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University of Central Florida (UCF) computer modeling and simulation students can continue to develop, test and train on advanced software used in aerospace and defense industries, thanks to a Presagis in-kind gift valued at $2.6 million.
The Canada-based software company has donated the licensing for its products used at UCF, and this year’s gift brings its in-kind gift value to nearly $8 million since 2012.
Students in the UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) are the primary beneficiaries. The college is located in the heart of UCF Research Park in Orlando, which has the nation’s highest concentration of simulation and training businesses and related activities. UCF helps meet the workforce need of this industry by offering students interdisciplinary master’s and doctoral degrees in Modeling and Simulation.
“The Presagis software suite enables users to create many training scenarios beyond traditional flight simulation,” said Michael Proctor, associate professor in Industrial Engineering and Management Systems, and co-founder of UCF’s Modeling and Simulation program. “Engineers, educators and students can create detailed synthetic environments, simulate scenarios for specific natural and manmade locations throughout the world, and populate the simulations with semi-autonomous agents, human controlled avatars and more.”
Current scenarios include the use of small to nano size unmanned aerial systems occasionally deployed in “swarms” (a term based on how insects work in swarms). Equipped with sensors these unmanned systems may scan rural and urban locations. End users – typically in the defense and aerospace industries – use the high-end immersive simulation tools for training and systems analysis. “We thank Presagis for supporting UCF students,” said Michael Georgiopoulos, dean, CECS. “Having the most current software and tools in our labs is critical to our students’ learning and enables professional success.”
Presagis is a global provider of software for the development of modeling, simulation, visualization, and embedded display applications.
“The challenges of today will be solved by the designers and engineers of tomorrow. That’s why Presagis gives students, educators, and educational institutions access to professional software and real-world projects.” said Jean-Michel Brière, General Manager, Presagis. “Presagis is proud to partner with the University of Central Florida to inspire critical thinking and innovation, and to prepare students for prominent careers in the aerospace and defense industries, where these tools are the de facto standard.”
