REU Sites: Experimental Computer Systems Research at Binghamton University

Binghamton University in general, and its Computer Science (CS) Department in particular, are successfully complementing an outstanding reputation for undergraduate education with vibrant and growing graduate-level research programs. This combination provides fertile ground for outstanding undergraduate research experiences in the area of experimental computer systems. The combination of a high quality research environment, dedicated and talented Faculty Research Mentors, and a feedback loop driven by a local educational evaluation professional, ensure the strong intellectual merit of this REU site. An attractive high-quality Web space, papers published in high-profile venues, and faculty talks describing student research, will demonstrate that undergraduates can be valuable and effective researchers, thereby encouraging other CS departments to increasingly employ them in this capacity. Current research projects directed by Binghamton CS faculty include improving the performance, energy-efficiency, and reliability of modern microprocessors and memory systems; using Grid computing to solve computationally complex distributed scientific applications; combining and scaling wide-area Web-based information retrieval techniques; advancing face recognition, processing, analysis, and animation research; and creating new combinatorial optimization techniques for VLSI computer aided design problems. Specific goals of the Binghamton REU Site include exposing students to high-quality computer systems research, training them to be effective and productive computer science researchers, and attracting them through exciting and positive experiences to continue to pursue a research-oriented career path.