Press Releases

Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright announced that Lafayette College received a $169,545 federal grant from a tech program of the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Electrical, Communications and Cyber System (ECCS) program promotes fundamental research in device and component technologies, power, controls, computation, networking, communications, and cyber technologies to support integration and networking of intelligent systems.

The award is for an instrument that can be used to study how high microwave and millimeter wave signals interact with complicated indoor and outdoor environments, which in turn will allow future 5G systems to be carefully assessed, designed, and deployed. The equipment will be used for both teaching and research at Lafayette, and it will be available to other institutions in the Lehigh Valley for collaborative research.

“With this support from the NSF, Lafayette College can continue studying and contributing to our wireless reliance and communications future,” said Rep. Cartwright. “I applaud Lafayette for receiving this competitive award, and I will continue to advocate for job-creating investments in education and technology.”

“As Lafayette students and I deploy the instrument, a public database of building materials will be formed, which will provide crucial data available to both industry and academia for planning and assessing future 5G networks,” said Jon Wallace, Associate Professor Lafayette College. “Availability of the instrumentation to other institutions within the Lehigh Valley will provide opportunities for new collaborative research. It is also planned to use the instrument in student courses, labs, and projects at Lafayette, thus exposing up-and-coming engineers to state-of-the-art measurement techniques for 5G wireless and beyond.”

The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports research, innovation, and discovery that provides the foundation for economic growth. By advancing the frontiers of science and engineering, the agency helps develop the knowledge and cutting edge technologies needed to address current and future economic and societal challenges.