Wireless and Physical Security via Embedded Sensor Networks

Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems (WIDS) monitor 802.11 wireless frames (Layer-2) in an attempt to detect misuse. What distinguishes a WIDS from a traditional Network IDS is the ability to utilize the broadcast nature of the medium to reconstruct the physical location of the offending party, as opposed to its possibly spoofed (MAC addresses) identity in cyber space. Traditional Wireless Network Security Systems are still heavily anchored in the digital plane of "cyber space" and hence cannot be used reliably or effectively to derive the physical identity of an intruder in order to prevent further malicious wireless broadcasts, for example by escorting an intruder off the premises based on physical evidence. In this paper, we argue that Embedded Sensor Networks could be used effectively to bridge the gap between digital and physical security planes, and thus could be leveraged to provide reciprocal benefit to surveillance and security tasks on both planes. Toward that end, we present our recent experience integrating wireless networking security services into the SNBENCH (Sensor Network workBench). The SNBENCH provides an extensible framework that enables the rapid development and automated deployment of Sensor Network applications on a shared, embedded sensing and actuation infrastructure. The SNBENCH's extensible architecture allows an engineer to quickly integrate new sensing and response capabilities into the SNBENCH framework, while high-level languages and compilers allow novice SN programmers to compose SN service logic, unaware of the lower-level implementation details of tools on which their services rely. In this paper we convey the simplicity of the service composition through concrete examples that illustrate the power and potential of Wireless Security Services that span both the physical and digital plane.National Science Foundation (CISE/CSR 0720604, ENG/EFRI 0735974, CIES/CNS 0520166, CNS/ITR 0205294, CISE/ERA RI 0202067

Integrating Sensor-Network Research and Development into a Software Engineering Curriculum

The emergence of a sensor-networked world produces a clear and urgent need for well-planned, safe and secure software engineering. It is the role of universities to prepare graduates with the knowledge and experience to enter the work-force with a clear understanding of software design and its application to the future safety of computing. The snBench (Sensor Network WorkBench) project aims to provide support to the programming and deployment of Sensor Network Applications, enabling shared sensor embedded spaces to be easily tasked with various sensory applications by different users for simultaneous execution. In this report we discus our experience using the snBench research project as the foundation for semester-long project in a graduate level software engineering class at Boston University (CS511)

Telework during COVID-19: exposing ableism in U.S. higher education

Abelism, like the many other ‘isms,’ pervades the rules and norms within the U.S. higher education system. Through a first person narrative, this article explores one person’s perspective and experience with the accommodation process - first, as a person without a dis/ability serving as an Americans with Dis/abilities coordinator and then as a faculty member with a dis/ability. It also documents the miraculous ability to institute telework accommodations within weeks when people without dis/abilities needed it due to COVID-19 and consequently exposes one form of ableism in the U.S. post-secondary educational system. The article concludes with a call to anti-ableism and intersectional activism to expand higher education

The Impact of EHR Usability Issues on the Perceived Efficiency of Non-Clinical Hospital-Based EHR Users

A survey-based study of the impact of the EHR systems usability issues on the perceived efficiency of work among non-clinical users in the hospital settings was performed June 20th to July 24th 2015. There were 160 valid responses. The results were processed in SPSS (IBM statistical application) and I determined the usability dimensions with the greatest impact on efficiency, for all EHRs and for the major EHRs (Meditech, Epic and Cerner). Helpfulness was the most frequent problem for users of all EHRs. The survey is experimental and cross-sectional. The format was 20 Likert-type questions, along with screening and demographic questions. Due to the nature of data collected (ordinal) the non-parametric analysis was performed in SPSS. The goal of the study was to figure out the main usability issues among non-clinical users of the EHR systems and to generate actionable insights for designers and developers of EHR systems

Managing the unmanageable: perceptions of structural barriers and external influences on the educational attainment of Pell Grant eligible community college students

Community college students often have more complex needs and access to fewer resources than their four-year university counterparts. While there is some research on community colleges, it tends to be narrowly focused on students' initial degree aspirations, previous academic record, and demographic characteristics and less on the students’ experiences and perceptions. This dissertation identifies and illuminates the gaps between the existing research and the perceptions of community college students. This research draws on empowerment theory and the theory of democratization and diversion to comprehensively explore the complexities of community college students' lives. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with two groups of current Pell Grant eligible community college students: 1) those who meet their institution's criteria for satisfactory academic progress towards an Associates in Arts degree (n=31); and 2) those who do not meet the criteria (n=31). The purpose of these interviews was to uncover barriers and enablers contributing to students' abilities to meet their educational goals. Braun & Clarke's (2006) six phases of iterative thematic analysis were followed to analyze the data and ATLAS.ti software was used to assist in the coding. The data were grouped so that the overlapping experiences of participants could be clearly noted without losing the unique perceptions and words of the participants. Four major themes were identified: sources of motivation; responsibilities to resources ratio and external barriers; informational capital and knowledge; and powerlessness. Motivation and access to sufficient resources in order to meet a student's responsibilities were noted by participants as requirements to enable educational attainment. Additionally, the need for students to decode the rules of higher education in the institution and classroom were identified, and different levels of powerlessness were noted between groups. These findings have implications for theory including updating Brint & Karabel's democratization and diversion theory and presenting an emerging theoretical construct. Recommendations for policy and practice are made. Further, areas of further exploration for community college students and employees are presented in order to continue to add these expert voices in to the larger community college conversation

Intersectionality and Exploitation The Commodification of the Bodies of Marginalized Women

Using four historical case studies this paper attempts to examine the effects of marginalization and exploitation faced by women in a modern context. It opens with a broad analysis of modern trends of exploitation like sex trafficking and pedophilia and how they center around groups based on sex along with race, class, and age. It ends with detailed studies of the lives of women of color: Saartjie Baartman, Julia Pastrana, the patients of J. Marion Sims, and Henrietta Lacks

@yourlocation: A Spatial Analysis of Geotagged Tweets in the US

This project examines the spatial network properties observable from geo-located tweet data. Conventional exploration examines characteristics of a variety of network attributes, but few employ spatial edge correlations in their analysis. Recent studies have demonstrated the improvements that these correlations contribute to drawing conclusions about network structure. This thesis expands upon social network research utilizing spatial edge correlations and presents processing and formatting techniques for JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) data

Mātauranga and science

Mātauranga – Māori knowledge and Māori ways of knowing – developed in Aotearoa along with the cultural and epistemological identities of iwi Māori, thus is rooted in these islands and holds a well of human understanding of Aotearoa ecosystems. Mātauranga encompasses traditional and contemporary knowledge and is becoming increasingly sought after and integrated into mainstream education, research, and environmental policy in Aotearoa New Zealand. With ‘Vision Mātauranga’ a critical point of engagement for researchers, what does the scientist working in this space need to know about mātauranga? I have highlighted what I see to be key aspects of the discussion on how scientists work with those who hold and access mātauranga, and with mātauranga itself. The scholarly literature on mātauranga is extensive, so I focus on that which is relevant toscience education and science research. Throughout I describe and explore the potential of research in which mātauranga and science connect and relate