BSU Students Tackle NSA Challenges

Data Science Research Provides Paths to Solutions

MEDIA CONTACT: Cassandra Robinson, crobinson@bowiestate.edu, 301-860-4336

(BOWIE, Md.) – Seven BSU computer science students spent the summer working with the National Security Agency to develop innovative solutions to challenges in four areas associated with gaining a decision advantage to thwart foreign and domestic terrorism to protect the nation and support U.S. allies.

The results of the students’ data science-related research were presented to NSA leaders during a virtual Challenge Showcase on Aug. 27. The research projects ranged from misinformation bot detection, to overhead imagery aircraft machine learning, to marine vessel object detection, to Internet of Things (IOT) signature classification. 

Dr. Benjamin Harvey (’15), research professor in the Department of Computer Science and coordinator of the collaborative research effort with NSA, said the students provided their results with documented code, white papers and a formal presentation to help decision makers within the agency to advance solutions to real problems.

“The hands-on experiences with NSA experts provided our students with valuable training in programming, data science and artificial intelligence as well as experience working together as a team,” said Harvey. “We were able to demonstrate that BSU has the talent and resources to do quality, high impact research and translate research into understandings, products and technologies that can benefit the mission of government agencies or society.”

Computer science students participating in the eight-week summer project were: three doctoral students - Uchenna Ndolo, Staphord Bengesi, and Tanviben Patel; two graduate  students -Ikechukwu Akujobi, and Joseph Ndoumin; and two undergraduate students - Nana Addae and Steven Vilmenay,  

The partnership was established through the NSA approved Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) and Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA). In addition to catalyzing cutting-edge research and innovative product development, the partnership aims to help develop a diverse, highly skilled science and engineering workforce. Other contributing partners were MAXAR Technologies who provide the imagery and Databricks  who provided the development environments.

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Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.