This site is co-funded by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.
This funding renews a CISE Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at Auburn University focused on smart unmanned aerial vehicles (smart UAVs). The students design algorithms and techniques to safely, securely, and efficiently fly in a limited field a fleet of autonomous UAVs. A nationwide recruitment process is used to select cohorts of undergraduate students to participate in an eight-week summer research program at the host institution. Particular emphasis is placed on recruitment of students from under-represented populations. The project includes mentoring by the experienced computer science faculty members, technical seminars and workshops, student presentations, and field trips and other professional development opportunities.
The intellectual merit of this project lies in strong research basis and the expertise of the faculty. The projects are in current research areas that are of interest to the community at large and that have clear practical applications. The students participate in a full range of research activities from preparing research literature reviews to production and dissemination of research results.
The broader impacts of the project include providing a quality research experience to undergraduate students, particularly students from underrepresented groups. The participating faculty members are committed to including under-represented minority students in their research. Thus this project has the potential to produce new computer science graduate students and faculty members and to advance discovery and understanding while promoting learning.
