This $371,758 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) program (CFDA 47.070) will support a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at Texas State University. The program will engage undergraduate students in innovative research focused on smart and connected health and smart and connected communities. Key areas of focus include: intelligent emotion recognition for children with autism spectrum disorder, AI-driven systems to enhance firefighting response, and technology-assisted sports assessments for individuals with spinal cord injuries. Students will gain hands-on experience applying machine learning, AI, and IoT technologies to address real-world challenges in these domains over three summer research sessions. The program aims to recruit women and underrepresented students, providing long-term engagement to prepare them for advanced STEM studies and careers.