Research NewsletterIssue: ORN-2024-04

Recent NJIT Patents Issued by US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Issued Patent

Patent Title: Artificial Intelligence Automation to Improve Network Quality Based on Predicted Locations

Ref No.:  23-010

Patent No.:  11,848,828

Inventor(s): Borcea, Cristian / Talasila, Manoop / Chen, Yi / Jiang, Xiaopeng / Zhao, Shuai / Aftab, Anwar / Hsu, Wen-Ling / Jacobson, Guy / Jana, Rittwik

Patent Application Status:  Issued Patent, Jointly-Owned with AT&T

Patent Issue Date:  12/19/2023

NSF: Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Supplemental Funding in Computer and Information Science and Engineering Growing;  Convergence Research (GCR); Algorithms for Threat Detection (ATD); Future Manufacturing (FM); Responsible Design, Development, and Deployment of Technologies (ReDDDoT); Expanding Capacity in Quantum Information Science and Engineering (ExpandQISE); Planning Grants to Broaden Participation in the Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Program; Enabling Access to the Semiconductor Chip Ecosystem for Design, Fabrication, and Training (Chip Design Hub)

NIH: Stephen I. Katz Early Stage Investigator Research Project Grant (R01); Centers of Excellence for Translational Research (CETR) (U19)

Department of Defense/US Army/DARPA/ONR: Fiscal Year 2024 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Program; ERDC Broad Agency Announcement; FY24 Department of Navy (DON) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Workforce Program

Department of Energy: EXPRESS: 2024 Exploratory Research for Extreme Scale Science Small Innovative Projects in Solar: Concentrating Solar Power and Photovoltaics Data Reduction for Science

NASA: ROSES 2023: A.53 Instrument Incubator Program

National Endowment of Humanities: Fellowships

Securing emerging tech requires export controls and international partnerships, officials say: U.S. diplomatic policy is navigating the protection of emerging technologies and sensitive intellectual property within the Indo-Pacific region largely through supply chain policies and partnership with ally nations, according to testimony at a Wednesday House hearing. Witnesses before the House Subcommittee on Indo-Pacific shed light on the interagency work to protect U.S. data and technology, while reckoning with China’s influence in both the region and the industry. 

Thea Rozman Kendler, the assistant secretary in the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security Export Administration, said that leveraging export controls is an important method to ensure that officials within the Chinese Communist Party do not access U.S. networks that carry critical information.  “U.S. export controls have been and will always be most effective when deployed in conjunction with those of governments that share our values,” she said. “As technology evolves, we will protect our national security by coordinating with our closest allies and partners, ensuring that the fruits of advanced technologies are applied to our shared security and prosperity.” She further elaborated that current U.S. export controls prioritize avoiding commercial interaction with China, particularly surrounding the global supply chain that contributes key ingredients to everyday technologies. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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Can NIST get it all done?: The National Institute of Standards and Technology was founded in 1901 to meet the growing demand for standardized scientific measurements to advance technical and industrial research and development. More than a century later, the agency is riding point on an all-of-government effort to respond to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence with standards and best practices. The Biden administration's October 2023 executive order on AI gives NIST a prominent role in cultivating testing standards to ensure AI-enabled software products are designed safely and securely before being introduced to market. It also tasks NIST with developing guidelines for industry to safely deploy AI systems, evaluating foundation models and reducing fraudulent content generated by AI and machine learning softwares, among other responsibilities.  But questions abound about the ability of the agency — with a staff of about 3,400 and an annual budget of just over $1.6 billion — to meet the growing demand for its services in AI and across a variety of emerging technologies, including cybersecurity and quantum computing. Ahead of the executive order, the agency launched its Trustworthy and Responsible AI Resource Center in March 2023. It's also in the midst of fielding comments from the public testing AI softwares to meet safety standards. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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House lawmakers introduce AI risk management bill: As expected, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., offered a companion bill Wednesday to Senate legislation introduced last year that would codify federal guidelines for the adoption of artificial intelligence. The Federal Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Act would require federal agencies to use the AI risk management framework, developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, when acquiring AI solutions.  Reps. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, Don Beyer, D-Va., and Marcus Molinaro, R-N.Y., joined Lieu in sponsoring the legislation. The measure is the House version of a Senate bill proposed by Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and Mark Warner, D-Va., that was introduced in November. Sponsors had hoped the legislation would ride on the must-pass FY24 National Defense Authorization Act, but it was not adopted as an amendment. More information is posted on the NextGov website.