The National Science Foundation has awarded $1.5 million to Cornell engineers and researchers to help them bridge New York’s digital divide by designing the nation’s first statewide Internet of Things public infrastructure.
“We aim to create a public Internet of Things model that works here and then becomes replicable for other states,” said Max Zhang, professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical Engineering, the project’s principal investigator (PI). “We want to provide universal network coverage, ensure data privacy, promote responsible data-sharing, scale up successful Internet of Things implementations and spur technology innovation in underserved areas.”
The community engagement efforts include a new engineering student project team—Cornell Engaged IoT—which has been working directly with organizations in Tompkins County to utilize the IoT infrastructure. The broad scope of the work requires collaborators in a range of fields, from understanding the physical factors of energy and environmental monitoring, to designing the devices and sensors as well as the software dashboards.
EERL is also working to expand interest in a public IoT infrastructure by creating Cornell’s first introductory IoT course (MAE4220/MAE4221/ECE4950), in which students will engage with community partners to tackle social, economic and environmental problems using the technology. In conjunction with the NSF effort, students will learn how to develop IoT-based technological solutions and how to communicate about the responsible use of IoT technology to create positive societal impact.
