Alan Sussman
$247,373
Elias Kougianos
Elias Mpofu
University of North Texas
Texas
Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE)
The combination of a network of physical devices embedded with electronics, Internet connectivity, and other hardware, such as sensors, that can communicate and interact with others over the Internet is known as the Internet of Things. One familiar application of this technology is the "smart home" in which people monitor and control their lights, thermostats and security systems remotely using smart phones or smart speakers. An Internet of Things-based framework for the healthcare industry is called the Internet of Medical Things. This technology connects patients to their physicians and supports the transfer of medical data over the Internet. Concerns about the privacy of data transmitted over the Internet and network security are challenges facing all applications of the Internet of Things concept, but they can be exacerbated by the knowledge gap between the designers of the frameworks and the end users in the medical field. As the healthcare industry grows to meet the needs of an aging population, the workforce that designs Internet of Medical Things devices and the networks that connect them must be ready to address these privacy and security concerns. The project is addressing this gap, and thus serves the national interest, as stated by NSF's mission: to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity and welfare. Easy-Med is a multi-disciplinary training program designed to improve core literacy of cyber infrastructure for students at the undergraduate level in northeast Texas. The six-week-long mentored program provides immersive training to increase the students' ability to develop and use secure, privacy-assured sensing healthcare frameworks. A different training module is provided each week and each day of the module includes four hours of lecture and three hours of hands-on lab exercises. Training modules introduce the students to the different aspects involved in designing devices and networks for the Internet of Medical Things. The six training modules, components of which are also provided online, include: 1) types of biosensors and Internet of Medical Things components, 2) system-level modeling of Internet of Medical Things networks, 3) signal and data analytics used in healthcare, 4) security and privacy assurance in Internet of Medical Things technology, 5) applications of biosensors in the healthcare industry, and 6) use of and ethics involved in using the Internet of Medical Things in the community setting. Students who participate in Easy-Med during the summer are encouraged to further their knowledge and provide outreach about the program by participating in a Build-a-Thon activity during the following fall semester and a research symposium in the following spring semester. 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.