Education & Workforce
Development
CARNATIONS is dedicated to enhancing educational excellence and workforce development by bridging the gap between education and employment through partnerships with local businesses and educational institutions.
Our Goals
Improve Education Quality
Encourage Lifelong Learning
Strengthen Workforce Skills
Support Economic Growth
Featured Courses
We are proud to introduce an innovative inter-university course model that allows students to learn directly from top professors at leading universities. This initiative opens the door to unparalleled expertise and knowledge delivered by faculty from prestigious institutions like Virginia Tech, Stanford University, UC Riverside, Chicago State University, and Illinois Tech—all accessible from a single platform.
Intro to Navigation
Instructor: Prof. Samer Khanafseh
Dive into the fundamentals of navigation systems, exploring their principles, applications, and real-world use cases.
Advanced GPS Receiver Design
(Spring-2025)
Instructor: Prof. Mark Psiaki
Learn the intricacies of designing high-precision GPS receivers with hands-on approaches to advanced concepts.
Sensing and Perception for Autonomous Systems Navigation (Spring-2025)
Instructor: Prof. Mathieu Joerger
Explore navigation sensors and methods essential for autonomous systems, including robotics and self-driving vehicles.
REACH: The Research Engagement and
Collaboration Hub
REACH supports students engaged in CARNATIONS research. It provides hands-on training, mentorship, and real-world project experience in resilient positioning, navigation, and timing (R-PNT) systems.
Supports student research in R‑PNT transportation
Trains students on CARNATIONS research topics
Provide stipends for all participating students
Active Projects
High-Fidelity Modeling of GPS Errors for Kalman Filters
This project focuses on both experimental and theoretical aspects of GNSS signal processing and error modeling. Students will apply digital signal processing and GNSS fundamentals using MATLAB, with deliverables including monthly presentations, a final presentation, and a comprehensive report.
Illinois Institute of Technology
UWB Sensor Evaluation for Collaborative Navigation
This project investigates inter-vehicle ranging for collaborative navigation, focusing on evaluating UWB (ultra-wideband) errors and models. Students will review literature, collect UWB data on static and moving platforms, analyze ranging errors, and explore methods to achieve 3D positioning using UWB technology.
Virginia Tech
Automated Multi-Vehicle Testing Platform Design, Instrumentation, and Testing
This project involves designing and testing an automated multi-vehicle platform, focusing on developing a control system for a ground vehicle. The control system should be adaptable for implementation on other ground vehicles, allowing for scalability and flexibility in multi-vehicle testing environments.
Virginia Tech
Performance Analysis of CUSUM-Based Anti-Spoofing Algorithms
MITRE has developed a new anti-spoofing algorithm that seeks to leverage the real-world behavior of spoofed measurements. Early indicators are that this approach can out-perform traditional fault detection strategies in GPS-based navigation systems, but a systematic study has not been conducted. Students would be responsible for performing this study at the MATLAB-level for a simplified GPS navigation system. Responsibilities would include setting up and conducting Monte Carlo simulations, analyzing the results in terms of false alarm and missed detection rate, and compiling the findings in a written report. This is an opportunity to learn fundamental concepts in estimation and detection as they apply to the design of robust navigation systems and will allow students to contribute to other research efforts in line with CARNATIONS objectives.
The MITRE Corporation
How to Apply for Projects
If you want to be a mentor on one of our projects submit the form below.
If you are interested in any research please submit the form below.