This award is a renewal of a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site focused on secured sensor technologies at Florida International University. Undergraduates will work with faculty on research projects to explore new technologies and solutions utilizing sensor networking as well as software and hardware solutions essential to the advancement and practical proliferation of new technologies. The research theme includes a range of research projects in software-defined wireless sensor networks, privacy and security of sensor networks, local computation algorithms, mobile robots and self-configuring non-cooperative mobile sensors. The research theme presents a basic opportunity for undergraduates to get involved in research that combines intellectual merit and technical opportunities with a broad impact such as improving the quality of people's lives in health, homeland security and transportation. The objective of the program is to nurture students into computer and communications research fields through an intense, interdisciplinary, collaborative research environment and serves as an excellent opportunity for students to participate in many aspects of a scientific research program through a set of well-planned and focused activities that will ramp up student research skills and knowledge in emerging technologies. All activities ensure development of student-faculty and student-student communication to enhance and accelerate the students' research skills and learning in the field. The program will spark an interest in continuing relevant research careers. Successful impact of this project should build human capacity in computing and communications research and knowledge. Intellectual Merit: This project brings together fields of sensing, computing and communications to pioneer new core technologies along with supportive methods, architectures and tool-kits. This effort is based upon an existing and highly successful undergraduate research experience site where a diverse group of undergraduates learn how to conduct research and become better prepared to pursue graduate studies. The topics are timely and focus on emerging research.Broader Impact: The goal of this project is to build human capacity in computing and communications research and knowledge. The program will provide an unparalleled scientific and cross-cultural experience to motivated underrepresented undergraduate students. It aims to influence their choices about further education and future careers and continue to give them confidence to pursue these choices. With specific recruiting efforts that target underrepresented groups such as women, minorities and persons with disabilities, this REU program also aims to increase the size and diversity of the scientific workforce.
