The Daily Cougar

Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Diego Almazan/The Daily Cougar First year computer science doctorate student Kostas Kazakos and second year computer science doctorate student Yuichi Fujiki developed Neat-O-Games, a video game designed to target obesity and promote physical activity.

From boot camp to the battlefield, UH researchers are finding ways to better the lives of U.S. troops at the second annual U.S. Department of Defense conference.

Hosted by the University and the Houston Corps of Cadets, the conference was founded by Army Lt. Col. Anthony Landry and Air Force Col. Philip Bossert to showcase military technological breakthroughs in different University departments, such as mechanical engineering and computer science.

Approximately 13 other areas of departmental research were presented, including areas of space, information operations and data mining.

"The research is aimed at the Department of Defense," Army Lt. Col. Wendell Harris said. "The current research is displayed to see how it may have application to the military."

Research conducted for the Department of Defense comes from various research institutions across the country that are seeking to collaborate with missions executed by the Pentagon.

Department of Defense personnel met and greeted researchers to learn more about their ideas and breakthroughs, and viewed current technology projects to help with ongoing and future missions.

"Armed with state-of-the-art technologies, UH researchers are proactively pursuing new means to improve the lives of American troops," Vice President for Research Donald L. Birx said in a news release.

The two-day conference is in the UH Hilton and will continue today.

Today's agenda includes presentations on how to deal with issues affecting military personnel, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, communication systems and imaging.

"(The conference) was pretty good and they did a good job talking about several issues," Lt. Col. Harris said. "If you were to take a poll on the performance of the conference, good things will be said."

Among the exhibited displays was Neat-O-Games, a video game designed by computer science doctoral students where users earn points by promoting more physical interaction. The project is meant to target obesity and encourage a healthier lifestyle.

A reconnaissance robot model, called the Data Acquisition Drone, was another research project on display, created by computer science seniors Michael Alegre, Robie Calong, Juan Hernandez and Dragan Siljegociv.

Military and non-military guests familiarized themselves with the wide range of current research being conducted at the University and networked with researchers.

"When you talk about research opportunities, professors get excited," Col. Bossert said in September. "We are trying to give back to the University because they have been so kind to us."

The event is free for UH faculty, staff and ROTC students. Anyone interested in attending can register at 8 a.m., with a registration fee of $130.

news@thedailycougar.com

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