21 April 2005

Four Longwood students chosen for summer research program at U.Va.

Four Longwood University students, the most of any college and university, are among a total of 10 undergraduates who have been selected for a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Virginia this summer.

Dan Dougherty, a senior; juniors Keith Krehely and Bethany Jean Rababy; and sophomore Jen Eckrote were recently chosen for the "Creating Computer Applications for Medicine" program in U.Va.'s Department of Computer Science, to run from June 13 through Aug. 5. The National Science Foundation, which funds the program, awarded an REU site to U.Va. for the summers of 2005 and 2006 and, depending on funding, in 2007.

Dougherty, of St. Stephens Church, Krehely ( Chesapeake) and Rababy ( Fredericksburg) are computer science majors, and Eckrote ( Virginia Beach) is double-majoring in mathematics and physics.

The summer program is part of an ongoing research project, in its third year, to protect privacy and enforce security for medical data. The research, sponsored by Microsoft Research and titled "Advancing Cyber Security with .NET," is being conducted by Dr. Alfred C. Weaver, professor of computer science at U.Va., and five graduate assistants. Dr. Weaver is the principal investigator for the summer program.

The students who participate in the program will receive a $3,200 stipend, room and board will be provided, and they will be mentored by graduate students. The selection criteria were a demonstrated ability in computer science or computer engineering, interest in developing computer applications for medicine, and recommendations from two faculty members.

"The fact that Longwood contributed four students considered good enough for this program is a credit to Longwood and our Computer Science major," said Dr. Jeffery Peden, associate professor of computer science at Longwood.