Evelyn J Boettcher

PHYSICIST / Founder

EDUCATION

  • Master of Science: Physics 2000 University of Maryland, College Park, MD

  • Bachelor of Science: Physics, Highest Honors 1997 University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Wide range of skills that enabled her to jump into any project ranging sensor system development to algorithm development.
She has a passion for developing prototypes, learning new skill and sharing her knowledge.

Data Science: Processing and analysis large data

Teaching: Developed and taught two python courses for AFIT: Data Visualization and Numerical Analysis. Volunteers to promote STEM: GEM City ML/AI, Django Girls etc.

Skills: API development, algorithm analysis & development, integrated hardware development & hardware prototyping, image metrology: Camera calibration & measure extraction

Sensors: Magnetic, Thermal (MWIR, LWIR and passive mmW), SWIR, Hyperspectral Imagery (HSI), LiDAR, and Visible Imaging and Video (FMV)

Programming: Python, JavaScript / HTML, bash, Dot & C

Images & videos: Processing and analysis with Python, JavaScript, Julia, MatLab, GIMP & ImageJ for computer vision, machine learning & human performance analysis.

Systems: Linux, CentOS, Arduino, EPS32, Raspberry Pi.

Web Development: Flask, Jekyll, 11ty (DiDacTex One Real Pocket), Quarto (AFIT course: Online Book and lectures)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

BlueHalo: Dayton, OH Oct 2022 - Present

Senior Principal Scientist

  • Business Development
  • ML/AI development to identify tracks in radar returns.

DiDacTex, LLC: Dayton, OH May 2014 – Present

Founder / Principal

Created a women owned small business that focuses on extracting information within images. Boettcher runs the day to day operations of DiDacTex, Research and Development and performed direct support to customers. Currently, DiDacTex is for my educational outreach.

  • Business Development:

    • Proposals
    • Negotiations, Human Resource, Accounts Payable etc.
  • Technical Work:

    • Magnetic Navigation: Designed, built and tested a magnetic navigation sensor system. Involved designing PCB boards, programming microprocessors and created a visualization system to detect magnetic fields.
    • Python Course: Developed two different python courses that where customized to AFIT’s needs. Students learned a range of skills that lead up to how to code up an algorithm from a paper. The algorithm was how an SVD’s can be used for curve fitting, which they applied to real data so that an FFT can be taken.
    • Analyzed large data to find correlations between Elint and tracks.
    • Provided SME for a wide range of fields: Python, EO and Thermal Sensing, Git and AWS for AFRL
    • Technical lead for a new research areas withing AFRL which successfully, integrated automatic target recognition software from a variety of languages and modalities
    • Processed SWAMI’s Blue Heron LWIR HSI data to feed into DARPA’s InSight system
    • UAS Detection from their LiDAR sensor using IP cameras.
    • Worked with a ROS (Robot OS) /Gaszebo LiDAR simulator to generate training imagery, train a LiDAR machine learn algorithm and run the LiDAR ATR in a simulated environment.
    • Developed web applications to render 3D models for AFRL Sensors Target Model Library
    • Developed and published android applications for DiDacTex’s internal efforts
    • Maintainer and Feature Developer to AFRL Visual Annotator (AVA) truthing tool
    • Works closely with AFRL customer to develop and standardize a new research development

InfoSciTex a DCS Corporation: Dayton, OH Sept. 2012- April 2015

Physicist / Technical Leader

Technical leader for the Automatic Human Threat Detection group for AFRL’s Human MASINT program. Lead a group of computer scientist to create detection and classification algorithms of humans in EO imagery and Radar signatures. Personal research includes automatic classification of a person’s gender in EO FMV imagery (presented at MSS 2014) using extracted limb size. Examined human bio-metric relation to help uniquely identify a person (IEEE H&S 2015) and predict age. This research involves extracting silhouettes, developing detection algorithms, calibrating imagery: lab measure and from single imagery, and extracting anthropomorphic measures within the image with/without any meta data.

  • Lead human signature collections involving multiple groups: NASIC, AFRL/RH AFRL/RYM & GTRI
  • Helped customer to create collaborative agreements with PNNL and ADSS
  • Designed a camera calibration system to map cameras to each other and other systems
  • Wrote white papers for BAAs
  • Published and presented research

Jacobs: Dayton, OH Sept. 2011-Sept. 2012

Physicist

Researcher working on a multifaceted challenge problem for AFRL at Wright Patterson AFB on Hyperspectral Imagery (HSI). The focus is to understand the variables that affect performance in automatic detection algorithms and provide the community with a rich source of data and experiments to further development.

  • Built image readers for HSI imagery and spectral signatures.
  • Analyzed and characterized spectral signatures
  • Measured performance of HSI detection algorithms

DCS Corporation: Alexandria, VA

Electrical Engineer III OCT. 2006- April 2010

Researcher to Night Vision & Electronic Sensors Directorate, (NVESD) providing engineering support to the Modeling and Simulation Division in Field Performance Branch; focusing on conducting various tests on human perception, calibrating NVThermIP models for new tasks, automating image and video processing and running field tests using a variety of sensors: LWIR, MWIR, SWIR, mmW, and visible.

  • Modeled Soldier’s performance using NVESD models for human activities and personnel targets. In all experiments care was made to ensure the “actor” for the activity did not bias results. Soldiers were trained to ID/Rec/Detect and activity or clothing/ weapon or clothing/tool
  • Human Activities test was thermal videos at various image qualities (“range”) of a variety of activities. It examined how well a Soldier can ID/Rec/Detect an activity of interest.
  • Produced & delivered technical briefings & research findings to customers (ARL, FAA, Marines, Navy, JIEDO) and at national meetings.
  • Created proposals to conduct new research.
  • Authored test plans, led field tests and coordinated people and resources for various experiments.
  • Developed training materials to help Soldiers identify planes, boats, human activities, and PBIED (suicide bombers) in multiple wavebands.
  • Independently investigated the effect of test design on test takers’ performance.

Accomplishments:

* Published two journal papers, one as head author.

* Averaged more than three publications per year

C-COR (Optinel Systems, Inc.) Elkridge, MD

Electico-Optical Engineer Aug. 2000-March 2003

  • Assumed full responsibility for analyzing competitors, writing technical specification, and procuring of equipment as the Marketing-Technical Liaison
  • Designed and executed LabVIEW and Visual Basic programs for the automation of hardware
  • testing as well as collaborated with the Test and Measurement groups
  • Integrated system to write specialty Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG); fabricated the 1st 3 gratings sold
  • Designed, built, and tested mechanical tunable filter dispersion compensating device
  • Used AutoCAD thermal form packaging for designing Gratings being shipped to customer

Accomplishments:

* Designed a Magnetic Sensor System * Successfully acquired two patents, # 6,738,536 and #6,944,372 as lead investigator

* Pioneer employee at Optinel Systems, Inc; one of the first four employees

* Produced and shipped first Fiber Gratings to customers

PUBLICATIONS AS HEAD AUTHOR

Intermittent Fan Controller using a Raspberry Pi and Python, Anaconda Blog Sept. 2022

Modeling Passive Millimeter Wave Imaging Sensor Performance for Discriminating Small Watercraft, Evelyn J. Boettcher, CDR Keith Krapels, CDR Ron Driggers, et.al, Applied Optics (2010)

Experimental Determination of Visibility Modeling Parameters for Aircraft, Boettcher, E., et al., Proc of SPIE (2010)

New Target Acquisition Task for Contemporary Operating Environments: Personnel in MWIR, LWIR and SWIR, Boettcher, E., et al.., Proc of SPIE (2010)

Human Activity Discrimination for Maritime Application, Boettcher, E., et al.., Proc of SPIE 6941 (2008)

Wavelength tunable filter device for fiber optic systems E Boettcher, ST Vohra, PJ Matthews, PD Biernacki US Patent 6,738,536

Tunable Dispersion Compensating Bandwidth Device for Fiber Optics System, Evelyn Boettcher, Sandeep T. Vohra, Gregg Johnson, US Patent # 6,944,372

Method of enhancing waveguide photosensitivity and waveguide having enhanced photosensitivity, E Boettcher, S Vohra US Patent App. 09/938,543

Turbulence and Wave Breaking Effects on Air-Water Gas Exchange, Evelyn J. Boettcher, Jay Fineberg, and Daniel P. Lathrop, Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 2030-2033 (2000)

Oscillations in Resistivity in an Organic Polymer at Low Temperatures, Evelyn J. Boettcher, G. G. Ihas, Reghu M., & A. Heeger; XXI International Conference on Low Temp. Phys., Vol. 46 Suppl. S5 p. 2605 (1996)

PUBLICATIONS

Standoff Human Identification Using Body Shape S Matzner, E Boettcher, D Lochtefeld, T Webb, A Heredia-Langner, … 2015 IEEE HST Symposium (2015)

Field calibration of reflective imagery of targets and backgrounds VA Hodgkin, EJ Boettcher, DD Acton, Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XXI 7662 …(2010)

Identification of ground targets from airborne platforms J Doe, E Boettcher, B Miller Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XX 7300 …

Millimeter wave sensor requirements for maritime small craft identification K Krapels, RG Driggers, J Garcia, E Boettcher, D Prather, C Schuetz, … Millimetre Wave and Terahertz Sensors and Technology II 7485, 104-116

Perception testing: a key component in modeling and simulation at NVESD T Maurer, O Nguyen, J Thomas, E Boettcher Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XX 7300(2009)

Small craft ID criteria (N50/V50) for short wave infrared sensors in maritime security, K Krapels, RG Driggers, P Larson, J Garcia, B Walden, S Agheera, Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XIX 6941 … (2008)

Stability of electrical self-oscillation in PANi-CSA/PMMA composites JP McFarland, EJ Boettcher, N Masuhara, GG Ihas Physica B: Condensed Matter 284, 1954-1955 (2000)

Electrical oscillations in conducting polymers, N Masuhara, E Boettcher, GG Ihas, Journal of low temperature physics 113 (5), 1129-1134 (1998)

MSS

MSS publication upon request

HOBBIES

Recent posts