Summary

About

Goals

• Provide an intellectual base for the C5I area
• Integrate theories and results across disciplines for more understanding at the systems level
• Impact the synthesis and analysis of C5I systems
• Bridge cultural gaps among government, industry and academia in C5I

Strengths

Our center works in a broad spectrum of research interests, such as, sensing and fusion, C4 architectures, communications and signal processing, command support and intelligent systems, modeling and simulation, and information systems.

In addition, the Center’s leading edge work in probabilistic ontologies, information fusion, C2-Simulation interoperation, probabilistic forecasting, applied cybersecurity and cyber policy have established the Center as a significant research contributor in the Intelligence Community.

The Center provides a bridge between Mason faculty expertise and the needs of the Defense and Intelligence communities’ information technology users and research organizations. The Center conducts active outreach programs to government and industry, and is a leading contributor to NATO, AFCEA, STIDS and ICRRTS conferences.

Focus

The C5I Center is focused on achieving effective use of Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Cyber, and Intelligence systems and technologies by United States and allied military.

The Center strives to:

• Conduct a broad spectrum, multi-disciplinary research and development
  program in C5I Cyber
• Develop an intellectual base for C5I Cyber
• Support the Systems Engineering and Operations Research (SEOR) Department in providing a comprehensive C5I curriculum that leads to a certificate in C5I and also a Master of Science with specialization in C5I at George Mason University
• Act as a focus for doctoral research in C5I
• Provide technical support to industry and government in the C5I area
• Bridge the cultural cap between the Volgenau School of Engineering (VSE), other Mason faculty and the elements of the US Department of Defense (DoD) and its
  supporting industries
• Maintain a broad spectrum of research and education across:
  • • Sensing and Fusion – Area Leader: Dr. Paulo Costa
    • Command Support / Information System Architectures – Area Leader: Dr. Ali Raz
    • Modeling and Simulation – Area Leader: Dr. Michael Hieb
    • Education, Training, and Workforce Development – Area Leader: Dr. Peggy Brouse

History

The Center of Excellence in Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Intelligence and Cyber (C5I Center) at George Mason University was established under the direction of Dr. Harry Van Trees in June 1989 in order to provide an intellectual base for the command, control, communications, and intelligence area (C3I). Dr. Van Trees’ remarkable experience spans active service in the US Army; graduate schooling and faculty service as a Professor of Electrical Engineering at MIT; service as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for C3I and Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for C3I. Under his leadership, the C3I Center established a national reputation for academic leadership in military information technologies.

Upon Dr. Van Trees’ retirement, Dr. Mark Pullen became the Center’s Director in 2005. Dr. Pullen’s experience includes 21 years in the US Army, including positions of Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at the US Military Academy (West Point) and seven years in multiple positions at the Defense Advanced Research projects Agency (DARPA). He added “Computing” to the center’s name (thus, C4I) and has continued its emphasis on bringing academic expertise to the needs of the U.S. military and related government and commercial applications of information technology. The Center conducts broad spectrum R&D and educational programs in C4I. The Center’s program is accomplished by bringing together a multi-disciplinary group consisting of academic faculty, research staff, and fellows in residence from industry and government. And it is also assisted by an advisory group. The Center moved into the beautiful, new Nguyen Engineering Building (pictured above) in the spring of 2009.

Command, Control, Communications, Computing and Intelligence (C4I) systems are essential to our national security. History provides many examples of how C4I has influenced the outcome of an engagement or an entire conflict. In spite of its importance there is not an adequate intellectual base for the C4I area, and comprehensive educational programs in C4I do not exist in civil institutions.

To fill these needs, the Center of Excellence in C4I at George Mason University is the nation’s first and only civilian university-based entity offering a comprehensive academic and research program in military applications of information technology. The center performs research in sensing and fusion, C3 architectures, communications and signal processing, command support and intelligent systems, modeling and simulation, and information systems. The center is allied with multiple academic departments, including Computer Science, Electrical/Computer/Telecommunications Engineering, Statistics, Systems Engineering and Operations Research. The last of these offers Master of Science in Systems Engineering with a major in C4I and also graduate certificates in both C4I and Military Operations Research. Research program personnel include faculty members from the Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering, research faculty members, government and industry research fellows, graduate research assistants, and thesis students.

While the center has been active in C4I systems issues associated with Cyber technologies for several years, the C4I name did not make this clear. Cyber is a major area of concern for our Department of Defense and Intelligence Community customers, so it became important that our Cyber expertise be evident in our name. At the beginning of 2016, the center name was changed to The Center of Excellence in Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Intelligence and Cyber (C4I & Cyber). In 2024, the center integrated the Cyber into the more abbreviated name, and is now simply the C5I Center.

Projects

Project summaries below come from C5I website.

Recent Publications

• Species-selective detection of volatile organic compounds by ionic liquid-based electrolyte using electrochemical methods
  X. Huang, Y. Li, E. Witherspoon, R. He, G. Petruncio, M. Paige, M. Li, T. Liu, K. Amine, Z. Wang, Q. Li, P. Dong
  ACS Sensor 2023
• Capacitive Deionization System with Ultra-high Salt Adsorption Performance: From Lab Design to Agricultural ApplicationsR. He, L. Kong, Y. Yu, X. Liu, P. Dong
  Chem Comm 2023