The Department of Technology in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) at Jackson State University may soon be renamed the Department of Industrial Systems and Technology, pending approval from the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.
Kamal S. Ali, Ph.D., is the new chair. He says the change is expected to reflect the department’s new vision and direction. One of his main goals will be developing a stronger coalition between technology and engineering so that their plethora of resources can be shared.
Ali, who has been at JSU for nine years, says he welcomes the new challenge and “the opportunity to bring my knowledge and experience to the department.
” As a computer engineer, he has served in principal roles that have garnered more than $1.25 million in external funding for JSU.
“Most of what I do is for the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. We do a lot of work on autopilot for drones, specifically simulations. We have to innovate,” he says.
Ali says other projects include a collaborative effort with the Department of Homeland Security to use drone technology for search-and-rescue missions during post-disaster situations. He also aims to establish an alliance with Lockheed Martin, an American global aerospace, defense, security and advanced technology company, by building a simulator that encompasses a swarm of drones working together on a single mission.
Ali, a native of Sudan, has been in the U.S. since 1980. He is co-owner of a patent for his auto-piloting projects called Hardware in the Loop Simulator, which provides a realistic experience of flying a plane.
His department named him the recipient of the 2014 JSU Excellence in Teaching/Advising award. He has published more than 50 articles.
Meanwhile, the new chair says he is excited about ambitious plans for engineering and technology. He’s especially thrilled about the 2015 groundbreaking for the department’s new building, with move-in expected to be complete by spring 2016.