This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site award funds the renewal of an outstanding REU site at New York Institute of Technology. The site will recruit undergraduates from across the nation to participate in research related to securing mobile devices such as smart phones and wireless networks. Securing mobile devices and networks is an area of current interest that is well-suited to undergraduate research productivity. The students will address the challenges of securing mobile devices and wireless networks by creating new biometrics for seamless and secure user authentication on mobile devices, developing power-efficient, privacy-preserving cryptographic protocols for secure wireless communications, detecting malware and identifying attacks of mobile devices to protect data integrity and privacy, and securing medical devices and data. This site should help develop a group of computing professionals who can design the systems of the future that impact society and enhance our quality of life. The REU experience provides students with the foundations and inspiration to pursue computing careers and research in areas that are rapidly evolving and are of importance to the nation.
The project is led by a team of researchers offering state-of-the-art facilities and professional mentors to guide undergraduates in explorations of problems related to mobile security. Students will learn how to use current tools and techniques to solve those problems that have direct impact on people. The team will use proven strategies to recruit undergraduate students from groups traditionally under-represented in computer science. The students will participate in research and professional development activities all designed to achieve the goals of retaining and graduating undergraduate students in computer science and engineering, and increasing recruitment of students into graduate programs.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
