REU Site: Frontier Technologies for Biometrics and Authentication

该项目建立了一个新的本科生研究经验（REU）网站，由布法罗大学计算机科学与工程系主办。全国各地的本科生将与一群经验丰富的教师和行业导师一起工作，并在每年夏天进行生物识别和身份验证方面的前沿研究。生物识别技术正在取代传统的密码，成为移动应用、银行和边境安全等日常生活场景中最受欢迎的认证方式。这一趋势导致该行业对具有生物识别计算技能的科学家和工程师的需求大幅增加。为了强化生物识别技术，满足日益增长的行业需求，生物识别和身份认证已经成为网络安全课程的核心部分。该REU网站将为一群本科生研究人员提供短期强化研究培训经验，为他们在网络安全领域的职业生涯做好准备，并有利于他们的研究生申请和求职。通过各种活动，如实践项目、研讨会、演示、演讲、实地考察和其他专业发展机会，本科生也将提高他们的专业技能。这个REU网站旨在扩大代表性不足的群体对研究活动的参与。尽管之前已经做出了大量的努力，但关于生物识别系统的有效性和管理，以及它们的使用的适当性和社会影响，仍然存在未解决的挑战。此外，普通大众接触到的生物识别技术主要是间谍惊悚片中的高科技工具，或者是投机小说中国家或企业监控的恐惧灌输工具。生物识别技术中有以下几个具有挑战性和未开发的研究问题，但对可信生物识别技术非常重要：新的生物识别模式、反欺骗、可取消性、连续认证和社会接受度。问题的提出和解决方案将有助于社会各界加强对生物识别技术在个人身份识别和认证方面的认识。具体而言，在生物识别和身份认证的长远愿景下，该REU站点将重点关注(A)生物识别模式和(B)生物识别安全两个基础研究方向。具体而言，本科生的研究项目将建立在生物识别与认证主题下的六个研究领域的基础上，包括1)生物识别传感器与硬件，2)生物识别数据处理，3)认证算法，4)生物识别系统安全，5)用户界面优化，6)攻击与对策。研究成果包括一系列尖端生物识别技术，包括新兴的生理和行为生物识别技术、持续和可撤销的身份验证、漏洞以及针对生物识别身份验证的新攻击的缓解方法。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project establishes a new Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site hosted by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University at Buffalo. Undergraduate students across the nation will work with a group of experienced faculty members and industrial mentors and conduct cutting-edge research in biometrics and authentication during each summer. Biometrics is replacing traditional passwords and becoming the most preferred authentication approach in daily-life scenarios, including mobile applications, banking, and border security. The trend leads to an impressive upsurge in the industry's need to hire scientists and engineers with biometric computing skills. To hardness the biometric technology and meet the increasing industry demand, biometrics and authentication have become a core part of the cybersecurity course curriculum. This REU site will provide a short-term intensive research training experience to a group of undergraduate researchers to prepare them for a career in the field of cybersecurity and benefit their graduate applications and job hunting. Through various activities such as hands-on projects, seminars, demos, presentations, field trips, and other professional development opportunities, undergraduate students will also enhance their professional skills. This REU site aims to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in research activities.Despite substantial previous efforts, there remain unresolved challenges about the effectiveness and management of systems for biometric recognition, as well as the appropriateness and societal impacts of their use. Moreover, the general public has been exposed to biometrics largely as high-technology gadgets in spy thrillers or as fear instilling instruments of state or corporate surveillance in speculative fiction. The following research problems in biometrics are challenging and unexplored, but of great importance to trustworthy biometrics: new biometric modality, anti-spoofing, cancelability, continuous authentication, and societal acceptance. The problem formulation and solutions will help the community strengthen the understanding of biometrics in individual identification and authentication. Specifically, under the long-term vision of biometrics and authentication, this REU site will focus on the two fundamental research directions on (A) biometric modality and (B) biometric security. Specifically, the research projects for undergraduate students will be built on top of six (6) research areas under the theme of Biometrics and Authentication, including 1) Biometric Sensors & Hardware, 2) Biometric Data Processing, 3) Authentication Algorithms, 4) Biometrics System Security, 5) User Interface Optimization, and 6) Attacks & Countermeasures. Research outcomes include a set of cutting-edge biometric technologies, including emerging physiological and behavioral biometrics, continuous and revocable authentication, vulnerabilities, and mitigation approaches to new attacks to biometric authentication.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.