Tracee Jamison-Hooks

The fusion of science and engineering is igniting a modern Renaissance, dismantling the traditional silos that have long separated disciplines. Dr. Jamison-Hooks brings a rare and timely blend of expertise that directly answers the call—echoed across both industry and academia—for the Renaissance individual: someone fluent across domains, agile in thought, and grounded in purpose.

Her mission to break down barriers and flatten hierarchies aligns seamlessly with the bold vision of President Michael Crow. At the School of Earth and Space Exploration, this mission finds its laboratory—a dynamic environment where radical collaboration and innovation thrive.

One powerful manifestation of this convergence is the spaceflight real-time data acquisition system, centered on the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). This technology exemplifies the intersection of scientific inquiry and engineering execution, acting as a catalyst for forward-looking solutions in space exploration and beyond.

Dr. Jamison-Hooks' research focuses on the development of advanced mathematical algorithms—particularly in the domain of digital signal processing (DSP)—for implementation on digital hardware. These algorithms enable precision measurements in both astronomical and terrestrial environments. Whether observing a star, planet, volcano, or other phenomena, the objective of any remote sensing instrument is consistent: to capture and analyze incoming signals to determine abundance, frequency content, and signal strength.

Achieving this level of insight requires a real-time, high-throughput data acquisition system capable of operating reliably in extreme environments. Conventional computing platforms, such as laptops, are ill-suited for such tasks due to their fragility and inability to perform deterministic, low-latency processing. Instead, FPGAs—reconfigurable digital hardware devices—offer the performance, flexibility, and resilience necessary for in-situ scientific analysis.

Programming FPGAs to perform complex mathematical operations is a highly specialized skill within Electrical Engineering. It demands the translation of high-level algorithms into efficient, low-level digital architectures capable of processing streaming data in real time. In this context, the FPGA becomes more than a tool—it becomes the nexus where mathematical theory meets hardware implementation. It is the beating heart of high-fidelity instrumentation across Astrophysics, Astronomy, and RADAR systems—where scientific discovery is made possible through the seamless co-design of algorithms and engineering.