Spectra Newsletter

All over the world, power companies have installed millions of smart meters, which enable two-way communication between the meter and the utility’s central system. Because smart meters gather data for remote reporting, in time, they will almost certainly be able to talk to any smart device. It’s this very capability that is both tantalizing and disconcerting. While it could be useful to know how much energy your TV, refrigerator or laundry appliances are consuming, for example, or to turn your lights or air conditioning on and off using a cell phone, the system may also prove vulnerable to malicious attacks. And that’s where Adam Kaplan’s research comes in.

Kaplan, an assistant professor of computer science, has developed a research project that seeks to determine whether smart meters are susceptible to hacking and if so, what kinds of information a hacker might be able to obtain. [Read more…]

The college’s brand-new Bioengineering Research incubator is a testament to what can happen when vision, collaboration, determination and resources come together. The interdisciplinary facility, which was established this academic year with internal CSUN funding and space allocated by CECS, is the brainchild of assistant professors Ani Nahapetian (computer science) and George Youssef (mechanical engineering), who conceived the idea and are its codirectors. [Read more…]

Collaboration is ingrained in the culture of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and that tradition has recently gained added momentum through S. Jimmy Gandhi’s work. Gandhi, an assistant professor of engineering management who specializes in quality management, already collaborates with several local companies in the San Fernando Valley and with industry professionals to continuously improve the course material he teaches. But most recently, he has teamed up with Manipal University in India, working with colleagues in its engineering program, Manipal Institute of Technology, to conduct joint research.

“It’s the largest private university in India, with about 28,000 students, and it’s situated in the southern part of India in a town called Manipal, which is a few hours from Bangalore,” he explains. “It originally started as a medical college, but it has a fantastic engineering program.” [Read more…]

It’s a hot, humid summer day, and the spiking demand for air conditioning causes a blackout. With current technology, the power grid will remain down until the problem is fixed. Jump a number of years into the future, however, when the so-called smart grid is fully implemented, and solar panels or wind turbines that have been programmed to operate autonomously will help keep critical loads within a neighborhood or campus alive. Better yet, the whole system will be programmed to redistribute the load and prevent the blackout in the first place.

The smart grid uses new technology such as smart meters, controllers and devices that can communicate to optimize power conservation and delivery. It also promotes integration of renewable energy resources and promises to increase the efficiency of today’s system by approximately 9% by 2030, saving more than 400 billion kilowatt-hours each year―an estimated $42 billion in the first year alone. [Read more…]