REU Site: REU Site on Smart UAVs

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This funding renews a CISE Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at Auburn University focused on smart unmanned aerial vehicles (smart UAVs). Undergraduate students design algorithms and techniques to safely, securely, and efficiently fly a fleet of autonomous UAVs in a limited field. A nationwide recruitment process with particular emphasis on the southeast region of the United States is used to select cohorts of undergraduate students to participate in an eight-week summer research program at the host institution. The project includes mentoring by the experienced computer science faculty members, technical seminars and workshops, student presentations, field trips and other professional development opportunities. This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program. The objective of this REU Site is to involve undergraduate students in quality research experiences in the exciting and promising field of autonomous unmanned flight. The program builds on the research of an experienced team of faculty mentors and uses the UAV research infrastructure established at the university. The goals are to target students from two groups, students from teaching-oriented primarily undergraduate colleges with limited research possibilities and students from underrepresented minorities such as women and students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This will be accomplished using an existing recruitment network of schools with significant student populations in the target groups. The research is particularly focused on UAV collision avoidance, secure communications, stable flight, and energy efficient flight. These topics are timely and appealing to undergraduates and should offer a quality research experience to the students.