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Marquis Scholar Mark Kolba ’03 (Chelmsford, Mass.) presented a research paper on landmine detection at the AeroSense Symposium held by the International Society for Optical Engineering last month in Orlando, Fla. Attended by leaders in demining and other fields, the conference dealt with technologies and systems for defense and security.
An electrical and computer engineering major, Kolba will continue his research on land mine detection and remediation as he begins Ph.D. studies at Duke University this fall.
He worked on the problem this year as part of a year-long honors thesis under the guidance of Ismail Jouny, associate professor and head of electrical and computer engineering, who co-wrote the research paper.
Kolba developed a statistical algorithm that processes a ground-penetrating radar image to determine whether it is from a buried land mine or a “clutter object” such as a brick, metallic sphere, or stone. It could significantly increase the area covered over a given period by those searching for mines.
“Through his attendance at the conference, Mark was able to gain invaluable engineering experience, both through presenting his own research to others and attentively watching and learning from presentations by technological leaders in the field of humanitarian demining,” notes Jouny.
“An estimated 100 million land mines lie uncleared in fields around the world,” says Kolba. “These mines kill or injure more than 20,000 civilians each year. The process of clearing the mines is painfully slow. For each mine detected, there are often 1,000 other non-mine objects detected.”
“Ground-penetrating radar takes a picture below the surface of the earth by shooting energy into the ground and measuring the energy that comes back,” he explains. The technology serves as a window to the future of demining but must be refined.
Kolba says that he has been “blessed” to work with Jouny. “Professor Jouny is extremely knowledgeable about signal and image processing, and his expertise has played a central role in this work. My thesis has pressing relevance in the real world, and that makes my work even more satisfying.”
Jouny has published numerous articles in academic publications, many co-authored with Lafayette students. He has served as a summer faculty fellow at the U.S. Naval Air Base in Patuxent River, Md., and Naval Underwater Warfare Center in Newport, R.I. Jouny also has a U.S. patent pending, has served as a consultant in industry, and has been listed in Who’s Who in Science & Technology.
Last spring, Ashley Wesmiller ’03, an electrical and computer engineering major from Pittsburgh, Pa., scanned images of land mines and other objects and wrote computer codes to differentiate between the images (see related story). Her work laid the foundation for Kolba’s research. Wesmiller collaborated with Jouny through Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, in which students work with faculty on research while earning a stipend. About 180 students participate each year, many going on to present their research in journal articles and/or at conferences.
As a benefit of being a participant in Lafayette’s Marquis Scholars program, Kolba traveled to Ireland to take a class called The Land and Landscape of Ireland free of charge. Selected from Lafayette’s most promising applicants, Marquis Scholars receive special financial aid and additional benefits, including distinctive educational experiences, cultural activities in major U.S. and Canadian cities, and mentoring programs with faculty. Kolba also received the Eugene P. Chase Phi Beta Kappa prize, awarded to students who have demonstrated scholarship as a first-year student. He competes in intramural basketball.