Research

CTS Mission: The Center for Technology Studies (CTS) is a part of the learning community of the University of Advancing Technology (UAT).  Through research and publication on advancing technologies, the CTS furthers community understanding of technology disciplines, their applications, and their relevance in our global society.

CTS Goals

• To conduct original research in order to produce works that are published in the broader community, demonstrating our commitment to the Board Directed End of Passion for Technology.
• To perform directed research and to publish those works in emerging technology fields identified through the program development process for possible inclusion in UAT's educational programs to help fulfill the Board End of Future Oriented Educational Offerings.

The Center for Technology Studies at UAT supports research and knowledge creation in advancing technologies.  Research is conducted by students, both graduate and undergraduate, faculty and staff at the University. Additionally, the CTS actively partners with the community, industry, and other academic institutions to create new technologies that advance the greater good of all participants.  Within the CTS, in addition to its studies in other technology areas, the University houses our Center for Information Assurance. This focused research center produces knowledge solely within the information assurance disciplines at UAT, Computer Forensics and Network Security at the undergraduate level, and Information Security at the graduate level.

CTS Projects

For the 2004-2006 Planning Cycle, the CTS has identified the following primary research projects:

• MMO in Education
  

  Synopsis: This project is a preliminary study of the effectiveness of using commercial massively multiplayer online (MMO) environments for Education. A commercial MMO environment will be used to teach a course, while a side-by-side control group will have the same course delivered using additional materials. Outcome assessments will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the commercial MMO in achieving educational deliverables.

  Project Lead: Rebecca Whitehead, Dean of Academic Affairs

• Portable Learning Technologies
  

  Synopsis: This proposal is a partnered community service endeavor between UAT and the Foster Angels of Arizona. This proposed partnership will enable UAT to develop and install a portable technology learning center in a set of group foster homes in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Students in the home will be engaged in after-school learning using technology in which the lesson plans are designed to reinforce essential primary and secondary materials based on Aims requirements in Arizona. The goal of the project is to engage the students in the home with technology-based learning that is portable. 

  Project Lead(s): Raymond Blackwood, IT Manager of Development, and Meredith Barham, Associate Dean of Student and Employer Affairs

• COR Project
  

  Synopsis: This game-a complete modification using the Unreal Tournament 2004 engine-is entirely playable. The original concept of the game was: I want to play a video game that has transforming robots in it (i.e. Transformers).  A 14-person, student-led team and a faculty advisor, completed the game in 2005, after which it was released for free download on the UAT website and presented at the 2005 Game Developers Conference.

  Project Lead(s): Christopher Pope, Nicholas Herring and Matthew Tonks (all undergraduates)

  www.corproject.com

Center for Information Assurance Projects:

Click here to view the Center for Information Assurance Charter

Click here to view application letter for NSA Center of Academic Excellence and Information Assurance Education Program

• Phoenix Wardriving
  

  Synopsis: This city-wide study of wireless security has been ongoing since January 2005. Thus far, it reports over 130,000 wireless access points within the Phoenix Metroplex current data demonstrates that over 60% of wireless access points in this region appear to be non-secure. The project is intended not only to demonstrate ethical wardriving to the community, but additionally to use resulting data to inform grass roots education efforts to "improve the wireless IQ" of highly un-secure communities in the Phoenix area.  Preliminary data has been presented at TechnoSecurity 2005 in June, 2005 and at InfraGard Phoenix in November, 2005. Data collection and analysis is ongoing.

  Project Lead:  Al Kelly, Assistant Professor, Network Security

  Conference Interview 

• StegoNet
  

  Synopsis: This research effort is a community partnership between UAT and Security Horizons, Inc.  The project is intended to develop and use new technologies to detect and decrypt instances of steganography occurring on the Internet.  This project is slated to begin in January 2006 and will involve UAT students and faculty.

  Project Lead: Russ Rogers, Professor of Network Security

• VOIP Distributed Phone Applications
  

  Synopsis: This project consisted of a team of students with a faculty advisor designing and constructing a prototype of a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) distributed phone system.

  Project Lead: Raymond Blackwood, IT Manager of Development

• I.C.A.R.U.S.
  

  Synopsis: I.C.A.R.U.S. - (Internet Controlled All-purpose Reconnaissance Unmanned Sphere) is a student project for the development of a TCP/IP enabled device contest the students are sponsoring at this year's DefCon13 in Las Vegas, NV. I.C.A.R.U.S. will be a hollow sphere containing a microcomputer which will be controlled through a web application over an 802.11 wireless network. The sphere will be able to be controlled from a site on the internet or locally through a handheld device running Windows CE. The sphere will also have an internal video camera which will allow the user to see from the sphere's point of view. The technology used in the development of this project could be used to create unmanned internet controlled devices and functionality such as gathering sensor data as well as robotic functionality can be easily added.

  Project Lead: Raymond Blackwood, IT Manager of Development

  I.C.A.R.U.S. Presentation

For more information on the Center for Technology Studies or to inquire about research projects and support, please contact the Center Chairs, Sue White at swhite@uat.edu or Raymond Blackwood at rayblack@uat.edu.

Click here to see the call for submissions for the university's Journal of Advancing Technology.