REU Site: The Lehigh Smart Spaces Project

Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA

Investigators

Abstract

The REU Site at Lehigh University focuses on engaging students in Smart Spaces research. Student projects include the development of technologies for saving energy in both residential and commercial spaces. Research will also support home-centered approaches to assisted living and healthcare. This has the potential to enable elderly and persons with disabilities to maintain their independence longer. Independence brings not only improved quality of life, but also significant positive financial implications due to the changing age demographic in the United States. For the participants, students will be recruited nationally from institutions where undergraduate STEM research opportunities are limited, with an emphasis on regional Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) universities. Emphasis is made to recruit from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in computer science, to include low-income and first-generation college students, underrepresented minorities, and women. Lastly, the project will reinforce Lehigh University's own diversity initiatives - specifically, the Carl Greer Scholars program and articulation agreements with local community colleges - to increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities in engineering. Each year, ten undergraduate students participate in a research experience investigating problems in the area of smart environments. Integrating ubiquitous computing, sensing, and actuators in a networked environment, students work directly with computer science faculty to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the space. The objectives are to foster both undergraduate and intra-departmental research, to improve students' post-graduation outcomes with a complementary professional development seminar series, and to increase the number of students pursuing graduate education. The intellectual merit of the project lies in both the interdisciplinary nature of the research and the physical site itself. Students will directly interact with eleven faculty members (including 6 NSF CAREER Award recipients) across a range of research topics, to include: 3-D augmented reality, ambient intelligence, data analytics for energy-aware spaces, computer vision, embedded devices, mobile computing, networking and security, robotics, and user interface design. The sheer size of the physical site at Lehigh's Mountaintop Campus also contributes to its research potential. At 120,000 square feet, it supports large-scale development in a real-world environment, rather than constraining such problems to simulation. Another unique aspect of the physical site is the potential for projects to be integrated into the building's infrastructure, creating one of the largest smart spaces of its kind. More information can be found at the project web site: http://www.cse.lehigh.edu/smartspaces.