{"670493":{"#nid":"670493","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Learning Never Stops for Alan Nussbaum ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EAs GTRI Principal Research Engineer Alan Nussbaum can tell you, the value of an education never gets old.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt 72 years old, Nussbaum recently earned his Ph.D. from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in computer science with a minor in electrical engineering. Although the degree took him 11 years to complete, Nussbaum said the concepts he learned and the lifelong relationships he formed made it all worth it.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EClose to half of all doctoral recipients in the U.S. are 26 to 30 years old, while just 7% are over 45, according to recent data from the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ncses.nsf.gov\/pubs\/nsf23300\/data-tables\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENational Science Foundation\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. But it can be beneficial taking on the Ph.D. later in life.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGetting a Ph.D. was hard,\u201d Nussbaum said. \u201cBut I\u2019m glad I did it at this stage in my life because I was able to apply more life experiences to my coursework and research, which was rewarding.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENussbaum\u2019s Ph.D. research focused on improving signal processing to provide better information to radar systems about sudden changes in a target\u2019s velocity and acceleration. To do this, Nussbaum used a specific algorithm known as an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm, which can calculate unknown variables, such as velocity and acceleration, with exceptional accuracy, and is also a scalable and cost-effective solution for radar signal processing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is a new way of doing signal processing in real time to achieve higher fidelity tracking results,\u201d Nussbaum said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENussbaum has had an extensive career in the defense space, including working for Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Technologies as a technical software manager before joining GTRI\u2019s Sensors and Electromagnetic Applications (SEAL) Laboratory in 2010. Nussbaum has had the goal of earning a Ph.D. since 1981, when he earned a master\u2019s degree in computer science, but was working for Northrop Grumman outside of Boston at the time, and was unable to take time out of the workday to travel into the city to attend school.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENussbaum chose to work for GTRI because it gave him the flexibility to be more creative with the research he performed for sponsors and its commitment to advanced education meant he wouldn\u2019t have to put his career on hold to go back to school. \u0022Working at GTRI made getting my Ph.D., which would have been very difficult anywhere else, manageable,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a Ph.D. student, Nussbaum sought to balance the demands of work, school, and family by taking as many early-morning classes as possible, and then after work, he would spend nights attending any remaining classes or doing coursework.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI had to learn to super-organize my time and keep both school and work moving in the right direction,\u201d Nussbaum said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENussbaum most enjoyed learning about several advanced computer science concepts throughout the program, which were a nice complement to the radar research he was performing at GTRI, but said taking tests could be challenging at times.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI understood my course materials but being older than 65 years old, and my work responsibilities, affected my memory,\u201d he added.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENussbaum also enjoyed building relationships with the other students in his program and his advisor, Kishore Ramachandran, a professor in the College of Computing and School of Computer Science.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERamachandran, who has expertise in distributed and real-time computing systems, described Nussbaum as an accomplished yet humble individual who brought an impressive amount of industry knowledge and experience to the program.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt was such a joy working with Alan,\u201d Ramachandran said. \u201cBecause of his seniority and background, he became an integral part of my research group. At the same time, he was not the type to brag about all of his accomplishments, but was eager to learn from the other students who were considerably younger than him.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGTRI Principal Research Engineers Dale Blair and Byron Keel also played a key role in supporting Nussbaum during his Ph.D. journey. Blair served as Nussbaum\u0027s co-advisor and supported the target tracking aspects of his research while Keel supported the signal processing portions of the research. \u003Cspan\u003ETheir knowledge and algorithm verification, combined with Nussbaum\u0027s software engineering experience, ensured the achievement of all the research\u2019s functional and real-time performance goals.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERight now, Nussbaum, who is based in Lexington, Massachusetts, and works out of GTRI\u2019s New England Field Office, said he is enjoying spending time with family, including his four grandchildren. Looking ahead, he plans to continue growing his division at GTRI and utilizing his research on future radar applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENussbaum said he is grateful for the professional and personal support he received throughout his Ph.D. journey. To anyone who might also be considering taking a professional or personal leap of faith, Nussbaum said the path might not always be linear or easy, but it will almost always be worth it.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf you are willing to maintain the commitment for many years and understand the required process, the feeling is very good when you are completed,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWriter: \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:anna.akins@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAnna Akins\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(anna.akins@gtri.gatech.edu)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGTRI Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Tech Research Institute\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia USA\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI)\u003C\/a\u003E is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech).\u202fFounded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $940 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry.\u202fGTRI\u0027s renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EClose to half of all doctoral recipients in the U.S. are 26 to 30 years old, while just 7% are over 45, according to recent data from the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ncses.nsf.gov\/pubs\/nsf23300\/data-tables\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ENational Science Foundation\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. But it can be beneficial taking on the Ph.D. later in life.\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAs GTRI Principal Research Engineer Alan Nussbaum can tell you, the value of an education never gets old\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EAt 72 years old, Nussbaum recently earned his Ph.D. from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in computer science with a minor in electrical engineering. Although the degree took him 11 years to complete, Nussbaum said the concepts he learned and the lifelong relationships he formed made it all worth it.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"As GTRI Principal Research Engineer Alan Nussbaum can tell you, the value of an education never gets old. At 72 years old, Nussbaum recently earned his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech in computer science with a minor in electrical engineering. "}],"uid":"35832","created_gmt":"2023-10-18 15:32:56","changed_gmt":"2023-10-18 15:37:46","author":"Michelle Gowdy","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-10-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-10-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"672079":{"id":"672079","type":"image","title":"GTRI Team with GTRI\u0027s Angry Kitten\u00ae electronic attack system","body":"\u003Cp\u003ENussbaum and members of his software division pictured with GTRI\u0027s Angry Kitten\u00ae electronic attack system that they developed. Angry Kitten\u00ae was first developed in 2013 and utilizes advanced sensing and attack techniques to combat the most modern sensor systems. Several versions of the Angry Kitten\u00ae technology are utilized across the DoD (Photo Credit: Sean McNeil, GTRI).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1697642947","gmt_created":"2023-10-18 15:29:07","changed":"1697643024","gmt_changed":"2023-10-18 15:30:24","alt":"GTRI Team with GTRI\u0027s Angry Kitten\u00ae electronic attack system","file":{"fid":"255263","name":"Alan-Nussbaum_feature_class.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/10\/18\/Alan-Nussbaum_feature_class.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/10\/18\/Alan-Nussbaum_feature_class.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1463781,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/10\/18\/Alan-Nussbaum_feature_class.jpg?itok=cEq-CWuE"}},"672078":{"id":"672078","type":"image","title":"GTRI Researcher Alan Nussbaum","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAlan Nussbaum (left) with his Ph.D. advisor, Kishore Ramachandran (right), a professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s College of Computing and School of Computer Science. They are pictured in the courtyard of the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. (Photo by Sean McNeil)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1697642741","gmt_created":"2023-10-18 15:25:41","changed":"1697642865","gmt_changed":"2023-10-18 15:27:45","alt":"GTRI Researcher Alan Nussbaum","file":{"fid":"255262","name":"Alan Nussbaum_Feature_GT Campus02.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/10\/18\/Alan%20Nussbaum_Feature_GT%20Campus02.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/10\/18\/Alan%20Nussbaum_Feature_GT%20Campus02.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2125464,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/10\/18\/Alan%20Nussbaum_Feature_GT%20Campus02.jpg?itok=EFc-kUNc"}}},"media_ids":["672079","672078"],"groups":[{"id":"1276","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"416","name":"GTRI"},{"id":"365","name":"Research"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"166902","name":"science and technology"},{"id":"341","name":"innovation"},{"id":"654","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"169432","name":"signal processing"},{"id":"193186","name":"Alan Nussbaum"},{"id":"1051","name":"Computer Science"},{"id":"192133","name":"developing technology leaders"},{"id":"193187","name":"advanced education"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E(Interim) Director of Communications\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMichelle Gowdy\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMichelle.Gowdy@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E404-407-8060\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["michelle.gowdy@gtri.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}