REU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Hardware and Embedded Systems Security and Trust (RHEST)

University Of Cincinnati Main Campus, Cincinnati OH

Investigators

Abstract

This funding establishes a new Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at the University of Cincinnati. This REU site will host ten undergraduate students for ten summer weeks each year to work on research projects in the area of hardware and embedded systems security and trust. The security and trust of hardware and embedded systems play increasingly critical roles in building secure, reliable, and trustworthy computing systems, communication networks, and cyberinfrastructures. The students will work closely with faculty mentors, advance their knowledge and hands-on skills in hardware and embedded systems security and trust, and develop professional skills for their future careers in computing. The site will attract undergraduate students across the nation, particularly focusing on recruiting students from underrepresented groups in computing and institutions with limited research opportunities in computing. The REU research projects cover critical and emerging research problems in hardware and embedded systems security and trust, including side-channel attacks, fault injection attacks, reserve engineering, security validation of third-party intellectual properties, and detection of hardware Trojans. The goal of the research projects is to defend against (or mitigate) attacks, minimize information leakage, and strengthen the security and trust of hardware and embedded systems. The research findings of this project will promote workforce development in cybersecurity, increase the economic competitiveness of the U.S. in hardware and embedded systems, and enhance national security. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.