Jackie Fox, VSH's Executive Director, has given the green light to the Geeks' "proof of concept" testbed project. Dr. Barnet Schmidt, PhD SM IEEE, managing partner in Kaplan/Schmidt Associates, LLC, West Orange, NJ, consulting communications engineers, is the project engineer and will do a site survey in the next few days. He prepared the presentation for the proof of concept testbed for the Springfield Avenue Business District in Maplewood. (See http://geeksfso.blogspot.com/2013/12/introducing-geeks-fso-proof-of-concept.html) It will essentially remain the same except for a couple of pluses. VSH already has a computer lab and the buildings are all together in one area, so the logistics required will be that much more manageable for a testbed.
Here's the concept and team members behind the project:
The core team is dedicated to developing
another significant program for educational outreach to target populations
who are defined by (1.)being underrepresented in the STEM fields; and
(2.)disadvantaged relative to customary access to modern educational resources.
This program is significant because it fits President Barack Obama’s recently
announced $200 million initiative, “My Brother’s Keeper,” that targets
disadvantaged black and Latino young men[i].
We propose developing a “Geeks FSO Campus” (Free Space Optics) as a self-sustaining
entrepreneurial incubator at Valley
Settlement House[ii]
(VSH) in West Orange, NJ, to provide the
education, training, and mentoring for youth from the target populations in
creating apps (applications) for smart phones, tablets, and other mobile
computing devices plus content for the internet. The FSO component is
to give the participants access to a high speed, high bandwidth development
system without the high cost of fiber optics. In addition, the surrounding
neighborhood is part of the Valley Arts District[iii]
into which we could in all likelihood extend our FSO-based Campus Area Network
If you are at all familiar with the rapidly expanding market
for apps for smart phones and tablets and the revenue generated by that market,
you will need no explanation of our claim to becoming financially self-sustaining over the course of a three year
startup program as well as become a replicable model for communities with
similar demographics that includes the target populations . Part of the proposal is to partner with a “for
profit” business to market the apps and content and provide funding for the
program.
We have assembled
a superior team of key participants for creating the Proof of Concept testbed
at VSH using a FSO communications link and are now taking the initial step of preparing a proposal to seek
funding. We have the commitment of the
team members and are going ahead with the project at VSH recognizing that the
funding requirements are minimal to develop the proof of concept test bed there. We anticipate that the “return on
investment” will be significant both in financial returns through the
entrepreneurial component and the broader recognition relative to conforming to
President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper”
initiative.
The team includes:
Site Management
Marcina “Jackie” Fox
Marcina “Jackie” Fox
Executive Director
Valley Settlement House
West Orange, NJ
Please note: Jackie has
been involved with worked with core team members in the educational outreach program at VHS since 2007.
She is an experienced program manager/administrator and is committed to the
project. VSH has the facilities and computer lab to jump start the program on
Saturdays and evenings at minimum cost.
Education and training
(including intern mentoring program)
Nadia Lvov
Assistant Professor/ECC LSAMP Project Director
Division of Mathematics and Physics
Essex County College
Newark, NJ
Please note: Nadia has been a the lead person from Essex County College in the Essex Stevens Model program since 2007. It has expanded under her leadership to several other area universities with research labs and provides a base for recruiting interns for mentoring the program participants.
Nadia Lvov
Assistant Professor/ECC LSAMP Project Director
Division of Mathematics and Physics
Essex County College
Newark, NJ
Please note: Nadia has been a the lead person from Essex County College in the Essex Stevens Model program since 2007. It has expanded under her leadership to several other area universities with research labs and provides a base for recruiting interns for mentoring the program participants.
Luis Grados
BS, Computer Science, NJIT
Please note: Luis started
in the Essex County College research experience program with Stevens in 2009 when he also began assisting Hilding Lindquist with
the Summer Science Program at VHS , becoming the
coordinator for the program in 2011. He is young Latino who connects well
with the target populations and is expected to take a leadership role in
developing the entrepreneurial aspects of the program that will make it
self-sustaining.
Technical oversight:
Dr. Barnet Schmidt, PhD, SM IEEE
Managing Partner
Kaplan/Schmidt Associates, LLC
Consulting Communication Engineers
West Orange, NJ,
Please note: Barnet doctorate defense was on FSO at PEP (Stevens) on November 19, 2013. He is an experienced communication engineer and prepared the presentation for theMaplewood proof of concept testbed which transfers directly to the VSH site with modifications for placement of the initial FSO link.
Managing Partner
Kaplan/Schmidt Associates, LLC
Consulting Communication Engineers
West Orange, NJ,
Please note: Barnet doctorate defense was on FSO at PEP (Stevens) on November 19, 2013. He is an experienced communication engineer and prepared the presentation for theMaplewood proof of concept testbed which transfers directly to the VSH site with modifications for placement of the initial FSO link.
Participating
Observers, Maplewood, NJ:
Clarence Williams, III and Dione Williams, M.D.
Small business and professional services
Springfield Avenue Business District
Maplewood, NJ
Interested in replicating the program in the Springfield Avenue Business District of Maplewood, NJ.
Please note: Their proposed site is used in Barnet’s presentation re: Campus Area Network Project, 12/18/2013, included below. Clarence and Dione and have helped to guide the development of the program from its initial discussions over the past two years regarding educational outreach to local residents underrepresented in STEM.
Small business and professional services
Springfield Avenue Business District
Maplewood, NJ
Interested in replicating the program in the Springfield Avenue Business District of Maplewood, NJ.
Please note: Their proposed site is used in Barnet’s presentation re: Campus Area Network Project, 12/18/2013, included below. Clarence and Dione and have helped to guide the development of the program from its initial discussions over the past two years regarding educational outreach to local residents underrepresented in STEM.
Participating Observers, Plainfield, NJ:
Deborah Joyce Dowe
Community Activist
Plainfield, NJ
Interested in replicating the program in Plainfield, NJ
Please note: Ms. Dowe has been and advisor through Hilding Lindquist to LLLab’s educational outreach program since it’s its earliest beginning in 2000 at Plainfield High School and brings with her the knowledge and experience to help replicate this program in Plainfield, whose residents are predominately underrepresented in STEM.
Community Activist
Plainfield, NJ
Interested in replicating the program in Plainfield, NJ
Please note: Ms. Dowe has been and advisor through Hilding Lindquist to LLLab’s educational outreach program since it’s its earliest beginning in 2000 at Plainfield High School and brings with her the knowledge and experience to help replicate this program in Plainfield, whose residents are predominately underrepresented in STEM.
[i] http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304071004579407992832670628
President
Wields 'Soft Power' to Help Minority Youth
Program Would
Give Economic, Educational Opportunities to Disadvantaged Young Black, Latino
Men
[ii] http://www.valleysettlementhouse.org/
[iii] http://www.valleyartsnj.com/
