UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Tim Kane, professor of electrical engineering in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the College of Engineering at Penn State, has been appointed as the new director of the Center for Optical Wireless Applications (COWA).
He replaces founding director Mohsen Kavehrad, the W.L. Weiss Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering.
COWA, a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC), strives to integrate, enable, and commercialize optical communication and sensing systems via overlapping research in advanced photonic materials, devices, packaging, and operation.
“I/UCRCs enable faculty and students to engage with industry in a very effective, precompetitive manner,” said Clive Randall, director of the Materials Research Institute at Penn State and technical director of the I/UCRC Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics. “It enables students to see routes for transitioning their fundamental work into practical applications as well as broadening their education.”
Founded in 2010, the center allowed for interdisciplinary collaboration amongst Penn State researchers whose expertise originally focused on systems-based engineering design and networking concepts. The newly expanded center also incorporates photonic device development, fiber, and sensing technologies.
“The Center for Optical Wireless Applications has brought together optical researchers from across the entire Penn State campus,” said Kane. “This multi-disciplinary collaboration between minds, resources and facilities benefits not only our students, but also our industry partners.”
For more information on the center, contact Tim Kane.