Polytechnic University of PR and U.S. Air Force Cooperative Research and Development Agreement

• The initiative entails the hiring of five Polytechnic University students upon their graduation, as part of the Air Force (AF) agreement, through the Department of Defense (DoD) Cybersecurity Scholarship Program (CySP).

• The initiative will integrate modern analytical techniques and practices with cloud computing information technology architecture.

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – The Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico (PUPR) and the United States Air Force (USAF) announce a collaborative agreement that seeks to prepare the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) workforce to deal with threats against the Department’s critical information system and networks.

From left to right, standing: PUPR Students: Irving Santana, Rafael Charneco, Andrés Dávila, and Edna Chaar. From left to right, seated: John Matyjas, Chief Scientist, USAF Air Combat Command and Eng. Ernesto Vázquez Martínez, president of Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico.

Before this agreement, the USAF recruited five students from the PUPR-DoD Cybersecurity Scholarship Program (DoD-CySP) to work with the Air Force as soon as they complete their degrees. Of the 5 scholarship recipients, two students are pursuing doctoral degrees in Engineering and Applied Science, and the other three are completing bachelor’s degrees in Computer Engineering.

From left to right, standing: Dr. Carlos González, Dr. Miriam Pabón, Dr. Alfredo Cruz, Cristina Stone, and Gisele Bennett. From left to right, seated: John Matyjas, Chief Scientist, USAF Air Combat Command and Eng. Ernesto Vázquez Martínez, president of Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico.

The initiative’s mission is to integrate modern analytical techniques and practices in cloud computing information technology architecture by combining innovative algorithms with in-depth analysis of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) processes and IT infrastructures.

“This agreement promotes research projects and formalizes cooperation between the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico and the Air Force to provide access to the talent and knowledge of researchers in the faculty and among graduate students who will contribute analysis and impact results in mission critical performance,” said Ernesto Vázquez Martínez, president of the University.

The executive also noted that the agreement gives PUPR the ability to position its students and faculty at the forefront to be included in credential verification processes that allow access to highly confidential resources and thus achieve a direct impact in contributing to the security of the nation.

“Our students will have the ability and opportunity to obtain scholarships and internships in the various organizations of the DoD. They will be supported to obtain clearances that will enable them to create research projects and solutions that have real applicability to our nation’s defense,” Vázquez added.

Also, PUPR faculty with an interest in developing applied research will benefit from resources provided through the agreement. These undertakings will ultimately yield solutions that are focused on contributing to the nation’s defense policies.

From left to right: John Matyjas, Chief Scientist, USAF Air Combat Command and Eng. Ernesto Vázquez Martínez, president of Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico.

As Chief Scientist, USAF Air Combat Command, Dr. John Matyjas noted, “the USAF consistently seeks the best talent in the world to undertake mission-critical work, and we have identified such individuals at PUPR, a testament to the university’s commitment to producing highly qualified professionals. The areas of collaboration contemplated in this agreement include excellence in fields such as data science, pattern recognition, machine learning, high performance computing, cyber science, and data fusion.”

The five PUPR students that the USAF identified to participate in the program are Andrés Dávila and Luis Monroig, both graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and currently working with the Air Force; Edna Chaar and Irving Santana, both currently pursuing PhDs in Computer Engineering and Applied Science in Computer Science; and Rafael Charneco, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. Some of the topics that the students are researching include Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, and IoT Security, among others.

From left to right: John Matyjas, Chief Scientist, USAF Air Combat Command and Eng. Ernesto Vázquez Martínez, president of Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico.

“The subject of cybersecurity is of great interest to me because it plays an increasingly important role in the private and public sectors. It is a career that is in high demand. I am grateful for the financial support I received from the U.S. Air Force; this doctorate has opened the doors for me to carry out research in such a way that I have been able to expand my knowledge not only in the field of cybersecurity but also in other areas of computer engineering and computer science,” said the doctoral student, Edna Chaar.

The collaboration is part of a larger investigative effort to understand how Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) can be applied more effectively in an ISR operational context. The goal is to evaluate the technical and operational capabilities of AI/ML for ISR data under various configurations and information assurance scenarios applicable to the USAF mission.

From left to right, standing: Dr. Carlos González, Dr. Miriam Pabón, Dr. Alfredo Cruz, Cristina Stone, and Gisele Bennett. From left to right, seated: John Matyjas, Chief Scientist, USAF Air Combat Command and Eng. Ernesto Vázquez Martínez, president of Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico.