"Dong Chen Wins NSF CAREER Award for Project on Cybersecurity, Smart Home Device Data"
Dong Chen, assistant professor of computer science at Colorado School of Mines, has won a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award for research aimed at providing smart home device users greater control over their data privacy. Chen will receive $586,000 over the course of five years for his efforts to develop a family of algorithms, mechanisms, and prototypes that will enhance Internet of Things (IoT) security and privacy for smart homes. As part of his project, Chen will also establish IoT cybersecurity workshops for middle and high school instructors in Colorado public schools, focusing on districts with populations of underrepresented students in STEM. Hands-on course modules will be developed to cover IoT systems, cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), which will be used to train students from K-12, undergraduate, and graduate levels. For the purpose of guiding the next generation of IoT, cybersecurity, and AI researchers, outreach activities will be held at local elementary, middle, and high schools. This article continues to discuss the different aspects of Chen's CAREER project, from empowering users of smart home devices to protect their privacy to improving diversity in the cybersecurity field.