By REBEKAH RAY         

rlr017@latech.edu

 

Ville Kaajakari, an assistant professor at the Institute for Micromanufacturing, opened an e-mail that informed him he was one of only 10 engineers in the country to receive the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Young Faculty Award.

Kaajakari has been on faculty at IfM since August 2006.

“I was wowed when I saw the e-mail,” Kaajakari said. “I knew I had a chance, but it’s a very competitive process.”

The $150,000 grant Kaajakari has received is for one year.

Kaajakari said the money will go toward graduate students’ assistance in research and supplies.

“This is really a great kick-start for me, here [at the IfM],” Kaajakari said. “I didn’t want to sit here a long time without really getting started.”

Chester Wilson, also an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the IfM, went to graduate school with Kaajakari at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“This is a really prestigious grant. It’s amazingly competitive, and it’s the first time that we’ve ever had this at Louisiana Tech,” Wilson said. He said just the opportunity to apply for the grant was an accomplishment.

Kody Varahramyan, director of IfM and a professor of electrical engineering, said Kaajakari and Tech helped each other out with the effort.

“One of the things considered in this process is where these applicants are situated,” Varahramyan said. “[Program managers] look at what the universities that these applicants come from have to offer. They look at what kind of research infrastructure, resources and facilities the universities have.”

While Tech benefits from the ingenuity that won Kaajakari the award, Kaajakari benefited from Tech’s reputation, Varahramyan said.

Kaajakari said he appreciated all the help he has received from Tech. 

“Everyone has been supportive of me working toward this grant,” Kaajakari said.

Kaajakari said he began the process of applying for this grant by submitting a three-page abstract proposal in October 2006.

His paper proposed improvements to micromechanical sensors and resonators, which Kaajakari said has an indefinite number of possible applications. One application, Kaajakari said, is found in the technology of the new Wii game system by Nintendo.

Kaajakari was at Lincoln General Hospital Oct. 1, awaiting the arrival of his first child, his son Miio.

“I was actually finishing up my abstract in the hospital,” Kaajakari said.

Kaajakari said he went on to be part of the 10 percent of original applicants who reached the second stage of competition. Those 50 applicants were given just a week’s notice that they had an appointment in Washington D.C. to present their proposal in five minutes and one PowerPoint slide to DARPA program managers. 

Wilson said, “They want to see how the applicants think under pressure, how they’re able to react and what they can develop in a short time frame.”

Through feedback at the presentation, Kaajakari learned he would have to build more into his original idea. In doing so, he developed a way to improve the tiny motion detectors.

Wilson said Kaajakari’s development has the potential to increase motion sensors’ performance by 10 times or more.

“When you are able to promise something that improves the current state-of-the-art more than 10 times, with possible applications for airplanes and national defense, [DARPA] gets really interested,” Kaajakari said.

Wilson said, “[Kaajakari’s] receiving this grant pretty much means he’s set for life, professionally. It affirms his position here at Tech, and it means he will be able to get funding for future projects, as needed.”