Prof. Robert Charles Tyce, PhD.

University of Rhode Island
Dept. of Ocean Engineering
Tel: (401) 874-6879
Fax: (401) 874-6837
Email: tyce@oce.uri.edu

Education:
1976 Ph.D. Applied Physics/Ocean Sciences, University of California, Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Thesis: “Near Bottom Observations of Seafloor Acoustics”
1971 M. A. Computer Science/Applied Ocean Science, University of Calif., San Diego
1969 B. A. Physics/Spanish Literature, University of California, San Diego

Professional History:
2003-present Professor of Ocean Engineering and Oceanography, University of Rhode Island
1999-2003 Military Oceanography Dept. Head, NATO SACLANT Undersea Research Centre, Italy
1992-1999 Assoc. Director, Ocean Technology Center, University of Rhode Island (URI)
1983-1999 Professor of Ocean Eng. & Oceanography, Director Ocean Mapping Development Center, URI
1997-1998 Research Fellow, NATO SACLANT Undersea Research Centre, La Spezia, Italy
1992-1996 Senior Scientist, Science Applications International Corp., Newport, RI
1986-1992 Chief Engineer and President, Ocean State Instruments Corporation, Saunderstown, RI
1990 Visiting Scientist, Institute of Oceanographic Scientists, Surrey, UK
1980-1983 Senior Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA (Joint appt.)
1978-1983 Research Engineer and Lecturer, Marine Physical Lab, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
1976-1978 Senior ROV Engineer, Hydro Products, San Diego, CA
1970-1976 Research Assistant, Marine Physical Lab, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
1969-1970 Computer Engineer, Linkabit (now Qualcomm), San Diego CA
1968-1969 Computer Engineer, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA
1966-1968 Engineer in Training, Robotic Machine Control, ROHR Corporation, Chula Vista, CA

Research Interests:
Rapid Environmental Assessment
Marine technology instrumentation and systems engineering
Seafloor mapping and image processing
Sonar, Radar and Lidar remote sensing
Remotely Operated and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
Ocean and Seafloor acoustics
Marine physics and geophysics
Digital computer technology
Data acquisition and digital signal processing

Awards and Memberships:
Research Fellow, NATO SACLANT Undersea Research Centre, 1997-1998
URI Research Excellence Award, 1988
Research Fellow, Scripps Inst. of Oceanography, 1976-1978
California State Fellow, UC - San Diego, 1969-1971
Regents Scholar, UC - San Diego, 1967-1969
California State Scholar, UC - San Diego, 1965-1969
Elks National Scholar, UC - San Diego, 1965
Honors at Entrance, University of California, 1965
Bank of America Science and Math Scholar, 1965
High School Valedictorian, 1965
Member Oceanographic Society
Member Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
Member Marine Technology Society
Member American Geophysical Union
Member Acoustical Society of America
Member American Congress on Surveying and Mapping
Member and Instructor, Society of Exploration
Geophysicists Committee Member, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences
Language Proficiency in Italian, SACLANTCEN, 1997-2003
Language Proficiency in French, University of California, 1972
Language Proficiency in Spanish, University of California, 1969
Scientific SCUBA Diver, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 1970, and SACLANTCEN, 1998
Private Pilot license with multiengine, instrument and seaplane ratings, 1983-present

Major professor and thesis advisor for the following students and their projects:
Giovanni Zappa, M.S. 6/2003 TCP/IP protocols for autonomous instruments
Stephan Dzurenko, M.S. 6/97 Real-time ocean geographic information system development
Tom Giuliani, M.S. 6/97 Seal transport submarine design
Jim Squadrito, M.S. 6/97 Autonomous vertical profiler development
Thomas Toh, M.S. 12/97 DSP application to sub-bottom profiler acoustics
Mike Ingram, M.S. 9/96 Precision motion sensor and calibration platform
John Dietz, M.S. 6/95 High performance towed vehicle navigation system
Dan Clapp, M.S. 5/94 PC based sidescan sonar hardware and software
Mark Manning, M.S, 12/94 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle hydrodynamics
Harold Vincent, M.S. 5/94 Automated transducer calibration facility development
Jie Sun, M.S., 9/93 Bathymetric sidescan sonar performance
Gerry Hatcher, M.S., 12/92 Marine Geographic Information System
Kushal Talukdar, PhD, 6/91 Angular dependence of seafloor acoustic backscatter
John Byrne, M.S., 9/90 Sidescan sonar data acquisition and image processing
Richard Ranlet, M.S. 12/90 Diver acoustic communication system development
James Ensminger, M.S., 6/89 Remotely Operated Vehicle control
John Thekkethala, M.S., 6/88 Navigation correction with precision multibeam bathymetry
Paul Kreautner, M.S., 12/86 Sidescan sonar seafloor acoustics
Christian de Moustier, Ph.D. 6/85 Multi-narrow-beam sonar seafloor acoustics

Courses taught:
Basic Ocean Measurements (OCE310)
Coastal Measurements and Applications (OCE311)
Data Collection Lab (OCE 560)
Ocean Instrumentation Lab 1 (OCE565),
Advanced Ocean Instrumentation Lab II (OCE566)
Remotely Operated Vehicles (OCE591)
Ocean Engineering Seminar (OCE605/606)

Publications:
Bovio, E., Tyce, R., and Schmidt, H., Autonomous Underwater Vehicle and Ocean Modeling Networks: Goats 2000 Conference Proceedings, SACLANTCEN CP-45, 2002.

Grandi, V., Carta, A., Firoavanti, S., Tyce, R., de Strobel, F., and gualdesi, L. (2002). “A low-cost, short-range underwater UHF radio data link for a profiling buoy and docking station”. Proceedings Oceanology International, London, UK, 5-8 March 2002.

Tyce, R., Coelho, E., Bovio, E., Askari, R., and Williams, B., “Integrating AUVs, Remote Sensing and Ocean Modelling for NATO Rapid Environmental Assessment.” Proceedings Underwater Defense Technology Conference, La Spezia, Italy, 18-20 June 2002.

De Strobel, F. and Tyce, R. “The SACLANTCEN family of trawl-resistant ADCP platforms: evolution from self recording to real-time profiler configuration”. RDI ADCP Conference Proceedings, San Diego, 9-11, 2001.

Marine Technology Panel, “Marine technology frontiers for Europe”, ESF workshop proceedings, Brest,France, 26-28 April, 2001.

Tyce, R., de Strobel, F., Grandi, V., Gualdesi, L., “Trawl-safe profiler development at SACLANT Centre for shallow water environmental assessment and real time modelling.” Oceans 2000 Proceedings

Tyce, R., de Strobel, F., Grandi, V., Gualdesi, L., “New water column profilers for global ocean observations.” Sea Technology, 41, (2) 2000: 10-14.

Tyce, R., de Strobel, F., Grandi, V., Gualdesi, L., “Shallow water environmental profiler in trawl-safe , real-time configuration,”. Oceanology International 2000: pp. 213-220

Tyce, R., de Strobel, F., Grandi, V., Gualdesi, L., “Shallow Water Expendable and trawler safe environmental profilers”, Oceans ’99 MTS/IEEE Proceedings, 1229-1233 1999.

Tyce, R., de Strobel, F., Grandi, V., Gualdesi, L., “Shallow Water Expendable Environmental Profiler (Sweep) Design With Control And Data Recovery Via Cellular Phone And Low Earth Orbit Satellite Networks,” Proceedings of Oceanology International ’98 Conference, Brighton, UK, 10-13 March, vol. 2, pp. 199-208 1998.

Tyce, Robert C., Dzurenko, Stephen M., Cohen, Paul A., and Caress, David W.,A PC/Linux Software Toolkit for Coastal Swath Mapping, in: High Frequency Acoustics in Shallow Water, SACLANTCEN Conference Proceedings Series CP-45, pp.579-586, Lerici, Italy, 30 June to 4 July, 1997.

Ingram, Michael J., Tyce, Robert C., and Allen, Ronald G., “Dynamic Testing of State of the Art Vertical Reference Units,” Proc. Marine Technology Society Meeting, Oceans ’96, 1996.

Talukdar, Kushal K., Tyce, Robert C., and Clay, Clarence S., “Interpretation of Sea Beam Backscatter Data Collected at the Laurentian Fan off Nova Scotia Using Acoustic Backscatter Theory,” Journal of the Acoustical Society of Am. vol. 97, no. 3, pp. 1545-1558, March 1995.

Tyce, Robert C., “Developing a Coastal Multibeam Hydrographic Software Toolkit,” Proceedings of US-Japan Natural Resources Seafloor Survey Panel Meeting, Tokyo Japan, 14 November 1995.

Committee on the Review of NOAA’s Fleet Replacement and Modernization Plan,“Review of NOAA’s Fleet Replacement and Modernization Plan,” Marine Board Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems, National Research council, National Academy of Sciences, 1994

Becker et al, “Final Report of the Committeee on Modernizing Navigation Services,” NOAA NOS Technical Document, March 1994.

Tyce, Robert C., “The U.S./Canada Hydrographic Commission Multibeam Training Course,”

Proceedings of the U.S. Japan Natural Resources Sea-Bottom Surveys Panel Meeting, Seattle, Washington, 24-27 October, 1994.

Dick, H. J. B., Schouten, H., Meyer, P. S., Gallo, D. G., Bergh, H., Tyce, R., Patriat, P., Johnson, K. T. M., Snow, J., and Fisher, A., “Tectonic Evolution of the Atlantis II Fracture Zone,”

Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, vol. 118 part B, 1993

Sun, Jie and Tyce, Robert, Performance Limitations on Travel Time and Phase Data Extraction for Bathymetric Side-scan Sonars, Proc. Marine Technology Society Meeting, Oceans '93, 1993.

Tyce, Robert and Hatcher, Gerry, “Real time Geographic Information Systems for Survey Data Management,” Proc. Marine Technology Society Meeting, Oceans ’93, 1993.

Talukdar, Kushal K., and Tyce, Robert C., “Relation of Sea Beam Echo Peak Statistics to the Character of Bottom topography,” Geo-Marine Letters, vol. 12, pp. 200-207, 1992.

Talukdar, K. K., and Tyce, R. C., “Digital processing of sidescan images from backscatter data collected by Sea Beam,” Marine Geodesy, vol. 14, pp. 81-100, 1991.

Byrne, J. S., Tyce, R. C. and Ensminger, J., “ROMEO, An ROV for autonomous shallow water mapping,” Proceedings Amer. Academy of Underwater Sciences, Ninth Annual Diving Symposium, WHOI, MA, Sept. 28 - October 1, 1989.

Miller, J., Tyce, R. C., and Mahon, R., “A cruise without water,” a video presentation for Oceans '89', Seattle, Washington, September 18-21, 1989.

Legg, M. R., Luyendyk, B. P., Mammerickx, J., deMoustier, C., and Tyce, R. C., “Sea Beam survey of an active strike-slip fault: The San Clemente Fault in California Continental Borderland,” Jour. Geophys. Res., vol. 94 no. B2, pp. 1727-1744 1989.

Fornari, D.J, Garcia, M. O., Tyce, R. C, and Gallo, D. G., “Morphology and Structure of Loihi Seamount Based on Seabeam Sonar Mapping,” Jour. Geophysical Res., vol. 93, no. B12, pp. 15, 227-15, 238, Dec. 10, 1988.

Mammerickx, J. Tyce, R. C., and Naar, D. F., “The Mathematician plate: a paleo-plate,” Jour. of Geophys. Res., vol. 94, pp. 3025-3040, 1988.

Miller, S. P., Macdonald, K. C., Carbotte, S. M., Cormier, M. H., Penvenne, J. L., Perram, L. J., Tyce, R., Fox, P. J., and Eisen, M. F., “Adventures in Automatic Map Making: Sea Beam and Sea MARC II,” Am. Geophys. Union, EOS, vol. 69, pp. 1428 1988.

Tyce, R. C. and Pryor, D. E., “Workshop 6: Technology needs to characterize the EEZ,” Proceedings of the 1987 Exclusive Economic Zone Symposium on Mapping and Research: Planning for the next 10 Years, N. Lockwood and B.A. McGregor, eds. Circular 1018, Reston, Virginia, USGS pp. 101-114, 1988.

Tyce, R. C., Miller, J., and Tighe, S., “East Pacific Rise Synthesis - The Movie,” Am. Geophys. Union, EOS, no. 44, vol. 69, pp. 1474 1988.

Tyce, R., Lemmond, P., and Ferguson, S., “NECOR Sea Beam data collection and processing development,” Marine Technology Society Journal, vol. 21 no. 2, pp. 80-92. 1988.

Tyce, R. C., “Quantifying seafloor roughness from multibeam and sidescan sonars,” in: ILP Research Conference on Advanced Data Integration in Mineral and Energy Resources Studies, Sotogrande, Spain, November 28 December 6, 1988, USGS Publ. in press.

Macdonald, K. C. Sempere, J. C., Fox, P. J. and Tyce, R., “Tectonic evolution of ridge-axis discontinuities by the meeting, linking or self-decapitation of neighboring ridge segments," Geology, vol. 15, no. 11, Nov. 1987.

Tighe, S. A., Fox, P. J., Detrick, R. S. and Tyce, R. C., “A Synthesis of Sea Beam Data from the East Pacific Rise between the Orozco and Siqueiros Transform,” Amer. Geophys. Union, EOS, vol. 68, no. 44, pp. 1504 1987.

Tyce, R. C., “Deep seafloor mapping systems - a review,” Marine Technology Society Journal, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 4-16 Dec. 1987.

Tyce, R., Miller, J., Edwards, R. and Silver, A., “Deep ocean pathfinding with the Sea Beam Sonar,” Sea Technology, vol. 28, no. 3, March 1987.

Miller, J., Tyce, R., and Edwards, R., “Sea Beam mapping systems”, in: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Marine Positioning, Reston VA, 14-17 October 1986.

Tyce, R., Miller, J., Edwards, R. and Silver, A., “Deep ocean pathfinding - high resolution mapping and navigation,” IEEE Oceans '86 Conference Proceedings, Washington D.C., pp. 163-168, Sept. 1986.

Sea Beam shipboard data collection and processing enhancements,” Proceedings of the IEEE Fourth Working Symposium on Oceanographic Data Systems, IEEE 86CH2269-9, p. 3, Feb. 1986.

Dixon, T. H., Tyce, R. C., Pivirotto, T. J., and Chapman, R. F., “A range-gated Laser system for ocean floor imaging,” Marine Tech. Soc. Jour. vol. 17, pp. 5-12, 1984.

Tyce, R. C., and Fox, P. J., “Combining Sea Beam, global positioning and Near bottom survey systems for precision sea floor mapping,” EOS, Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, vol. 64, pp. 1079 1984.

Bishop, C. B., and Tyce, R. C., “Technologies applicable to monitoring radioactive waste disposal on or in the deep seabed,” SIO Reference 82-3, 1982.

deMoustier, C., and Tyce, R. C., “Sea floor acoustic backscatter measurements using Sea Beam,” EOS, Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, vol. 63, no. 45, Fall Meeting, San Francisco, Calif., 1982.

Triplett, M., Solomon, K. A., Bishop, C. B., and Tyce, R. C., ”Monitoring technologies for ocean disposal of radioactive waste,” Rand Corporation Publication R-2773-NOOA, 1-93, 1982.

Tyce, R. C., “Depth dependence of directionality of ambient noise in the North Pacific: Experimental data and equipment design,” in: Underwater Ambient Noise, ed. by R.A. Wagstaff and O.Z. Bluy, SACLANTCEN CP-32 9-1 and 9-16, 1982.

Tyce, R. C., “Estimating acoustic attenuation from a quantitative seismic profiler,” Geophysics Vol. 46, pp. 1364-1378, 1981.

Tyce, R. C., and Bishop, C. A., “Technology applicable to monitoring deep seabed disposal of nuclear wastes,” Proceedings of IEEE Oceans 81', pp. 737-742, 1981.

Tyce, R. C., Mayer, L. A. and Spiess, F. N., “Near-Bottom Seismic Profiling:High lateral variability, anomalous amplitudes, and estimates of attenuation,” Journal of the Acoustical Society of Am. vol. 68, pp. 1391-1402, 1980.

Tatham, R. H., Canbom, S. H., Tyce, R. C., and Gildes, O., “Seismic Parameters and Their Estimation: Progress in Estimation and Interpretation,” Segment 6, Society of Exploration Geophysicists Continuing Education course on the Convolutional Model of the Reflection Seismogram and Measurement of Subsurface Seismic Parameters, edited by Norman Neidel, SEG, 1979.

Morris, G. B. and Tyce, R. C., “Depth dependence of the vertical directionality of low-frequency ambient noise in the ocean,” Journal of the Acoustical Society. Am., vol. 64, S166, Fall Meeting, 1978.

Mayer, L. A., and Tyce R. C., “A propeller-driven deep-sea filtration system,” SIO Reference 77-17, 1977.

Tyce, R. C., “Quantitative acoustics near the sea floor,” Proceedings of the IEEE Oceans '77 Conference pp. 10A-1 to 6. 1977.

Tyce, R. C., “Toward a quantitative near-bottom seismic profiler,” Ocean Engineering vol. 4, pp. 113-140, 1977.

Tyce, R. C., and Boegeman, D. E., “Integrating optics and sonar for a deeply towed vehicle,” Proceedings of the IEEE Ocean '77 Conference, pp. 34A-6, 1977.

Tyce, R. C., “Near-Bottom observations of 4kHz acoustic reflectivity and attenuation”, Geophysics vol. 41, pp. 673-699, 1976.

Tyce, R. C., “Real time processing and display of near-bottom acoustic reflectivity measurements,” Proceedings of the IEEE Ocean '75 Conference pp. 30-34, 1975.

Lonsdale, P. F., Tyce, R. C., and Spiess, F. N., “Near-bottom acoustic observations of abyssal topography and reflectivity,” in: Physics of Sound in Marine Sediments: Marine Science, ed. Lloyd Hampton, Plenum Publishing Corp. vol. 1 pp. 298-317, 1973.

Spiess, F. N., Lonsdale, P., Tyce, R. C. and Mudie, J. Dl,“Shipboard Cruise Report on Leg 10 of Expedition South TOW,” SIO Reference 73-10, 1973.

Spiess, F. N., Malfait, B., Lonsdale, P. F. and Tyce, R. C. “Shipboard Cruise Report on Leg Five of Expedition SOUTH TOW,” SIO Reference 73-1, 1973.

Spiess, F. N., and Tyce, R. C., “Marine Physical Laboratory DEEP TOW Instrumentation System,” SIO Reference 73-4, 1973.

Tyce, R. C. “Fine-scale observations of sea-floor reflectivity and attenuation,” EOS, Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, vol. 54, 1973.