FY21 Modeling and Simulation Program

Absolute Priority 2 – Establishing Grants

P116S210002 – Savannah State University, SC

Project Title: Creating Access to Modeling and Simulation Education for Minorities and 

Women

Abstract:

The primary goal of this proposal is to design and implement a modeling and simulation degree 

track in its CST degree program for students who wish to concentrate and develop strong skills 

in modeling and simulation for various applications which falls under Absolute Priority 2 

(Establishing Modeling and Simulation Programs). The project will also provide modeling and 

simulation courses for non-STEM majors who wish to apply modeling and simulation 

knowledge in their respective fields. Minority and women students majoring in engineering, 

economics, management, living systems, biomedical engineering, ecology, environment, and 

other STEM students will have the opportunity to obtain a certificate, or minor in Modeling and 

Simulation. 

Modeling and Simulation (M&S) is the science composed by the theoretical-computational 

framework devoted to the use of models to characterize, describe, predict, mimic, replicate a 

system, phenomenon, or process. M&S can even become a tool that more realistically forecasts a 

prediction compared to a traditional experiment, while M&S allows the free roaming of input 

environmental variables of the physical phenomenon beyond the constraints of the experimental 

model. In some cases, even providing the real experiment is impossible or not feasible, and 

therefore M&S acquires immense importance. Including underrepresented minorities and women 

in the pool of experts will greatly improve our chances of winning the battle for better modelling 

the real world. This application is to request funding for Savannah State University (SSU) to 

contribute to the effort by producing such vitally needed minority and women scientists. SSU 

will support 25% matching cost with the committed effort of the PD, CO-PD, and other senior 

personnel, and also with the computational resources of 4 computer labs already in place, 

housing 20 computers each plus simulation software licenses (Bentley Suite, Matlab etc.). Each 

year two faculty members of SSU will attend three annual task force meetings to be held in 

Washington, DC. Instructional materials will be prepared in an audio format to ensure that 

instructional materials are available for all individual with any type of disability, and with the 

help from office of the Disability Resource Center of SSU equal access will be ensured for 

students with any type of disabilities. New equipment will be purchased for students having 

disabilities. Project activities will expand access to modeling and simulation /computer science 

education for minorities and women. 

The intellectual merit of the proposed project lies in the academic courses that will be developed 

and delivered, and in the variety and quality of knowledge and skills that the beneficiary students 

will gain. The degree program (Modeling and Simulation track) will focus mostly on computer 

simulation but will include other courses that will give the students a balanced understanding of 

the topic. Students will learn about the discrete nature of computation and possible errors. They 

will learn about different M&S methods and can recommend appropriate solutions. They will 

understand the difference between exploration and optimization applications. Students will know 
the difference between credibility, resolution, and fidelity and knows how they relate to 

validation and verification. The project will produce a degree program qualified to seek National 

Center for Simulation (NCS), and National Training & Simulation Association (NTSA) 

certifications. 

Graduates of these programs will learn the programming languages, software, and mathematics 

required for developing simulation model for different applications. Furthermore, M&S has the 

power to facilitate the understanding of a phenomenon without the need to physically mount and 

test it a priori, which translates into considerable savings in time and money. Therefore, there is a 

need for modeling and simulation literacy among the citizenry to develop better model of the real 

world. Accordingly, expected outcomes and broader impacts of the proposed project would be 

(a) establish a modeling and simulation program that ensures accessibility for students with 

disabilities; (b) design and implement a modeling and simulation degree track in its CST degree 

program and increase the number of minorities and women graduates in the United States that 

understand the methods and algorithms for design, validation, verification, and solution; (c) an 

increase in the number of minorities and women professionals in our country who can perform 

simulation of real environments and systems for high-performance computing, parallel 

computing, distributed computing and/or computer networks that can be presented and published 

at MSP taskforce meeting in Washington DC and other conferences and journals; (d) an increase 

in the number of minorities and women professionals who can develop tool that more 

realistically forecasts a prediction compared to a traditional experiment; and (e) increase in 

modeling and simulation literacy in the society at-large. Furthermore, since Savannah State 

University would be one of the few that offers a degree program in modeling and simulation, this 

project will contribute immensely to the diversification of the nation’s modeling and simulation 

workforce.

P116S210004 - The University of Texas at El Paso

Project Title: A Developing Modeling and Simulation based Engineering Learning 

Environment for Capacity Transformation (M-SELECT) in Higher Education 

Abstract:

In today’s tech-savvy industries, the nature of work is changing due to technological advances 

and rapidly evolving supply chains and customer needs. Employers, nowadays, expect their 

workforce to have skills and competencies with state-of-the-art technologies. Obviously, the 

future generation needs be smarter, more innovative, technologically sound, and efficient to cope 

with an entirely new environment of industries. One specific requirement imposed by today’s 

industries is knowledge and skillsets in computer modeling and simulation (M&S). 

M&S is being increasingly used in many industries to understand the root cause of product 

deviations, to reduce scrap rates and tackle quality issues, while making sure the machines are 

utilized at full potential, and to increase overall operational excellence. In response to these 

needs, the Department of Industrial Manufacturing and Systems Engineering (IMSE) at The 

University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in collaboration with Mathematical Science (MS) and 

Educational Leadership and Foundation (EDLF) Departments, wants to leverage the funding 

opportunity solicited by Modeling and Simulation Program (MSP) from the Department of 

Education (DoEd) to develop a new concentration in Systems Modeling and Simulation (SMS). 
To attain the goal, this project has identified four key activities: 1) adjusting the existing 

curriculum of the IMSE Department and developing a program plan to establish the SMS 

concentration. Under this activity, the project PD and Co-PDs will restructure two existing 

courses aligning them with the modeling and simulation program. The project also plans to 

develop two new courses on augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) based simulation 

and Machine Learning (ML) for Systems Emulation; 2) developing a Systems Innovation 

Modeling and Simulations (SIMS) laboratory to stimulate students’ interest in hands-on skillset 

development in this field of study and to add innovation to M&S research-based projects; 3) 

applying appropriate teaching and learning pedagogy to integrate the newly developed course 

and lab activities into the existing curricula; and 4) student centering towards the SMS 

concentration through constructive practices such as enhancing student career pathway support 

systems, arranging a technical leadership workshop series and symposia during the award years.

Pursuing an academic degree with SMS concentration will bring three-fold benefits to the 

students. First, the students having a concertation in modeling and simulation will be able to 

demonstrate specialized academic achievement, intellectual leadership abilities, and research 

competence in this field of study. Second, students will gain expertise to contribute to innovation 

and development of relevant knowledge and practices. As a matter of fact, industries are always 

facing new kinds of challenges and problems such as constantly changing customers’ demand 

and preference. These challenges cannot be addressed using traditional knowledge. Here, having 

a special concentration can play a critical role by helping the industries develop a solution 

approach. Finally, having a graduate degree with SMS concentration will unlock many career 

opportunities in the industry, federal and state governments, and their partners in defense and 

healthcare. In addition, the successful completion of this project will enhance the institutional 

capacity in academic advancement and knowledge discovery in state-of-the-art technology.