Federal Grant Award Summary

Montana State University received a $464,998 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Computing and Communication Foundations under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) program (CFDA 47.070), effective May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2029. This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site award funds the design and delivery of an integrated educational and research program that combines exposure to applied data science problems with practical training in algorithm design, implementation, and simulation. The program provides undergraduate students with hands-on research experiences across multiple domains, including computational biology and cybersecurity, while developing advanced computational methods to address real-world challenges.

The award delivers a structured curriculum that engages students directly with complex algorithmic problems spanning healthcare, computational biology, computational geometry, sustainability, and cybersecurity. Specific research areas include pattern matching and pangenomic data analysis in computational biology; biometric identification via hierarchical Bayesian modeling and spatiotemporal deep learning for fire video segmentation in cybersecurity; and vulnerability discovery automation. Through integration of algorithmic techniques, statistical modeling, and machine learning, the program prepares the next generation of scientists and engineers with both practical problem-solving capabilities and advanced computational skills applicable to real-world challenges across multiple scientific and engineering disciplines.