ElectroScience Laboratory

The ESL staff had a great time at the College Staff Appreciation Luncheon last week. 3 staff members, Spencer Smith, Chris Ball and Cindy Garman, got recognized for their years of service and dedication to the university! 🎊

Plus, there was a team picture with Brutus! 🌰

Advance your expertise with the annual ElectroScience Laboratory Short Courses!

Registration is now open for 2026 courses covering in-demand topics such as:

- Quantum information science and engineering
- Digital integrated circuit design
- High-speed wireline transceivers
- Computational electromagnetics
- Remote sensing
- Semiconductor lasers and devices
- Mixed-signal systems-on-chip
- Nonlinear device and circuit characterization

Learn from leading faculty and researchers while gaining practical insights🛰️📡

Explore the full lineup and register:

ESL Short Courses Small group learning experience with renowned experts

Congratulations to PhD student Samer Hayek on being awarded the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society (AESS) Engineering Scholarship! 🎉

A member of the ASPIN Laboratory, Samer’s research spans navigation, low Earth orbit satellites, sensor fusion, and autonomous systems, advancing the field of positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). This prestigious scholarship recognizes his outstanding contributions and leadership in engineering research.

Samer Hayek awarded the IEEE AESS Scholarship PhD student receives scholarship for work in navigation

Congratulations to Professor Fernando Teixeira for being honored with the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society's 2026 Chen-To Tai Distinguished Educator Award! 👏👏

He was recognized for his outstanding career achievements in antennas and propagation and inspiring future careers in electromagnetics through exemplary contributions as an educator, researcher and mentor.

Teixeira honored with IEEE Distinguished Educator Award Award recognizes outstanding career achievements in antennas and propagation by educators.

Yesterday was World Quantum Day, and the Columbus Dispatch highlighted how Ohio State is advancing quantum research, including work being done by Professor Ron Reano. ⚛️

Reano's recent work includes the first quantum key distribution link demonstrated on at ESL using in-ground optical fiber to create ultra-secure communications pathways. Researchers are also working on Ohio's first intercity quantum-secure network between Columbus and Dayton, a project that could have major implications for protecting financial systems, healthcare networks and public infrastructure.

🔗 Read more:

How Columbus is leading the way on World Quantum Day World Quantum Day spotlights the future of computing, and Ohio State is helping make Columbus a leader in quantum research, security and jobs.

Congratulations to Professor Zak Kassas, Ph.D. and former graduate students Will Barrett and Sharbel Kozhaya on winning the IEEE Communications Society Fred W. Ellersick Prize for Best Paper at the IEEE Military Communications Conference. 🎉

Their groundbreaking work demonstrates how Starlink and OneWeb low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites can be used to navigate reliably in the Arctic, a region where traditional GPS can fall short—boosting accuracy from over a kilometer to just 27 meters. This research has major implications for resilient positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) in challenging environments and for national security.

🔗 Read more:

Kassas and students Barrett and Kozhaya win IEEE Communications Society Fred W. Ellersick Prize Award recognizes excellence in paper submission

Congratulations to Professor Asimina Kiourti on earning a university Accelerator Grant! 👏

Her project proposes integrating sophisticated AI with a novel wearable magnetocardiography (MCG) sensor to empower the first-ever objective quantification of cognitive workload. This breakthrough is critical for managing pediatric concussion, establishing a new paradigm in AI-driven recovery monitoring.

Engineering researchers earn university Accelerator Grants Eight engineering-led teams earned funding in 2025

🌊❄️ New Microwave Approach Could Transform Polar Observations

A new review led by Ohio State researchers Ken Jezek of Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center and ESL Professor Joel Johnson highlights how wideband microwave radiometry could dramatically advance our understanding of sea ice, ocean salinity,and ice‑sheet temperatures. Their work shows that lower‑frequency, wider‑band sensors can probe far deeper into ice and ocean systems than current L‑band missions allow, boosting our ability to monitor polar change and critical subsurface processes.

Supported in part by NASA’s Instrument Incubator Program, this research demonstrates how technologies like CryoRad may help unlock new, more sensitive observations of the cryosphere, enhancing global climate models and informing future satellite missions.

Read more:

CryoRad from sea ice to ocean salinity, a new microwave approach could boost polar observations Research shows using wideband microwave radiometry across lower frequencies to strengthen monitoring in polar regions

Professor Zak Kassas, Ph.D., Sharbel Kozhaya and Joe Saroufim have been recognized with the prestigious The Institute of Navigation Samuel Burka Award for their groundbreaking paper, “Unveiling Starlink for PNT.” 👏👏

Their research presents the most comprehensive analysis to date on harnessing Starlink low Earth orbit satellites for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT). The team successfully unlocked 100% of Starlink’s transmission, revealing that its signal is nearly 1000× more powerful than GPS and significantly more resilient to jamming. This advancement enabled accurate Starlink‑only navigation across ground, air, sea and stratospheric platforms.

Kassas and PhD students Kozhaya and Saroufim receive prestigious ION Samuel Burka Award Award honors best paper published in ION’S journal, NAVIGATION

Research Associate Professor Chi-Chih Chen has made outstanding contributions to advanced antenna development and education throughout his career, as well as pioneering fully polarimetric ground‑penetrating radar technology.

He has received ESL's 2025 George Sinclair Award to recognize all of his outstanding contributions. 👏👏

Chen has led more than 140 research projects totaling over $250 million in research expenditures, published extensively and holds more than 50 patents, while mentoring dozens of graduate students. He has developed innovative antennas, including ultra-wideband dual-polarized feeds, GPS/GNSS antennas, wearable and phased array antennas, low-profile designs, and UWB permittivity probes. He also contributed to automotive radar test standards.

Read more about his extensive research career:

Chi-Chih Chen receives 2025 George Sinclair Award Award recognizes his outstanding contributions to advanced antenna development and education