Security Engineering Minor Program
In line with the mission of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK), a minority-serving institution, is developing a multidisciplinary curriculum within the college of engineering in support of preparing engineering and science students for careers in areas related to our nation’s security. This multidisciplinary minor in Security Engineering offers courses within the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science and will be fostered by research activities relevant to the DHS-STEM area of interest. This minor program is open to all engineering, math, and science students who, are interested in this field. This minor program focuses on an integrated study of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), image processing, data mining, optimization, and information analysis and modeling. These focus areas are being served in operations/areas such as border security, transportation security, computer security, wide-area surveillance, wildfire detection and prediction, visual and data analytics, seismic activity data collection, disaster management and hazards, law enforcement data fusion, integrated data processing and analysis, and complex event modeling, simulation and analysis. Strong collaboration with the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), one of DHS Centers of Excellence COEs, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Idaho National Lab (INL), Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) enhances the program through summer research activities and internships.
- Earn a certificate in Security Engineering Field
- Excellent Career Placement Opportunity
- Graduate School Studies
In support of the mission of DHS, the overarching goal of this program is to prepare undergraduate students for the emerging field of engineering (Security Engineering) related to DHS operations. In line with this goal, the objectives of the program are:
● Develop a multidisciplinary undergraduate minor program and certificate program in engineering focusing on Security Engineering.
● Collaborate with the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP), one of DHS’s Centers of Excellence, to promote DHS-related research for undergraduate students.
● Equip students, who will be issued a certificate in Security Engineering, with technical knowledge and experience in the areas of DHS-related operations.
● Recruit minority undergraduate students into the Security Engineering minor.
● Closely collaborate with DHS Training Centers, Coast Guard, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as commercial companies who work on DHS related technology and systems such as Boeing, Raytheon, etc. to meet the needs of the technical workforce, in addition, to continuously improving program outcomes and providing internship and student career placement.
● Developing a multi-domain real-time simulation system for analyzing and optimizing homeland security-related events using information generated from image and data mining.
● Develop techniques to enhance the images for feature extraction and image data mining.
To increase students’ knowledge and improve hands-on skills and prepare them for the professional work environment as well as for graduate studies, teaching activities will be fostered with research activities for undergraduate students. Moreover, each new course will have a research or project component. Topics will be developed in coordination with the DHS Center for Border Security and Immigration at UTEP. Some examples as outlined below.
a.) UAV assembly and operations for wide-area surveillance (Dr. Selahattin Ozcelik, ME)
Motivation: UAVs have proven remarkably useful in the skies since they have been used for various military operations and are being used by CBP’s Office of Air and Marine for border surveillance and reconnaissance. Increasingly, DHS has explored the use of UAVs in support of the U.S. Border Patrol’s mission to augment its agents’ ability to patrol the border. Apparently, UAVs are becoming an integral part of DHS in border security as well as for purposes of surveillance and reconnaissance during natural disasters. Therefore, this project aims to give hands-on experience to students in the fundamentals of flying mini aircraft equipped with a vision system.
Project Description: The project will involve the operation of a small-scale remotely controlled aircraft for surveillance and image capturing tasks. The project will involve the assembly of some equipment, design, and development of necessary interfacing for communication between the airplane and ground station, and collection of video recordings and images and analyze them for the given tasks of the project.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities: Students in teams will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience on simple UAVs. Multidisciplinary teams formed by students from different engineering and science majors will learn major components of UAVs, investigate how to control a UAV and how to design communication and vision systems. They will also investigate image capturing techniques.
b.) Image Enhancement Techniques with Spatial Domain Filters/ Edge Detection for Homeland Security Applications (Dr. Nuri Yilmazer, EE)
Motivation: The images taken from the UAV cameras contain some undesired effects such as noise, EM interference, and degradations effects. These unwanted effects can be minimized by applying some pre-processing and filtering techniques as well as restoration techniques. The images usually contain Gaussian, impulse noise as well as periodic noise usually arises during the image acquisition from electrical or electromechanical interference which is spatially dependent noise. There are signal processing techniques that can be used for restoring the degradations in the images. The objective of this work is to reduce noise in UAV images.
Project Description: In this project, spatial filtering techniques will be investigated to enhance the images. The students will investigate some spatial filtering techniques such as mean filters, order-statistic filters, and adaptive filters for noise reduction in images. Sharpening spatial filters known as Laplacian and Gradient filters will be employed as well as some intensity transformations such as log, power-law transformations, histogram equalization, and matching techniques to enhance the images.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities: Students will participate in developing image processing techniques to enhance the images. They will conduct the simulations by using MATLAB programming. The students will learn the spatial filtering techniques and edge and line detection techniques which are widely used in the image processing field. They will gain a great in-depth of different types of filters and compare the performances of each one of them.
Motivation: Operations research (OR) has had a long and distinguished history of work in homeland security applications. OR models and algorithms have been developed and used in airline security, transportation of hazardous materials, emergency preparedness and response, and threat analysis. However, papers on border security are just beginning to appear recently.
Project Description: Most of current border security research is using fingerprint images to detect the entry of criminals, suspected terrorists, and illegal immigrants. In this proposal, we propose to use UAVs to catch images, and then use image data mining to identify the patterns of suspected illegal behaviors and individuals. After that, optimization and decision-making models will be used to schedule the border’s control inspection activities and locations. A multi-objective optimization and decision-making support model will be developed to minimize the illegal entry to the states and threat risk using the available resources.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities: Students will participate in developing the decision-making support system. They will conduct the simulations by using SOLVER and MATLAB programming. The students will learn and use the different approaches and tools to solve multi-objective optimization problems.
d.) Data Processing and Mining (Dr. Mais Nijim, CS)
Motivation: Data mining is becoming one of the fastest-growing technologies as the need is becoming more to find the important information and features from the captured data. As it is well known, not all data captured is important and related to the problem. This is the case especially, in video and image capturing for purposes of surveillance and monitoring, in which data is collected on a regular basis and analyzed for later use. There is a need to identify and develop algorithms to classify and find the related data. There are some image processing techniques and data mining algorithms that could be used for the purpose of classifying images into clusters for analysis and usage. The major objective of this work is to come out with the best image mining approach that effectively classifies images and model them for real-time usage.
Project Description: The process of capturing images for monitoring and remote sensing is becoming very important. There are several mining algorithms that could be used and developed to extract patterns and behaviors from these images. In this project, we will focus on several feature extraction techniques along with image processing and analysis algorithms and several prediction schemes. There are several advantages to using data and image mining to extract patterns and features from the captured images. Several preprocessing, processing, and post-processing image mining algorithms will be developed. These algorithms will find the patterns and cluster the features together while storing them so that it is easier to extract features and help semi-automating the whole process from capturing to storing.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities: Students will participate in developing image and data mining techniques that will help in the image mining algorithms. Students will be able to learn the current related theoretical algorithms and conduct simulations. They will learn feature extractions and predictions that could be used in other computer science or engineering-related fields. This will broaden the knowledge of the students in real-life applications and help them develop their skills for practical problems that face them as they use and collect information for their personal and professional use as they graduate.
e.) Information Analysis and Modeling (Dr. Hua Li, IE)
Motivation: Improved analysis and decision-making tools are part of the representative technology needs. The effort is needed to research ways to fully integrate multiple domains, including technology, managerial, policy, organizational, political, and contextual, to enhance decision making. The man-made events are stochastic and hard to control because almost every single event is unique and represents its own specific situation. Meanwhile, it is not feasible to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of different response policies using actual, real homeland security events which have great impacts on national security. The major objective of this work is to improve the efficiency and accuracy of information analysis and modeling related to homeland security.Basic.net to conduct information analysis and modeling. They will also collect necessary information and data from various national databases, such as the global terrorism database. By participating in this project, students can improve their simulation and modeling skills and increase their awareness of homeland security-related issues.
Project Description: Simulation-based optimization (so-called simulation optimization) has become an active research area in homeland security. Many simulation optimization techniques have been developed, e.g., scatter search and surrogate search, but few place emphasis on the evolutionary perspective of decision making for dynamic systems. Furthermore, a substantial number of simulation evaluations are normally required to obtain a satisfactory solution. This has not been feasible in real-time decision-making cases where large-scale, expensive simulations are involved. This proposed research project will develop efficient simulation optimization algorithms to assist in making high-quality, timely decisions and managing online systems. The algorithms will utilize analytical formulations and offline experimental results to guide the online search and provide near-optimal solutions quickly. The methodology will have many potential applications for the limited homeland security resource decision-making problems.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities: Students will participate in developing and optimizing the simulation algorithms. They will learn and use Arena and Visual Basic.net to conduct information analysis and modeling. They will also collect necessary information and data from various national databases, such as the global terrorism database. By participating in this project, students can improve their simulation and modeling skills and increase their awareness of homeland security-related issues.
The project is expected to result in the following significant outcomes:
● A lasting change on the engineering discipline at TAMUK by establishing a Minor/Certificate program in Security Engineering.
● Attracting more Hispanics students to the minor in Security Engineering program. Since TAMUK is a Hispanic Serving Institution and the South Texas area is predominantly Hispanic, this project will also have a lasting impact for underrepresented students.
● Undergraduate students with different backgrounds will graduate from this minor program due to the multidisciplinary nature of the program integrated with research opportunities at UTEP.
● More engineering students of Hispanic descent will be graduating with technical knowledge and experience on Security Engineering.
● Through internships, summer research, and visits with CBP Air and Marine Operating Locations, Coast Guard, UTEP, and FEMA, better hands-on skills will be attained by students.
● Enhanced career placement opportunities in security engineering for minority students through internships/summer research at UTEP, national labs, DHS centers, and related industries.
● Initiation, fostering and development of young investigators faculty research collaborations DHS COEs as well as DHS operations sites.
● Improved faculty teaching effectiveness through the preparation of the fundamental security engineering course materials, interacting with students during lectures, and by exchanging educational and scientific ideas and approaches with DHS COE at UTEP.
This program has four main components:
- Curriculum development in support of DHS-STEM disciplines,
- Scholarships, training, and research experiences for undergraduate students,
- Research support and enhanced research collaboration for the young investigators,
- Internships and Career Placement Support for undergraduate students.
Table 1. Security Engineering Elective Courses
Course # |
Course Name |
Semester Offered |
Instructor |
MEEN 4371 |
Intro. to UAV |
Every Spring, starting Spring 2013 |
Dr. Selahattin Ozcelik |
EEEN 4357 |
Wireless Sensor Networks |
Every Fall, starting Fall 2012 |
Dr. Nuri Yilmazer |
MEEN 4372 |
Resource Optimization for Security |
Every Spring, starting Spring 2013 |
Dr. Kai Jin |
CSEN 4367 |
Data Mining |
Every Spring starting Spring 2013 |
Dr. Mais Nijim |
MEEN 4373 |
Intro. to Information Analysis and Modeling in Security Engineering |
Every Fall, starting Fall 2012 |
Dr. Li |
2.1. Curriculum Development for a Minor in Security Engineering - Five new undergraduate courses in Table 1 will be developed in addition to selected nine core curriculum courses offered by the departments of Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science to establish a minor program in Security Engineering. These courses will be introduced in the current undergraduate curriculum of Mechanical Engineering (MEEN), Electrical Engineering (EEEN), and Computer Science (CSEN) programs. The new courses to be developed will address:
- Mechanical and electronic components of UAVs from a system point of view, and operation and utilization of such systems for CBP, Coast Guard, and FEMA operations.
- Principles of WSN systems and their deployment and operations for terrestrial, and/or underwater monitoring activities.
- Fundamental techniques and approaches for digital image processing and data mining techniques for extracting useful patterns from
large amounts of data taken from different sources including UAV cameras and WSN sensors. - Optimization models and algorithms to solve the operation research problems in security control in order to get the best allocation of technical and human resources, and optimized Screening, Scanning, and Inspection Processes.
- Methods and tools used in information analysis and modeling to homeland security, and skills in simulating homeland security systems using the advanced features in Arena, Visual Basic.net, and other software.
These courses are designed carefully taking into account different backgrounds of students from different majors and will require senior standing as a
Table 2. Curriculum for Minor in Security Engineering
Security Engineering Minor Program Curriculum |
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Core Curriculum Courses from each Major |
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Mechanical Engineering |
Electrical Engineering |
Computer Science |
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Elective Courses for the Minor Program (Program students must take at least 3 of the following 5 courses) |
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Attendance is required by all program students. Non-credit. |
The curriculum for minor in Security Engineering is given in Table 2. In order to complete the minor degree in Security Engineering, the
Description of Courses:
MEEN 4371 - Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
DHS and its two subordinate organizations; Coast Guard and FEMA can significantly benefit from the use of UAVs in its operations. In fact, DHS has recently started the use of UAVs for U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations along the
UAVs have several advantages over manned
EEEN 4357 - Wireless Sensor Networks -
WSN can be used to monitor the activities at the borders and is becoming a crucial technology for homeland security. The WSN is an emerging technology that has been used in a wide range of applications such as habitat monitoring, early forest fire detection, environmental health monitoring, just a few to name. WSN is composed of several tiny spatially scattered sensors where that are capable of measuring physical attributes such as sound, heat,
MEEN 4372 - Resource Optimization for Homeland Security -
This course will introduce students to the basic operation research problems in homeland security control, such as resource optimization, airport security, and patrol
CSEN 4367 - Data Mining -
Due to innovations in technology and the availability of increasingly cheap storage devices, data in different domains
MEEN 4373 - Introduction to Information Analysis and Modeling in Security Engineering
This course will present the fundamental methods and tools used for information analysis and modeling related to homeland security. It will also introduce engineering and technical challenges of homeland security, including modeling and analysis, technological issues, command, control & situational awareness, and data integration requirements. The course is to familiarize the students with the simulation of discrete, continuous, and dynamic systems. Different scenarios in homeland security will be discussed and simulated using data from various national databases, such as the global terrorism database. The course enables the students to develop the skills and experience in simulating homeland security systems using the advanced features in Arena, Visual Basic.net, and other software. Particular attention will be focused on agent-based discrete event modeling methods. Using the knowledge from this course, the students are expected to be ready to join some ongoing DHS research projects, such as Complex Event Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis (CEMSA) Project.