The goal of this project is to develop a plan to increase the number of under-represented students (Hispanics, African Americans, American Indians, and women) pursuing M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in computer engineering and computer science by enhancing research opportunities in the areas of computer networking and medical imaging. The project achieves its goal through three specific activities: (1) enhancement of research infrastructure in the computer networks and computerized tomography fields, (2) creation of collaborative research opportunities with the other research institutions in the region and development of joint mentorship program with local industry, and (3) improvement of minority students recruiting and retention efforts. The research in this project is in the areas of security of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) and sensor networks and image reconstruction in Computerized Tomography. The project develops methods for authentication, and trust establishment and maintenance in MANETs. It also develops and implements effective new methods of image reconstruction from projections that are based on non-traditional tensor and paired representations of images in forms of totalities of "independent" splitting signals. Creation of collaborative research opportunities will enhance UT San Antonio research, and the joint mentorship program will provide industrial experience to students. The results of these planning efforts provide the basis for developing proposals to be submitted to NSF's Computing Research Infrastructure program and Advanced Research and Education program.
