Microwaves and mm-waves for the Design of Advanced Wireless Links: Communication, Sensing and Power Transfer

 

July 8-13, 2024 – Pisa (Italy)
6 ECTS credits

Coordinators
Paolo Nepa paolo.nepa@unipi.it
Simone Genovesi simone.genovesi@unipi.it
Francesca Tiani francesca.tiani@unipi.it

 

 

The inaugural edition of the Summer School ”Microwaves and mm-waves for the design of advanced wireless links: communication, sensing and power transfer” aims to give the attendees an overview of those electromagnetic (EM) phenomena and devices that are recognized as being the fundamental building blocks for the implementation of any wireless links in the microwaves and mm-waves frequency bands. The school aims to provide attendees with skills for understanding how EM rules and phenomena can face with the challenging specifications of advanced wireless systems.

The School can be of interest for students (PhD students, postgraduate students, and undergraduate students who are close to getting their degree), practitioners and industry employees, who are involved in ICT – Information and Communication Technology – disciplines and are attracted by the understanding on how the wonderful properties of the microwaves&mm-waves world are exploited by future communication systems, radars, wireless sensing systems, wireless networks and high-frequency circuits.

Lecture contents do not require a background in electromagnetics, yet experimental measurements and commercial simulation tools will be used to validate EM basic concepts, as an effective alternative to conventional approaches based on analytical
derivations.

The School offers 6 ECTS credits through the delivering of 52-hour lectures. Attendees will get an introduction to EM fundamentals and then they will learn how to apply those to the design and implementation of future communication systems, radars, wireless sensing systems, wireless networks and high-frequency circuits.

The School lectures are subdivided into two parts. The first part is devoted to a synthetic and basic description of the most important EM phenomena: wave propagation in free space, inhomogeneous media and guiding structures; properties and characteristic parameters of passive devices, transceivers and antennas. Experimental measurements and introduction to commercial EM solvers are also planned. The second part of the lecturers is devoted to highlight how the EM phenomena and devices previously summarized are being applied in some of the most advanced wireless systems.

Lecturers, from both academia and ICT industry, will focus on the design criteria, features, architectures and innovative aspects directly induced by EM concepts in non-terrestrial networks, 5G mobile communications, wireless power transfer systems, V2X communications, global LEO constellation networks, microwave systems for aerospace and defense.

To achieve the School aim, lecturers are selected among academia (University of Pisa and University of Bologna), ICT industry and international research centers. Students interested to earn the ECTS credits are required to agree with the School coordinators on a Project Work topic, and then submit their written report no later than August 30, 2024 (pdf submission by mail to paolo.nepa@unipi.it and simone.genovesi@unipi.it)

On July 11, the lectures will be given at the Marconi’s Museum in Villa Griffone, Pontecchio Marconi (close to Bologna). In the morning, the attendees will have a guided tour of the museum and see some experiments emulating those made by the pioneer of the radio communications in his family country estate in the late XIX century. In the afternoon, two lecturers on WPT (wireless power transfer) and RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces) will be given by recognized experts from the University of Bologna. The bus transfer for the round trip to Pontecchio Marconi will be provided by the School organizers.

The Summer School ”Microwaves and mm-waves for the design of advanced wireless links: communication, sensing and power transfer” has been awarded by the IEEE Region 8 "Professional and Academic Activities" Committee in the framework of the 2024 Acceleration Program contest. The IEEE Acceleration contest is a program aiming to promote educational activities among IEEE volunteers and IEEE entities in Region 8; the program allows local initiatives to get higher visibility and to be supported by the prestigious IEEE R8 Technical & Educational activities board.

School Syllabus

Part I: Basic remarks on EM phenomena and devices

  • Free-space propagation, ray-based propagation models
  • Wave propagation through dielectric media, multipath models
  • Wave propagation in guiding structures, lumped-circuit model, printed lines
  • Passive devices for advanced wireless systems: characterization and design criteria
  • Power dividers, directional couplers, filters • Antennas for high-frequency wireless links
  • Transceivers: modeling and design examples • EM solvers for the analysis and design of devices and antennas
  • Instrumentation for the characterization of wireless network devices

Part II: Microwaves and mm-waves for advanced wireless links

  • Non-terrestrial communication networks
  • The evolution of terrestrial communication networks toward the fifth generation (5G)
  • Wireless sensing and communications in automotive V2X scenarios
  • Devices and architectures of systems for wireless power transfer and energy harvesting
  • Joint Localization and Communication with Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS)
  • Global Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband networks
  • Microwaves systems for aerospace and defense
  • [Historical corner] “Guglielmo Marconi, the first Italian to be awarded with a Nobel Prize for Physics (1909), in recognition to his contribution to radio communications”: visit to the Marconi Museum in Pontecchio Marconi (nearby Bologna)

Lessons will be held at Polo della memoria San Rossore 1938, via Risorgimento, 56126, Pisa.

The program will be activated also in distance learning mode (TEAMS platform)

School Program

Download the Program [PDF]

Application

 

Admission Requirements

Bachelor (last year), Master and PhD students, in the field of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Management) disciplines, early stage researchers and practitioners from Academia or Industry.

Required Documents

  • Identity Document (*PASSPORT in case you are a foreign student*)
  • Enrolment Form
  • Curriculum Vitae

All the documents must be in pdf format, in order to upload them on the portal when required.

Application has to be submitted via Alice portal following the instructions of the "How to apply" page.

 

Important Dates

May 10, 2024: application deadline for students interested to participate to the selection procedure for the assignment of four tuition-fee waivers
May 15, 2024: the selection procedure for the assignment of the tuition-fee waivers will be concluded and the results will be notified to the awardees
May 15, 2024: opening of the portal for tuition-fee payment
May 31, 2024: general application deadline for all candidates
June 5, 2024: tuition-fee payment deadline

Fees

250 euro

Information on the payment method will be published here in the coming weeks.

NOTICE: There will be no refund of paid tuition fees

Fundings

Up to four tuition-fee waivers are available for international students. Two of them are offered by the University of Pisa, and two additional waivers are made available by IEEE R8 as the Summer School has been awarded by the IEEE Region 8 "Professional and Academic Activities" Committee in the framework of the 2024 Acceleration Program contest. All applicants that will apply within 10 May 2024 will be considered for the tuition-fee waiver selection procedure. Selections results will be notified by 15 May 2024.
Priority will be given to women for gender balance and/or to students with special needs coming from developing countries. Please write to the coordinator for further details.
 

AllegatoDimensione
PDF icon 2024 EM Summer School Preliminary program.pdf138.84 KB
15 Dicembre 2023
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