IMPACT

IMPACT is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) funded project under their MUREP PBI/HBCU Data Science Equity, Access and Priority for Research and Education (DEAP) program.

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This project is led by Fayetteville State University (FSU), with Dr. Sambit Bhattacharya serving as the Principal Investigator. The collaboration involves three HBCUs that are member institutions of the University of North Carolina (UNC) System: FSU, North Carolina Central University (NCCU), and Winston Salem State University (WSSU). The sub-awarded universities, NCCU and WSSU, will work alongside FSU to expand their existing capabilities.

The core research of this initiative, known as IMPACT, focuses on developing energy-aware, efficient AI/ML models for perception tasks at the edge. These models are crucial for multi-agent systems that address challenges in earth observation and space exploration. Specifically, IMPACT will tackle two NASA use cases: the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABOVE), which aims to protect and improve life on Earth, and space exploration involving heterogeneous agents in the search for life elsewhere.

IMPACT will build on FSU's established collaboration with the Jet Propulsion Lab to engage HBCU students and faculty from the three universities in using Data Science to address scientific questions critical to NASA's mission. Over a three-year period, the institute will conduct training, research design, and execution, generating novel research results and creating new methods for training students, ultimately providing high-quality resources for learning Data Science.

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