Networks
Networks make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Social networks, computer networks, and transportation networks are all examples of networks that are deeply enmeshed into our lives. CISE investigates fundamental research questions in networks, such as network formation and evolution, and interaction between network agents (which may be selfish or malicious). The questions are addressed through advances in the fields of optimization, control, distributed algorithms, and game theory. The theoretical methods are complemented by experimental work, which include testing of IoT and 5G network systems, deployment of networks of autonomous agents (e.g., robots, drones, and connected vehicles), design of neural networks for deep learning, federation of cloud computing systems, and data-driven methods to detect and thwart malicious behavior on the Internet.
BU Researchers Propose Method for Controlling COVID-19 through Cellphones
CISE faculty affiliate Ari Trachtenberg along with fellow Boston University Computer Science professors Mayank Varia, and Ran Canetti recently published a paper that proposes a method for using cellphones to track COVID-19, while protecting user privacy. The researchers write: “Successful containment of the Coronavirus pandemic rests on the ability to quickly and reliably identify those […]
Secure Bio-Engineered Sensors for Disease Management
The objective of this project is to address the limitations in our current ability to measure disease biomarkers in the gastrointestinal tract. Unable to track the levels of these molecules, we have an incomplete picture of the process of inflammation, and thus cannot evaluate disease progression or how well treatments are working. To overcome gaps […]
CNS Core: Small: Collaborative Research: HEECMA: A Hybrid Elastic Edge-Cloud Application Management Architecture
Application software is becoming increasingly abundant in functionality and increasingly demanding of resources, e.g., memory and compute power. This project examines how application software, e.g., a Virtual Reality (VR) based drone control application, can be partitioned and deployed over different parts of a distributed computing infrastructure, i.e., resources are managed by a hybrid of service […]
CNS Core: Small: Collaborative Research: The Interplay of Markets and Security in 5G Shared Spectrum Services
Efficient and secure use of shared spectrum is critical to support the demands from emerging 5G wireless applications that have potential benefits across society. This project is addressing these by considering intertwined economic and security issues in 5G wireless networks that use more flexible spectrum access paradigms, such as the recently finalized rules for the […]
Efficiently Distributing Optimization Over Large-Scale Networks
This project will design new algorithms for distributed optimization which can work without any kind of central coordinator or processor server and whose asymptotic performance always improves in larger networks. The algorithms will run over communication networks based on peer-to-peer nearest neighbor with connectivity backbones that can vary with time. Our model will explicitly account […]
How Fitbits, Other Bluetooth Devices Make Us Vulnerable to Tracking
BU researchers found that a third-party algorithm can track the location of some Bluetooth devices In 2018, nearly 3.7 billion new Bluetooth-enabled devices shipped worldwide to consumers. From phones and speakers to thermostats and fridges, home appliances and personal devices including “wearables” are rapidly becoming more connected by Wi-Fi than ever before, creating what’s called […]
A Comprehensive Regional Framework for Sustainability
Many U.S. cities are simultaneously confronting two interrelated, but tragically siloed issues: environmental impact and access to affordable housing. Central to both is sound land use policy. Where people live, what people build, and what people keep or make green matters not just to a neighborhood, but to the nation. Cities have a responsibility to […]
III: Small: Distributed Semantic Information Processing Applied to Camera Sensor Networks
In many applications, sensor networks can be used to monitor large geographical regions. This typically produces large quantities of data that need to be associated, summarized and classified in order to arrive to a semantically meaningful descriptions of the phenomena being monitored. The long-term guiding vision of this project is a distributed network that can […]
CPS: Breakthrough: A Dynamic Optimization Framework for Connected Automated Vehicles in Urban Environments
Connected Automated Vehicles (CAVs), often referred to as “self-driving cars”, will have a profound impact not only on transportation systems, but also in terms of associated economic, environmental, and social effects. As with any such major transformative undertaking, quantifying the magnitude of its expected impact is essential. The first part of this project aims at […]
Broadening Participation in Teaching and Research in GENI: A Regional Workshop in May 2016
This project supports hosting a Global Environment for Network innovations (GENI) Regional Workshop (GRW) on May 23, 2016 at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. The intent of this GRW is to continue to broaden the GENI user community, introducing new educators and researchers in the northeastern US geographic region to GENI. Four GRWs in total […]