MRI: Development of a Hybrid Wireless Network Infrastructure for Integrated Research and Education

North Dakota State University Fargo, Fargo ND

Investigators

Abstract

Proposal #: CNS 09-23188 PI(s): Du, Xiaojiang; Reinholz, Aron J. Institution: North Dakota State University - Fargo Title: MRI/Acq.: Dev.of a Hybrid Wireless Network Infrastructure for Integrated Research and Education Project Proposed: This project, developing a Hybrid Wireless Network (HWN) to be built on top of an existing Heterogeneous Sensor Network (HSN) testbed, supports research in broadband wireless networking and communication enabling high-quality and high-accuracy performance evaluations of protocols and schemes designed for HWNs. Research projects include - Efficient Quality of Service (QoS) provisioning and - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) resource allocation in HWNs. These projects are expected to satisfy individual user's QoS requirements while optimizing the performance (e.g., throughput) of the overall system. Although QoS support in traditional wireless networks and OFDMA resource allocation in cellular networks have been well studied, in HWNs QoS routing and OFDMA resource allocation are highly correlated and the problem lends itself to further exploration. The HWN services faculty and students in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering and 65 staff researchers at the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the institution and nearby universities. The work aims at integrating various aspects of educational and training environment with innovative research into a cohesive package for education in wireless networking and communication. Broader Impacts: Supported education and training activities include - Recruiting students of underrepresented groups to participate in the research, as well as mentoring - Developing a new course in Wireless Networking and Communications - Integrating research and education Native American, female, low income, and first generation students will be specifically targeted in this EPSCoR state where 31% of the undergraduate populations falls below the threshold for low-income US citizens.