REU Site: Computer Systems Research

This award renews the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site in Computer Systems Research at the University of Louisville. This REU Site hosts eight undergraduate students in eight-week summer sessions to conduct research with faculty mentors on topics related to computer systems, including computer architecture, operating systems, Internet of Things (IoT), embedded systems, and distributed machine learning. While it is open to undergraduates from all over the country, this funding fills a large gap regionally as currently it is the only REU site available for computer science research in Kentucky. In addition to the significant broader social impacts of the proposed research projects, this REU site impacts undergraduate students from schools with limited research opportunities by helping them gain theoretical and practical knowledge in computer systems concepts and tools, training them in conducting cutting-edge computer systems research, and inspiring them to pursue postgraduate education in computer science. With Moore's Law coming to an end, we are now in an exciting era ripe for the exploration of new computer systems for the future. In this regard, this REU Site includes a broad variety of computer systems research topics, ranging from processor architecture to storage systems and from small-scale systems such as IoT devices to large-scale distributed systems. Research projects advance the state-of-the-art in computer systems by exploring new architectures for emerging applications on mobile and edge devices; energy-efficient storage stack designs; energy-efficient embedded systems and microcontrollers; and novel distributed computing and explainable machine learning algorithms. A multi-level mentoring model is followed through weekly progress meetings with the PIs, regular research meetings with the mentors, and continuous interaction with graduate students. This project is jointly funded by CISE and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). 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.