Travel: NSF Student Travel Grant for 2024 IEEE Conference on Communications and Network Security (IEEE CNS)

This award will support about 15 U.S.-based students' travel to the 2024 IEEE Conference on Communications and Network Security (IEEE CNS), which will be held in Taipei, Taiwan from September 30-October 3, 2024. The IEEE CNS conference is a premier venue for communications and network security researchers to present their latest research in a number of areas related to security and privacy. Student attendees will be able to present their ideas and projects to other attendees; this can them develop their communication and presentation skills, receive valuable feedback on their research from experts in the field, and expand their professional networks with researchers and industry professionals to get their insights on the latest technologies and challenges. Student attendance also enriches the conference itself, bringing new ideas and experiences into the community. This travel award will provide career development and learning opportunities in IEEE CNS-related fields for U.S.-based students who would otherwise be less likely to be able to attend. Criteria for selection include a demonstrated interest in the field of communications and network security, as shown through research output, coursework, and/or project experience; need for financial support; and diversity of perspectives and backgrounds. The organizing team will widely advertise the availability of funding to increase the chance of reaching potential attendees from groups historically underrepresented in computing, with the twin goals of increasing the breadth of thoughts and perspectives available to conference attendees and developing the next generation of security and privacy researchers and practitioners. 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.