Tag: Computer Science

Exploring Internet Censorship: A Self-Destroying Prophecy (Prof. Taha Khan)

1 student is sought for a project on “Exploring Internet Censorship: A Self-Destroying Prophecy” with Prof. Taha Khan that will begin on 6/1/2024 and last for 10 weeks

Project Description:

Internet censorship is a prevalent strategy employed by authoritarian regimes to control and restrict the flow of information accessible to their citizens. This suppression of digital content covers a broad spectrum of online platforms and services. In addition to social media and streaming sites, the censorship often includes foreign news outlets, political blogs, activist websites, and forums that facilitate public discourse and dissent. While governments may believe that their imposed restrictions effectively render certain content inaccessible, citizens frequently find ways to circumvent these barriers using various technological tools. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), proxies, and other digital mechanisms are commonly used to bypass internet censorship. This project investigates how internet users actively seek ways to bypass censorship. It also assesses the effectiveness of these methods and identifies when certain approaches are favored. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, using both surveys and data analytics for quantitative data collection. We will conduct surveys across various demographics and employ web scraping to track website blocking, keyword filtering, and IP address restrictions. Furthermore, we will utilize API access to social networks to analyze trends in content removal and account suspensions. The aim is to uncover correlations between censorship methods and user responses, testing the hypothesis that internet censorship fails to achieve its intended results.

Prerequisites

Students must have taken at least the core 2xx level computer science courses.

Special Comments

Project Information

Estimated Start Date: 6/1/2024

Estimated End Date: 8/9/2024

Maximum number of students sought: 1

Contact Information: Prof. Taha Khan (tkhan@wlu.edu)

Neuromorphic Control for Micro Aerial Vehicles (Prof. Simon Levy)

1 student is sought for a project on “Neuromorphic Control for Micro Aerial Vehicles” with Prof. Simon Levy that will begin on 6/10/2024 and last for 10 weeks

Project Description:

The student and I will continue my ongoing research in using neuromorphic (i.e., biologically realistic) sensing devices and control algorithms for micro-scale (100mm, 100grams) indoor aerial vehicles, as described in Levy, S.D. (2020) Robustness Through Simplicity: A Minimalist Gateway to Neurorobotic Flight. Frontiers in Neurorobotics, 16 March 2020. Our goal is a follow-up to this publication in the same journal.

Prerequisites

Student should have completed the Computer Science major through the level of CSCI-209 (Software Engineering).

Special Comments

Student is not required to take any specific course(s) with me. Having been invited to spend part of summer 2024 as a visiting professor in the TENNLab at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, I anticipate an opportunity for the student to spend some of the 10 weeks working with me and my colleagues there.

Project Information

Estimated Start Date: 6/10/2024

Estimated End Date: 8/16/2024

Maximum number of students sought: 1

Contact Information: Prof. Simon Levy (levys@wlu.edu)

Gamer Skill Level Demographic Metrics (Prof. Elizabeth Matthews)

2 students are sought for a project on “Gamer Skill Level Demographic Metrics” with Prof. Elizabeth Matthews that will begin on 6/15/2024 and last for 8 weeks

Project Description:

This is a continuation of previous summer research scholar work. The project aims to develop a metric of categorizing participants in academic studies into their “skill level” in video games. The project will consist of running user studies, collecting data, analysis of data via the programming language R, technical writing, and exploratory research.

Prerequisites

Students should be familiar with statistical analysis and have an interest in video games. Students are required to have completed CSCI 209. Not required but recommended is a familiarity with the programming language R.

Special Comments

Project Information

Estimated Start Date: 6/15/2024

Estimated End Date: 8/9/2024

Maximum number of students sought: 2

Contact Information: Prof. Elizabeth Matthews (lmatthews@wlu.edu)

Securing Internet Freedom: Addressing Insecure Signals for At-Risk Populations (Prof. William Tolley)

3 students are sought for a project on “Securing Internet Freedom: Addressing Insecure Signals for At-Risk Populations” with Prof. William Tolley that will begin on 6/3/2024 and last for 10 weeks

Project Description:

This project aims to fortify Internet freedom by uncovering and addressing vulnerabilities within digital tools used for circumventing censorship and surveillance, especially in authoritarian regimes. Building upon research that exposed flaws in VPNs, we’ll investigate the susceptibility of VPNs, Tor, and I2P to inference and hijacking attacks, critical for safeguarding user privacy and free expression. Additionally, we’ll scrutinize apps and operating systems suspected of enabling surveillance or censorship. Expanding our scope, we’ll analyze radio frequency patterns emitted by devices to detect potential information controls. By identifying and mitigating these vulnerabilities, we strive to empower at-risk populations with enhanced access to uncensored information, ensuring their fundamental rights to privacy, free speech, and access to information are preserved in the digital age.

Prerequisites

Prospective participants ideally have completed coursework like CSCI210, delving into advanced programming concepts and computer organization. However, essential skills for the project can be acquired and applied during the summer. Proficiency in C and Assembly languages is advantageous, though not mandatory.

Special Comments

Project Information

Estimated Start Date: 6/3/2024

Estimated End Date: 8/9/2024

Maximum number of students sought: 3

Contact Information: Prof. William Tolley (wtolley@wlu.edu)

NMT Applied to Software Security (Prof. Cody Watson)

1 student is sought for a project on “NMT Applied to Software Security” with Prof. Cody Watson that will begin on 6/1/2024 and last for 8 weeks

Project Description:

The rise of ChatGPT has led many to use this tool as a source code generation tool. In addition, tools like GitHub copilot, Code Llama and Alpha Code are used to create source code for developers. One issue is that the data these models are trained with can occasionally have security vulnerabilities due to outdated packages and unsecure function calls. My tool would focus on using neural machine translation (NMT) to automatically find these security vulnerabilities and fix them. This would then be integrated with developer tools such that code could be generated within a source code project, without potentially introducing security flaws.

Prerequisites

Machine Learning and Linear Algebra

Special Comments

N/A

Project Information

Estimated Start Date: 6/1/2024

Estimated End Date: 7/26/2024

Maximum number of students sought: 1

Contact Information: Prof. Cody Watson (cwatson@wlu.edu)