REU Site: Bridging the Cyber and Water Worlds: Cyber-Aquatic Systems for Undergraduate Research and Education

University Of Connecticut, Storrs CT

Investigators

Abstract

The last decade has seen a research wave in terrestrial sensor networks, in which the embedded networked sensing technologies have revolutionized the way for human beings to understand and interact with the physical world on the land. This decade will witness a revolution for the water world: transformative cyber-aquatic technologies will enable us to densely deploy static and mobile systems in an underwater environment, significantly enhancing the spatial and temporal dimensions of our monitoring and exploration capabilities. The Underwater Sensor Network (UWSN) Lab at the University of Connecticut (UConn) recently launched an initiative on Cyber-Aquatic Systems (CAS). Part of the CAS initiative will be an REU site offering undergraduate students to participate in the cutting-edge technologies of cyber-aquatic systems and encouraging them to pursue academic careers and professionals by sparking interests through exciting research projects. A major goal of this interdisciplinary REU site project is to introduce the cutting-edge research and technologies in cyber-aquatic systems to undergraduate students in the early stages of their careers to spark their interests. This REU work, as part of a collaborative action with REU site 1156837, will recruit a diverse group of undergraduate students to engage in research that will broaden their interest in academic careers and professions and help develop a globally competitive engineering workforce equipped with innovative cyber-aquatic technologies. Through integrated research, education and outreach programs, this REU site will better prepare these undergraduate participants for future careers in academia or industry.