Richard L. Tutwiler, a senior research associate at Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory, has been named as deputy director of the Center for Network-Centric Cognition and Information Fusion (NC2IF), a research center led by the University's College of Information Sciences and Technology that explores the gap between the collection of reports and data in computer systems and human decision-making. Tutwiler, who assumed the position on Jan. 1, replaces Pete Forster, a senior lecturer at the College of IST.
“As deputy of the NC2IF, Dr. Tutwiler will serve a vital function in both mentoring graduate students, designing and guiding research, and exploring new partnerships and funding opportunities to support NC2IF research,” said Col. Jake Graham, director of the NC2IF and a professor at the College of IST. “We are both pleased and fortunate to have Dr. Tutwiler as an integral part of the NC2IF.”
Tutwiler serves as a senior research associate in the Imaging Systems and Processing Department of the Communications, Information and Navigation Division in the Intercollegiate Research Program in Penn State's Applied Research Laboratories (ARL). He also is a member of Penn State’s graduate faculty in the departments of acoustics, electrical engineering and kinesiology. In addition, he is a Materials Research Institute (MRI) research associate, a faculty member of the Penn State College of Medicine's doctor of medicine/doctoral program, and a faculty member of the Penn State Hershey Eye Center. A native of Pittsburgh, he holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from Penn State and has worked at ARL since 1986.
“Dr. Tutwiler is a great addition to the NC2IF,” Graham said. “He brings with him a diverse and practiced background in the fields of sensor fusion, experimentation, and applied research.”
The focus of the NC2IF, which was chartered as a Penn State research center in 2008, is to conduct research and demonstrate how information technology can span the gap from energy detection (via sensors and human reports) to knowledge creation. The researchers leverage new media technologies to transform information into actionable knowledge and focus on large-scale problems that provide opportunities for collaboration.
Tutwiler had been well-acquainted with the NC2IF prior to assuming the role of deputy director. He is part of the team working on the center’s Multi-University Research Initiative (MURI), a collaborative project with the University at Buffalo, State University of New York and Tennessee State University, that seeks to develop computerized learning techniques to fuse hard and soft data. At ARL, he has conducted research in the areas of computer vision image processing and signal recognition, which he said are directly applicable to the work that is being done at the NC2IF.
Tutwiler’s goals as deputy director, he said, include expanding the center’s partnerships with industry and government.
“I would like to be able to interface with corporate sponsors,” he said.
Tutwiler said that he would like for the NC2IF to be able to sponsor students for co-ops with companies and obtain external research funding for projects that are of interest to government agencies and corporations.
“You have multiple directions to go for funding,” he said.
In regards to research, Tutwiler said, there is plenty of growth potential for the NC2IF. He is interested in applying machine learning techniques to hard and soft sensor data streams, which could aid the work of emergency responders.
The most rewarding aspect of working in the technology field, Tutwiler said, is being able to work with “interesting, state-of-the-art” techniques. He particularly enjoys research in 3-D computer vision, and also takes pleasure in working with students.
“You always get to work on something new,” Tutwiler said.