REU Site: Undergraduate Research Experience in Frontiers of Data-Driven Computing

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This funding renews a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at the University of Houston. A team of experienced faculty mentors will guide undergraduate students in summer research projects focused on data-driven computing. A crucial aspect of most research is verifiable facts. In most computer science research, data embodies the underlying facts. Data-driven computing provides a reproducible and objective basis for drawing research conclusions. The site will recruit a cohort of 10 students each summer with a focus on students from non-research-intensive institutions as well as students from groups traditionally under-represented in the computing fields. The students will participate in other professional development that will help prepare them for graduate studies and other careers in computing. The intellectual merit of this project lies in the intellectual focus on data-driven computing and the strong faculty group guiding the research as well as the state-of-the art facilities the students will use. In this REU Site, projects involving analyzing various types of data, including medical data, text, network packets, and biometric data, will expose the participating undergraduate students to the core tenets of research, objectivity, and verifiability. The objectives of the site are for students to: develop competency in scientific research, presentation, and writing skills; produce meaningful research results written up in a format acceptable for publication in an appropriate conference or journal; sustain and increase their interest in research careers after their summer research experience; become prepared to apply to graduate school; and present and disseminate their research results effectively.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.