In a major honor for the College of Arts and Sciences, two faculty members in the School of Computer and Data Sciences (SCDS) have been awarded Fulbright awards for the coming year. These prestigious awards will allow Brittany Erickson, associate professor of computer science and earth sciences, and Reza Rejaie, professor of computer science, to conduct research and act as cultural ambassadors while abroad in Iceland and Finland, respectively.
Fulbright experiences are designed to help scholars study, teach, conduct research and contribute to mutual understanding in countries around the world. They contribute to international relationships between the people of the U.S. and citizens of other nations, and often have a lasting impact on home campuses.
Erickson heading to Iceland to study mathematics of volcanoes
Erickson’s award comes from Fulbright Iceland, where she’ll be spending four months studying the mathematical underpinnings of volcanic eruptions as the Fulbright Iceland-Ministry for Foreign Affairs Arctic Scholar.
“What I want to do is take a mathematical perspective and analyze the problem from first principles,” said Erickson. “By looking at the equations governing motion for volcanic behavior, we can better understand what parameters give rise to large eruptions.”
Modeling the physics involved requires a high-performance computational modeling framework that Erickson will continue developing in collaboration with Icelandic scientists. Her research will inform seismic hazard on the Reykjanes Peninsula, a region close to the University of Iceland where Erickson will be working. It is a region with significant volcanic activity, which has led to abandonment of a fishing village and poses a threat to a nearby power plant.
In addition to the research, a major component of the grant is the aspect of cultural exchange between the U.S. and Iceland.
“I’m really excited to develop sustained relationships with Icelandic colleagues and to experience conducting research in a different country and culture,” said Erickson. “The idea is that this work will have broader implications around the world.”
Rejaie heading to Finland to study AI-powered cyberattack detection
Rejaie’s award, the Fulbright-Nokia Distinguished Chair in Information and Communications Technologies, takes him to the University of Helsinki in Finland, where he will spend six months collaborating with colleagues to explore how AI can improve network security.
"Modern networks generate enormous volumes of network traffic. Programmable switches can serve as a flexible lens by observing network traffic and collecting measurements, known as telemetry, about what they see,” said Rejaie. “Because their processing resources are limited, they must balance collecting basic telemetry across large portions of network traffic with gathering richer telemetry by progressively zooming in on smaller portions. We're developing AI models that guide this adaptive zooming strategy — determining both where to zoom in and what telemetry to collect — so the switch can rapidly and accurately identify the small portion of network traffic most likely associated with an attack.”
Like Erickson, Rejaie’s grant prioritizes the aspect of cultural exchange.
"I also plan to visit universities and research laboratories across Finland and the Nordic region to present my work, exchange ideas with researchers and students, and develop new collaborations that strengthen long-term research and educational partnerships," he said.
Erickson and Rejaie’s awards are some of the most prestigious offered by Fulbright and recognize SCDS faculty’s outstanding contributions to their field as scholars, leaders and ambassadors. Their projects have the potential to make an impact all over the world, as well as back home, to help us all live with safer physical and digital infrastructure.
— By Evan Ney, College of Arts and Sciences