There are more smartphones in the world than people, but little or no computer networking research includes them.
Crowley
Patrick Crowley, a renowned expert in network and computer systems architecture at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, plans to develop a new software infrastructure that will allow computer researchers to develop network systems and protocols in smartphones and similar devices. with a three-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This infrastructure would enable better translation between research innovation and real-world use and commercialization.
He also received a one-year $299,000 grant from the NSF to explore whether the Internet’s challenges with efficiency, complexity, and trust could be better addressed with a new communication model.
Crowley, a professor of computer science and engineering, said that while most networking research projects are designed to improve the way users, devices and servers connect and communicate, most academic systems researchers only use the Linux operating system, while the most used user platforms are the iOS and Android operating systems. A new infrastructure would create software that could work with multiple types of devices and make it easier for researchers to evaluate their work on these common devices.
“Just as it’s easier to look for keys under a lamppost, it’s easier to design research projects within the comfortable confines of available research platforms,” said Crowley, who directs the Applied Research Lab. “The goal of this project is to dramatically expand those limits.”
Find more information on the engineering website.