Ayanna Howard has been appointed as a member of the 2014-2015 Defense Science Study Group (DSSG), a program directed by the Institute for Defense Analyses and sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Dr. Howard becomes the seventh faculty member from Georgia Tech, and the second from the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), to participate in this elite initiative.

The DSSG introduces outstanding science and engineering professors to the United States’ security challenges, and it encourages them to apply their talents to these issues either as government advisors or in their own research. This small and select group of individuals was chosen from nominations made by senior academic officials; DSSG alumni, mentors, and advisors; and other officials from various government agencies to take part in the DSSG.

During the two-year program, participants will focus on defense policy, related research and development, and the systems, missions, and operations of the armed forces. They will interact with top-level officials from the Departments of Defense and Energy, various intelligence agencies, and Congress, and they will visit U.S. military bases, defense labs, and related industrial facilities to gain further insight into research, development, and manufacturing technologies.

Dr. Howard is the Motorola Foundation Professor in the School of ECE, where she is the director of the Human-Automation Systems Laboratory. She and her research team work in projects ranging from rover navigation in glacial and other extreme environments, assistive/rehabilitation robotics, and human-robot interaction. Dr. Howard has received numerous honors during her career, including most recently the Janice A. Lumpkin Educator of the Year Award, given by the National Society of Black Engineers, and the Georgia Tech Class of 1934 Outstanding Interdisciplinary Activities Award.