Webinars

Fall 2025 CINSER Webinar Series

The Evolution of Advanced Air Mobility, A New Dimension of Mobility

Speaker: Dr. Kamesh Namuduri

Date and Time: Sept 3, 2025, 11 AM CST

Abstract

Since the first announcement on November 1st, 2018, by NASA, UAM/AAM evolved into a concrete form of mobility that we can expect to be practically realized in the next few years. This presentation outlines how NASA's vision is turning into a reality in front of us, what we can expect in the short term and long term. It highlights various components of the AAM ecosystem, research topics, challenges, and opportunities that lie ahead of us. This presentation is based on direct and practical experience gained over the past five years, working closely with and leading the North Texas Cohort, a public-private-academic-government-community partnership. Participants will learn the state-of-the-art and ongoing research and development activities in this exciting field.

Biography

Kamesh Namuduri is a University Distinguished Research Professor of Electrical Engineering and the director of Autonomous Systems Laboratory at the University of North Texas (UNT). Namuduri is named as a 鈥淒istinguished Lecturer鈥� by the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society for the term 2021-2025. He is serving as a Vice Chair for 鈥淎erial Communications鈥�, an Emerging Technology Initiative of the IEEE Communication Society, as an Expert Adviser on UAVs, COM/Access Core Standards Committee, IEEE Communications Society, and as a Co-Chair for the IEEE Future Networks Initiative Public Safety Technology Task Force. He is a co-editor for the book titled 鈥淯AV Networks and Communications鈥� published by the Cambridge University Press in 2017. He led the Smart and Connected Community project on 鈥淒eployable Communication Systems鈥� in collaboration with the government, public, and private organizations. He contributed to the development of research agenda, requirements and blueprints highly deployable communications systems led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and National Public Safety Telecommunications Council.

Aerial and RIS-assisted Edge Computing for Intelligent Transportation Services

Speaker: Dr. Wael Jaafar

Date and Time: Oct 1, 2025, 11 AM CST

Abstract

The emergence of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) has driven the deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles that support computation-intensive and delay-sensitive applications. This development has highlighted the challenges posed by the limited resources of user devices in vehicular networks. To address these challenges, innovative solutions are needed, particularly in the context of 6G, enabled by aerial platforms of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS), and by reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS). In this context, we will formulate the task offloading problems of vehicular networks when supported by aerial platforms equipped or not with RIS, then we will discuss different solutions that can be adopted to enhance the tasks success rate while preserving energy. Our proposed methods represent a significant advancement in managing ITS services through cooperative UAV-HAPS-RIS frameworks.

Biography

Wael Jaafar

Wael Jaafar (S鈥�08, M鈥�14, SM鈥�20) is an Associate Professor at the Software and IT Engineering Department of 脡cole de Technologie Sup茅rieure (脡TS), University of Quebec, Montreal, Canada since September 2022. He holds Masters and PhD degrees from Polytechnique Montreal, Canada. Between 2019 and 2022, Dr. Jaafar was an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow with the Systems and Computer Engineering Department of Carleton University. From 2014 to 2018, he pursued a career in the telecommunications industry where he has been involved in designing telecommunication solutions for projects across Canada and abroad. During his career, Dr. Jaafar was a visiting researcher at Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE in 2019, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan in 2013, and UQAM, Montreal, Canada in 2007. He received several prestigious grants including (the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Alexander-Graham Bell scholarship, the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec鈥揘ature et technologies (FRQNT) scholarship, and best paper awards at CIoT 2024, IEEE ISCC 2023, and IEEE ICC 2021. His research interests include wireless communications, integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, resource allocation, edge caching and computing, and machine learning for communication and networks.

Title: TBA

Speaker: Dr. Shaloo Rakheja, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Advanced Semiconductor Chips with Accelerated Performance (ASAP), University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Date and Time: November 5, 2025 11:00 AM - 12:00 Noon Central Time

Abstract: Forthcoming

Registration Link: Forthcoming

PAST EVENTS

Spring 2025 CINSER Webinar Series

The Malicious Manipulation and Use of AI Algorithms in the Hands of Extremist Groups

Speaker: Spiros Bamiatzis, Department Chair, and Professor of Cybersecurity, IvyTech Community College, Lake County

Date and Time: April 2, 2025 11 AM 鈥� 11:45 Central Time

Abstract: Extremist groups have increasingly spread dangerous content by exploiting AI tools
such as ChatGPT. Any attempt to block these groups鈥� content is challenging due to
"jailbreak" mechanisms and the flexibility these models have in continuously learning
and adapting to new data. In this presentation, we will describe the existing general
landscape of AI, along with some necessary definitions pertaining to machine
learning, deep learning, and narrow and general intelligence. Furthermore, we will
develop the concept of how new technologies contextualize the malicious use of AI.
Following that we will demonstrate the impact of AI in three categories of threat:
cyber, physical and political. We will attempt to outline the response, the inventory of
cybersecurity tools for the prevention of the malicious use of AI, and the presentation
will close with an investigating look into the future malicious uses of AI by extremist
groups and individuals.

This webinar was hosted by the Illiana Consortium for Intelligence and Critical Technology (IC2Tech)

Fall 2024 CINSER Webinar Series

Careers in Semiconductors: Opportunities and Resume Preparation

Speaker: Jessica Voss, Campus Relationship Manager, Intel Corporation

Date and Time: December 4, 2024 11 AM 鈥� 11:45 Central Time

Abstract: Are you interested in a career in the semiconductor industry? Join us to talk about career pathways in the semiconductor industry and to discover the tips and tricks of resume preparation.