This award establishes a new Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at Old Dominion University. The REU Site is led by faculty from the Center for Cybersecurity Education and Research (CCSER) at the university. CCSER includes faculty from a large number of departments and colleges across the university that can provide a range of multidisciplinary research projects that focus on problems that are important and attractive to undergraduates. The REU Site will host 10 students from across the nation to conduct research during the summer with faculty mentors. The students will live in the Cybersecurity Living and Learning Community associated with CCSER. The project plans to recruit a diverse cohort of undergraduate students each summer, including students from under-represented minorities, women, and veterans. In addition to their research activities, the students will participate in other professional development activities that will prepare them for entering the computing workforce and for possible futures as researchers.
The REU site is led by faculty mentors from the Center for Cybersecurity Education and Research. The faculty of the Center have significant research expertise and offer state-of-the-art facilities that should provide a compelling research experience to undergraduates. This REU site offers unique multidisciplinary learning and research opportunities for undergraduate students in the inherently multidisciplinary cybersecurity discipline. Students will explore topics across multiple disciplines including networks, machine learning, decision science, sociology, criminal justice, and philosophy. Students will be advised by a multidisciplinary mentoring committee with faculty from at least 3 different areas. This approach should promote multidisciplinary collaborations among students and increase their interest toward careers in the important field of cybersecurity.
