Professor Shapour Azarm Receives Grant from National Science Foundation

Professor of Mechanical Engineering Shapour Azarm has just received a grant for $370,363 from the National Science Foundation for his research entitled, "Entropy Based Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm With Constraint Handling and Set Quality Metrics."

In this Information Technology (IT) research project, the concept of "entropy" will be used to develop a computational tool for multi-objective design optimization based on genetic algorithms. The idea is to develop design solutions that provide maximum information (ie, have maximum coverage and fullest possible represetation) of design space. Several new metrics for quantification of solution space will be developed as well as new methods for handling design constraints will be devised.

If successful, the research is anticipated to make significant contributions in advancing the knowledge in the areas of evolutionary-based multi-objective optimization. The outcome of the research will advance the state of the art in IT at the level of algorithm design and the corresponding computational tool that will enable engineering design optimization of a wide class of multi-objective problems.

In response to the NSF's Information Technology Research in Science and Engineering initiative, over 2,000 competitive proposals were submitted. The NSF awarded a total of $156 million in grants to 309 recipients for projects to develop innovative uses of information technology. Professor Azarm's proposal was ranked number one in one of the NSF's engineering division panels.

Published October 4, 2001