration or attendgraduate school in psychology.

Lynne Roetzer: Lynne has abackground in behavioral decisionmaking and is working with RobertHoffman on the ROCK-TA project.Previously she was a graduateresearch assistant in behavioraloncology at the University ofLouisville School of Medicine whereshe received her M.A. in psychology.

FORD RECEIVESLEADERSHIP AWARDIHMC’s Director Ken Ford receivedthis year’s Pensacola Area Chamberof Commerce PACE BusinessLeader of the Year Award. ThePensacola Area Commitment toExcellence (PACE) awards are giveneach year to honor individuals in thecommunity who have gone aboveand beyond the call of service in theirrespective fields. The business awardrecognizes outstanding success inbusiness or industry through thedevelopment of a new process, prod-uct, or service or for meaningful con-tributions to the local business com-munity. The award is presented to anindividual who exemplifies the quali-ties of the business visionary. Ford wascited for his efforts not only in devel-

oping IHMC into a world-class insti-tution but also in his tireless work onrevitalization of downtown Pensacola.

ASTRONAUTS AND IHMCSCIENTISTS DISCUSS SPACE

EXPLORATION

As part of their Celebration of

Science event, the University of West

Florida brought together two alumni,

who are also astronauts, and Ken

Ford and Jack Hansen, both of

IHMC, to discuss the future of space

research in a panel moderated by

retired National Aeronautics and

Space Administration executive

JoAnn Morgan. The astronauts,

Bruce Melnick and Ken Cockrell,

both received master’s degrees from

UWF while in flight training at

Pensacola Naval Air Station. In look-

ing to the future, the panelists stressed

the importance of maintaining the

enthusiasm of the country for space

exploration. They particularly stressed

the importance of research like that

conducted at IHMC for creating the

new technologies that will allow fur-

ther space exploration.

IN BRIEF

John Olsen received this year’s Young

Investigator award from the Aerospace

Medical Association’s Space Medicine

Branch for his article “Tactile Display

Landing Safety, Situational Awareness,

and Workload Reduction Improve-

ments for the Space Shuttle.”

n n n n n n

Matt Johnson has been accepted

into the IEEE-RAS/IFRR Summer

School on “Human-Robot

Interaction.” The program is limited to

thirty of the top Ph.D. students and

postdocs from the US and Europe

and includes lectures from prominent

researchers and hands-on work.

n n n n n n

An article by Paul Feltovich,

“Cognitive flexibility theory: Advanced

knowledge acquisition in ill-structured

domains,” has been chosen for reprint-

ing in the Fifth Edition of "Theoretical

Models and Processes of Reading.”

This volume collects the most influen-

tial articles pertaining to reading prac-

tice and research.

Julie Sheppard

4 0 S o u t h A l c a n i z S t r e e tPe n s a c o l a , F l o r i d a 3 2 5 0 2 8 5 0 - 2 0 2 - 4 4 6 2 p h o n e8 5 0 - 2 0 2 - 4 4 4 0 f a xw w w.ihmc.us