Dr. Genshe Chen, the Chief Technology Officer at Intelligent Fusion Technology, shares his experience working to bring the 2024 IEEE Radar Conference to Washington, DC. The annual conference is the premier forum for the technological advancement of the field of radar including theoretical and experimental results for a diverse array of civil, scientific and defense applications.
Q: Please share a professional update. Are there any new initiatives or projects you are working on?
A: I am leading on various projects related to cognitive radar design and applications. In particular, I’m leading several low SWAP-C radar developments for various applications including counter-UAS detection, tracking, classification, navigation under GPS denied environment and chamber detection.
Q: What motivated you to pursue hosting an international conference?
A: Washington, DC has so much to be proud of, as an epicenter of museums, memorials, outdoor parks and wildlife, theater and free events. The culture represented in these venues is not limited to the American experience but is represented globally. The food diversity and restaurant quality are world class. I am honored to welcome both national and international guests and to show off our country and city.
Q: What makes Washington, DC, the ideal location for an international conference?
A: As a tourist city and a political center, Washington, DC has the businesses and infrastructure to support large conferences. There are many hotels, restaurants for every taste and meeting spaces for rent to hold side meetings. Outside the conference, there is easy access to free or near-free cultural centers and events.
Q: As the city is now reopen, what are you most excited about?
A: I am most excited for the return of live events, especially the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center. The Millennium Stage is the only theater in the center that is completely free and open to the public and used to hold a daily live show prior to the pandemic.
Q: Living and working in the Washington, DC area provides us with so many fun, unique, and often free things to do. What would be your favorite DC hidden gem?
A: My favorite free hidden gem is in the National Portrait Gallery. Although it would be a stretch to call the National Portrait Gallery hidden, the third floor with the archives and the restoration center is often overlooked and my favorite part of the museum. The building was formerly home to patent office and the architecture itself is worth seeing. My favorite paid hidden gem is the O Street Museum. O Street Museum Foundation is housed in five interconnected town houses that include over 100 rooms and 32 secret doors. Try to find them all!