by Great Lakes Research Center | Institute of Computing and Cybersystems
The next Great Lakes Research Center/Institute of Computing and Cybersystems (GLRC/ICC) Rapid Seedling Awards have been awarded and the projects will take place during the spring semester. These awards are designed to provide “seedling money” for preliminary research that aims to scale into larger projects with external sponsors.
The three recipients during this round include Jeffrey Wall (COB), Ronghua Xu (AC) and Hassan Masoud (ME-EM). Wall and Xu received funding as part of the ICC, while Masoud will work on the project through the GLRC.
Read more about their research on the Institute of Computing and Cybersystems Blog!
The Institute of Computing and Cybersystems and the Great Lakes Research Center announced the fourth round of Rapid Seedling Awards, which aim to promote scalable research by providing seedling funding for preliminary or supplemental projects. This round of recipients will conduct their research over the Spring 2024 semester, beginning in January. See below for information on their individual projects!
Ronghua (Sam) Xu
Designing a Microchained Network Architecture for Internet of Vehicles (IoV) Networks; $6,000
Internet of Vehicles (IoV) are the foundation of smart transportation, using intelligent transportation systems (ITS). However, the massive amount of data transacting and storage that is required for extensive smart city architecture, further research needs to address how to revolutionize IoV networks to provide stability and security. Blockchain has arisen as a strong contender to adequately address these challenges, and Dr. Xu aims to develop a microchained network framework where blockchain is integrated to interconnected IoV networks.
Dr. Xu is an Assistant Professor in the Applied Computing department and is a member of the ICC Cybersecurity Center.
Jeffrey Wall
AutoProphet: An Open-source, AI-enabled Financial Analytics Tool to Democratize Advanced Financial Analysis for Finance Students and Retail Investors; $9,997
Advances in information technology have increased the accessibility of retail investing. However, financial literacy has not spread at the same rate, leading to risky and uninformed investing behavior by investors reliant on online influences like social media personalities. Existing solutions are costly or limited in capability. Dr. Wall proposes the creation of an open-source financial analytics tool that integrates the positives of existing financial analytics libraries to a simple user interface.
Dr. Wall is an Assistant Professor in the College of Business and is a member of the ICC Cybersecurity and Computing Education Centers
Hassan Masoud
Harnessing Kirigami-Inspired Composites for Wave Energy Conversion; $10,000
Wave energy converters are a promising source of green and sustainable energy. They harness the massive potential energy supplied by ocean waves and transform it into usable energy. As ocean climate becomes more intense due to the effects of climate change, WECs can potentially utilize this change to be even more effective. However, several challenges need to be addressed for the high ceiling that WECs can reach. Namely, economic concerns sit at the forefront, but the cost of WECs is influenced by their structural cost and efficiency. Dr. Masoud asserts that a novel approach to WEC design inspired by the Japanese paper-cutting art of kirigami could be the answer, which can increase energy harvesting efficiency.
Dr. Masoud is a Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics department and a member of the GLRC.
Congratulations to this round of recipients of Rapid Seedling Awards and we are excited to see the outcomes!