News & Press Releases

Topic: Network-less Wireless Sensing for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of Bridges: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Investigations Location: Lester W. Cory Conference Room, Science & Engineering Building (SENG), Room 213A Zoom Conference Link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/93281343753 Meeting ID: 932 8134 3753 Passcode: 518247 Abstract: The Internet of Things (IoT) has significantly advanced the application of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), particularly for civil engineering infrastructure such as bridges. Despite the advancements, the widespread application of WSNs in SHM remains hindered by their limited network lifetime, posing a significant hurdle to their adoption. Furthermore, IoT and WSNs open a new attack surface. Designing SHM systems with wireless sensors utilizing no network allows system resiliency to cyber-attacks. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been heralded for their potential to overcome these limitations through secure and efficient data collection. This thesis expands on the existing UAV application by proposing a novel UAV-assisted WSN system that employs Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) as the communication protocol for synchronized data gathering in SHM systems. Our design diverges from traditional multi-hop WSNs by leveraging UAVs as mobile data sinks, reducing the energy burden on individual sensor nodes, and significantly prolonging the sensor's operational life. Through an analytical study, we demonstrate that our UAV-BLE system offers a remarkable improvement in network lifetime in comparison to conventional network routed WSNs. Additionally, the use of BLE facilitates a lightweight authentication scheme, providing secure wireless communication between sensor nodes and the UAV. Thus, this novel approach enhances the overall robustness and longevity of SHM systems. A proof-of-concept implementation utilizing a PASCO bridge kit equipped with wireless load cell sensors, demonstrates the feasibility of our approach. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first exploration of a BLE-centric synchronization scheme in the context of SHM, marking a significant leap toward secure, safe, reliable, and efficient monitoring of civil engineering structures. Co-Advisor(s): Dr. Hong Liu, Commonwealth Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth Committee Members: Dr. Liudong Xing, Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth; Dr. Ruolin Zhou, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth; Dr. Tzuyang Yu, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UMASS Lowell NOTE: All ECE Graduate Students are ENCOURAGED to attend. All interested parties are invited to attend. Open to the public. *For further information, please contact Dr. Hong Liu via email at hliu@umassd.edu

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Join us as we celebrate our outstanding student leaders and their accomplishments! The Marketplace | UMass Dartmouth 4:30pm Hors D'oeuvres 5:00 pm Presentation of Awards RSVP to claib@umassd.edu by Mon April 22, 2024 Contact: Chris Laib, claib@umassd.edu 508-999-8217 Sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs

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Italian Studies invites you to enjoy a year of Spaghetti Westerns. Starting in the 1960s Italian directors began to apply their own artistic approach and their own political and social concerns to the old-fashioned western genre. The result? Some of the most artistically exciting movies of the 1960s and 1970s. All films will be screened in LARTS-111 at 7:00. For questions write msneider@umassd.edu.

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Dashanna Hanlon will share her perspective as a Black Doula on Reproductive Rights and Advocacy in Action. Come find out about career pathways in birthing justice, what does a birth Doula do? She will discuss her role in fighting the black maternal mortality health epidemic in the United States. Light Refreshments will be served. Bring your friends! Sponsored by Women's and Gender Studies and Health & Society. Room CCB 340

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Financial Aid Services wants to remind all students to file their FAFSA! Join Financial Aid Services for FAFSA Help Labs in LARTS 203 on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3-4pm for help filing your FAFSA and learning more about financial aid. Contact Mark Yanni myanni@umassd.edu

Liberal Arts Building 203

Observatory Open House For updates on weather conditions please refer to www.assne.org

UMass Dartmouth Observatory Field