Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology

A group of Arkansas students spent six weeks of their summer vacation in France this year. But instead of relaxing, these future computer scientists spent their time at the National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA) at Rouen, working on computer applications and hardware designed to improve container shipping and associated logistics.

The students – seven from UALR and one from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville – each were assigned a portion of the complete project, which dealt with container security, monitoring, and logistics. One of the main focus areas for their research was the feasibility of the use of sensor networks using sensors such as radio frequency identification (RFID) in shipping containers.

Rouen is located on the Seine River, which is home to three individual ports, so these students’ work is particularly applicable there. However, their work has broader implications for all countries engaged in international trade.

The UALR students worked alongside with students from INSA who began creating a transportation-on-demand system that would allow individuals to call public transit to their location at any time.

UALR students stayed in a dormitory at Rouen, but they were able to spend each weekend traveling throughout France and into other European countries. Next year, the program should expand, according to Dr. Srini Ramaswamy, chair of the Department of Computer Science.

“We have three years of funding for the program from the National Science Foundation (NSF),” he said. “We hope to send more students next year, and they will have the opportunity to continue the research begun this year. Eventually, the students’ work could have broad applications for shipping throughout the world.”

The National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence (NISBRE) recognized Stephanie Byrum and Michael Bauer, both students in the UALR-UAMS bioinformatics graduate program, for the quality of their individual research.

Students and professional researchers displayed their research through posters and abstracts at the conference, held Aug. 6-8 in Washington, D.C. Awards were presented for the most ground-breaking and insightful work.

Dr. Steve Jennings accompanied the two students, who won $1,000 Student Travel Awards to help defray the cost of their attendance at the conference. Recipients were chosen based on rating and peer review of their submitted research abstracts.

Over 300 posters were submitted to the contest, and fewer than 25 students were honored. The Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program, which sponsors the NISBRE conference, works to broaden the geographic distribution of National Institutes of Health funding for biomedical and behavioral research.

Byrum’s major advisor is Dr. Larry Suva of UAMS, and Dr. Dan Berleant of UALR advises Bauer.

High school students from 11 schools across Arkansas presented research projects in high-level math and science disciplines, the results of their participation in UALR’s High School Research Program.

The program pairs high schoolers with a UALR scientist for one-on-one mentoring in a focused research environment. The mentoring guides the academic high achieving students in selecting the high school courses needed to pursue future careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

In addition, the program provides informal peer mentoring by engaging students in faculty research projects. That allows high schoolers to establish early contact with college students and professors in specific areas of their interest, said Vernard Henley, director of education outreach and diversity in UALR’s Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology.

The three-week residential experience comes at no cost to the participants.

Students and their high schools are:

• Shelton Hale of Parkview High School.
• William Anthony of Huntville High School and the Arkansas Science, Math, and the Arts High School.
• Stephen Sivils, Arkadelphia High School.
• Priyanka Murali of Little Rock Central.
• Karan Batra of Bentonville High School.
• Jesse Thomason of Ouachita High School and ASMSA.
• Megan Trett of Viola High School and ASMSA.
• Andrew Seel from Parkview and ASMSA.
• Helio Liu, Little Rock Central.
• Jake Berry of Searcy High School and ASMSA.