REU Site Summer Research Program

Program Overview

This project establishes a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Louisville (UofL) specifically focusing on Computer Systems Research. This site hosts 10 students in 10-week summer sessions every year for the project duration of three years with the ultimate goal of encouraging 30 undergraduate students to pursue graduate study and careers in computer systems. The activities include training in computer systems concepts and tools, introducing computer systems research, multi-level mentoring through weekly meetings with the PIs, daily meetings with the mentors, and continuous interaction with graduate students, as well as field trips and social events. Eight faculty from the Computer Science and Engineering Department with diverse expertise in computer systems research mentor the students and involve them in their research labs and ongoing projects. Specialized computer systems training provides the students with theoretical, technical, and analytical skills in general computer systems concepts including computer architecture fundamentals, operating systems basics, crucial systems programming methods, Linux command line, shell & python scripting, and HPC cluster access and usage. In addition, provided research training introduces the general computer systems research process including literature review, understanding prior work, formulating new problems, designing and conducting experiments, and preparing presentations and publications of results. At the end, the students are encouraged to publish their research work and present it in a professional conference.

Computer Systems Research

The research focus of this REU Site is Computer Systems Research (CSR), which broadly concentrates on the design and development of hardware and software necessary to create platforms that meet users’ computing requirements. In NSF, CSR has its own cluster under CISE’s CNS division, and its scope is broadly defined as embedded and multicore systems and accelerators; mobile and extensible distributed systems; cloud and data-intensive processing systems; and memory, storage, and file systems. Aligned with NSF’s definition, the main research pillars of our CSR focus are Operating Systems; Parallel and Distributed Systems; Embedded Systems; Mobile Systems; and Computer Architecture. Therefore, our research projects include a broad range of topics, spanning from processor architecture to storage systems, and from the small-scale mobile and edge devices to the exascale data centers. Nevertheless, all the research projects in this REU site share the common computing systems theme, enabling students to understand each other’s work and broaden their perspectives of different computer systems. Within this CSR scope, our site’s general research goals are to advance energy efficiency, time predictability, performance, as well as security & privacy, scalability, and sustainability of computer systems.

Detailed REU Site Activities

IN SUMMER 2023, ALL ACTIVITIES WILL BE IN PERSON!

Date

Activities

May 29, 2023

Students arrive on campus.

May 30- June 2, 2023 (Week 1)

  1. All REU students, faculty mentors, their graduate assistants, and PIs will join the orientation to meet each other.
  2. The pre-program survey will be conducted for both the students and mentors.
  3. The PIs will teach research methodologies, ethics, code of conduct, and expectations. Tutorial sessions on computer systems concepts and tools will be provided to prepare the REU students to actively conduct their research.
  4. REU students will meet their mentors daily to get more details on their projects.
  5. REU students begin to work on their research projects.

June 5 – 9, 2023 (Week 2)

  1. Students will work on their research projects under the guidance of their mentors. Each student will have a daily meeting with his/her mentor, graduate student or postdoc.
  2. The PIs will meet all REU students weekly on Friday to discuss their projects and experiences.
  3. The weekly seminar on computer systems research begins.
  4. The PIs will coordinate with all faculty and students to assess whether any specific need arises regarding research, training, or other activities.

June 12 – July 28, 2023 (Weeks 3-9)

Same as Week 2, with additional social events.

July 31 – Aug. 4, 2023 (Week 10)

Final Research Poster Competition Week: Same as Week 2, plus a final research presentation by the students. REU students will participate in the poster competition as part of UofL’s Summer Research Showcase event. End-of-program survey for both students and mentors will be performed.

Research Projects and Mentors

Important Dates

Application DeadlineSunday, April 2, 2023
Notification of SelectionFriday, April 14, 2023
REU Program StartsTuesday, May 30, 2023
Final Day of REU ProgramFriday, Aug. 4, 2023

Eligibility & Deadlines

Application Materials

  • Official College Transcript(s)
  • Resume (2-page limit)
  • Personal Statement (1-page limit), indicating your career objectives, research interests, relevant experiences, if any, and justifying why you are a good match for this program and the selected project(s);
  • Two letters of recommendations

Acknowledgement

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2050925.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.