Ideas for Student Research
This page helps University of Colorado ITP students identify ripe areas for telecommunications research contributions. The information below is relevant to the efforts of ITP Capstone groups and thesis students seeking topics for investigation. Additionally, all ITP students' whether or not involved with a Capstone or thesis are strongly encouraged to submit papers for publication and presentation. The suggestions below should promote all types of student research. This page is periodically updated with the most recent ideas posted at the top of the ITP Research Ideas list. Significantly, please note that the Research Ideas list is only one of many potential sources that students may use to identify promising areas of research. Indeed, students are encouraged to consider some combination of the following seven potential sources to help identify a research area in which, to borrow a phrase from Professor Sharon Black, a student may help move the frontiers of knowledge. Sources of research ideas include:
- . If leading conferences are seeking contributions in a particular subject area, then this is a strong indication that such area is also fertile for student research contributions. Even better, such conferences often have opportunities for students to publish and/or present so-called "poster" sessions. Annual conferences you might investigate include but are not limited to TPRC (http://www.tprc.org/TPRC06/call06.htm), and DySPAN (http://www.ieee-dyspan.org/Papers.html). Additionally, ITP is a member of a telecommunications consortium called ITERA, which offers periodic conferences and publication opportunities. Click here for additional information on upcoming conferences and calls for papers.
- Try to learn the areas in which your professors are on the leading edge of research. If you are interested in one of these areas, a professor can help educate you on the larger picture that will help you identify a fruitful area for focused research. Individual ITP faculty members are involved in a wide range of research projects, covering issues in security, multimedia, wireless technology, smart radios, spectrum regulation, networking, network economics, and a variety of other topics. Faculty research interests and projects can be found in the Faculty Directory and on faculty members' home pages. Additionally, several faculty members perform laboratory research in the Discovery Learning Center of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Other notable Faculty Research Center Affiliations include:
- Industry sources. Many individuals in industry identify interesting issues for investigation that they would like to follow up on . . . if they had more time. If you ask, some industry sources would be delighted to share such research ideas with a student who might help them answer a significant question. In a best case scenario, the industry source may wish to stay involved in the project and provide advice as your research goes forward.
- Personal inspiration. You are a graduate student and should be positioned to make an intellectual contribution. You (along with perhaps others in your group) will do the work. Accordingly, identify an academic question that will be interesting for you as you go forward with the hard task of making an academic contribution in the field.
- Conclusions and "suggested next steps" from published papers. Particularly if you know the general area in which you would like to research, read published papers in that area. Authors will often delimit the scope of a paper by designating certain issues to be answered at a later day. Additionally, authors sometimes suggest "next steps" that might help build on a paper's research. In either case, reading papers in your area of interest will often help you identify a ripe area for academic investigation.
- Conferences of the Silicon Flatirons Telecommunications Program. The Silicon Flatirons Telecommunications Program, co-sponsored by ITP and the Law School, offers an ongoing series of seminars, conferences, and other activities designed to illuminate issues of regulation, policy, and law of telecommunications, particularly as they interact with economics, technology, and business. Discussion at SFTP conferences often illuminates current issues in telecommunications that could provide the grist for excellent future student investigation.
And (of course)
- the Research Ideas page (below).
Publications
The faculty and students of the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program publish a number of capstone papers, master's theses, and working papers on a wide range of topics.
Click here to access a searchable database of these papers.
ITP Research Ideas
As noted above, this information is periodically updated with the most recent ideas posted at the top of this ITP Research Ideas list. Faculty contributes ideas for student research projects, including Master's theses, capstone, and independent ideas. These ideas represent novel research opportunities that often tie to active research projects and interests at the university.
TS Project Connected to Public Safety Video Quality [posted Fall 2006]: The Institute for Telecommunications Sciences (ITS) is current working on Public Safety Video Quality (PSVQ). The backdrop of the project is described on the PSVQ Web-site (http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/psvq) as follows:
"Anyone who has seen video action break up or block out while watching a live televised sporting event knows the frustration of missing a key play because of a poor picture. For public safety practitioners (police, firefighters, dispatchers, and emergency medical services personnel) using incident video services, a clear picture could mean the difference between life and death. ITS is helping to develop requirements for public safety video applications to make sure important emergency video comes through clearly. We are working with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that first-responder radio and video systems communicate clearly and accurately. Our research centers on the data we collect from public safety practitioners who volunteer to participate in our subjective audio and video quality tests."
ITS would work with an ITP project that would advance the PSVQ. In particular, ITS would like a market study of currently available and planned (video) devices and their characteristics. If you are interested in pursuing this, this topic could be tailored to ensure the right amount of academic emphasis is involved. Contact people at ITS for this project are Patty Rausch (praush@its.bldrdoc.gov) and Tim Riley (triley@its.bldrdoc.gov).
. FCC enforcement of interference violations is a topic of some discussion. In particular, some believe that more regular enforcement of spectrum violations would provide certainty needed to help stimulate parties to enter agreements to lease spectrum in the secondary markets. A time series study of FCC enforcement actions (such as a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture ("NAL")) would be an interesting way to glean information on the FCC's enforcement priorities and how they may have changed over time. This may shed light on where the FCC is concentrating enforcement and, moreover, where such efforts should be directed going forward. Additionally, the FCC has memoranda of understandings (MOUs) with certain groups, such as amateur radio operators, who in some respects self-police their members. A survey of such agreements and their role in spectrum enforcement would be interesting to include in this study.
Part of spectrum regulation involves a zoning function; that is, regulators must determine which services can operate over which swaths of the spectrum. This zoning-like step of spectrum regulation is known as allocation. Even as other aspects of spectrum regulation move toward more flexibility (e.g., assignment of licenses that can be leased in secondary markets), certain aspects of allocation ”particularly when coupled with service and technical rules concerning operation of a service” retain a command and control-like character. An interesting question surrounding allocation involves when to pull the plug - that is, when a regulator should acknowledge error, pull back the spectrum, and try allocating a swath of spectrum to another service. An interesting project would be to look back and identify allocation failures. This analysis would seek out common threads among allocations for services that never took root or were too slow to develop. Such an analysis may lead to insights to help guide spectrum allocation going forward.
Since 1994, the United States has moved strongly toward an assignment model which uses auctions to select spectrum licensees. Auctions are tantamount to spectrum sales ”although, technically, the '34 Act prohibits private ownership of spectrum” and the de facto purchase price can be a formidable barrier to entry for newcomers. Additionally, to date, secondary markets do not seem to be getting the traction one might have expected in helping newcomers gain access to spectrum. One alternative approach would be for the FCC to hold some spectrum and, rather than auctioning it for a one-time fee, to lease it on a short term basis. This may allow a newcomer (i.e., an entrepreneur or start-up) to try a service under a short term lease with (i) less up front capital, and (ii) presumably less risk if the service fails. Related to this, other countries use a royalty-based system in lieu of auctions which may make for an interesting source of ideas on this front.
Amid the slow start of secondary markets, the satellite industry's practices over the past 20 years present an interesting (and contrasting) case study. Indeed, it may be argued that the satellite industry has succeeded in establishing something like a secondary market in transponder leasing. This project would examine the 'market' in transponder leasing and satellite capacity. It would then compare and contrast such 'market' with notable instances in which markets have failed to emerge concerning terrestrial systems.
This project would consider whether FCC Commissioners are (or should be) technocrats (that is, experts in their field) or politicians (that is, individuals with political savvy but not necessarily experts in the area). Circa 1997, an agreement was struck whereby President Clinton essentially agreed to allow the minority party to name the minority-party FCC Commissioners. Some claim that this arrangement has led to increased politicization at the FCC. Additionally, some researchers at Michigan State have recently analyzed voting patterns by FCC Commissioners by compiling a database of 40,000 FCC decisions. Their research analyzes some of the ways that individual preferences seem to affect voting patterns. This project could be descriptive (that is, is there empirical support that fewer experts are being appointed to the FCC? if so, is this affecting voting behaviors?) or prescriptive (what is the desirable approach? how does the FCC compare to other agencies?). On the prescriptive analysis, legal literature concerning judicial panels give much weight to the value of redundancy. Redundancy essentially posits that having more independent decision-makers reduces the probability of error in a panel's decision (i.e., nine judges on the Supreme Court are better than one). Is redundancy a value that the FCC should embrace? If so, does the current FCC institutional structure and appointment procedures properly facilitate redundancy?
A local company, Aztek Networks (fna Aztek Engineering), founded by an engineer named Mark Elder has an interesting product that allows wireline carriers to maintain basic calling functionality - including E911 - when a connection between a group of customers and the main central office switch is broken (e.g., because of a hurricane or other manmade or natural disaster). This project would entail writing a White Paper that would: (1) objectively review the nature of the problem of broken connections (likely relying upon the various reports on Katrina, NRIC data, and outage information submitted to the FCC); (2) consider alternative solutions to broken connection problems (including the one developed by Aztek Networks); (3) evaluate in an objective matter the pros and cons of various solutions, identifying the public interest benefits associated with the solution(s); and (4) make policy and other recommendations concerning adoption of Aztek's product. Such analysis may also include-- depending upon time and resource constraints -- consideration of the impact of the changing architecture of the traditional wireline/wireless networks. Dale Hatfield is very interested in E911 issues and, upon request, may be willing to work with a student or group of students to craft the White Paper. Aztek Networks has promised their cooperation on the project. Following the White Paper, it is possible that a successful student could be considered for a paid internship or, perhaps, a full time position here in Boulder after graduation.
: This project would test the hypothesis that a significant percentage of the recent productivity gains in the United States can be attributed to wireless services, in general, and to enterprise and government mobile voice and data services in particular. Consider just a simple example: two-way mobile data services allow paperwork to be filed electronically and a remote job to be "closed out" while a repair person is still in the field. This allows a repair person to complete more service calls in a day. There are many anecdotal studies that informally document significant efficiency gains but (subject to some research on this point) there have not been many - if any - serious academic papers addressing the issue. A well-researched paper (and perhaps associated economic model) covering the efficiency gains in a few vertical markets would be a good start. (Ultimately, it would be nice to estimate the total efficiency gains in the economy due to wireless voice and data services; however, this may be beyond the reasonable scope of a student paper). Dale Hatfield is very interested in this topic and, upon request, may be willing to assist a student or group of students. Professor Hatfield has good leads in terms of getting pertinent examples and, additionally, has some indication that a trade association might be interested in supporting the research.
With IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and the availability of dual-mode (e.g., CDMA, GSM, WiFi) handheld devices (e.g., PDAs, Cell phones), as well as the service offering of fixed-mobile convergence (FMC), this project would evaluate the business case for a wireless provider to offer FMC permitting access and usage over a home WiFi home network and a home High-speed Internet connection. An effective business model along these lines poses a potential threat to the ILECs. To further discuss this topic, you might consult Professor Timothy Barker.
(1) IMS standards create possibilities for new service offerings' a student project could research the IMS and then build a business proposal that develops a new service (or enhances an existing service); (2) conduct interdisciplinary research service offering of E911 in an IMS environment; and/or (3) in view of the fact that IMS supports multimedia traffic (Voice, Video, Data), conduct research on the various ways the cellular industry is dealing with IMS charging for the transport of multimedia traffic. To further discuss these topics, you might consult Professor Timothy Barker.
This project would examine potential prioritization schemes that may be utilized by broadband service providers. It would analyze various challenges and possible solutions related to broadband traffic. Issues may include: (i) latency problems; (ii) assymtric vs. symmetric upstream/downstream considerations (perhaps including that where large upload abilities exist, such capability often lays dormant and/or are used for illegal activity (file sharing); and (iii) the implications of such analysis for the net neutrality debate.
As critical applications (such as 911 and assistance in landing planes) are increasingly automated, the software supporting such automation becomes crucial. Meanwhile, concerns about software quality remain a matter of some discussion. Particularly with contributions from decentralized sources in creating software, identifying a creator/responsible party may be challenging. This paper would identify situations where (1) software is being used in critical applications to help automate critical functions, and (2) where this is the case, analyze whether a pre-Deming approach (viz., test software rigorously) or a post-Deming approach (viz., rely on quality of design) is preferable to safeguard against software problems.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are a significant part of today's military operations and it is likely that they will only become more important going forward. They are also bandwidth hogs. The use of UAVs is exacerbating bandwidth battlefield shortages. This project would look at the issues concerning UAV spectrum demands, consider alternative solutions, and make a case for a recommended strategy going forward. Professors Tim Brown and Harvey Gates are heavily involved in UAV research and may be able to provide additional information concerns UAVs, in general, and their bandwidth demands, in particular.
Much excitement surrounds the development of so-called "smart" radios such as frequency agile radios, cognitive radios, and software defined radios. Such devices promise to help decentralize spectrum access decisions and - as with other areas of technology - enhance the intelligence available at the edges of a network. While many see promise, however, others see a 'genie-out-of the bottle' threat that smart radios could be inadvertently or intentionally used in a manner that exacerbates harmful interference to others. This paper would analyze two dimensions of smart radio security and safeguards: (1) assuming that users follow prescribed rules, what safeguards might smart radio designers and spectrum regulators seek to include in their systems; and (2) assuming that some users will act maliciously, what safeguards might smart radio designers and spectrum regulators seek to include in their systems. Analysis of each of these aspects should consider the threats of existing radios and then consider how smart radios present different problems and solutions.
This paper would analyze the FCC's withdrawal of so-called "finder's preference" rules which relate to spectrum regulation and policy. Before they were withdrawn by the FCC, the finder's preference rules operated in the land mobile radio bands where people would abandon a licensee. This was helpful because a small business going bankrupt would often fail to cancel a FCC license (there is no penalty for not doing so) or, alternatively, the frequency coordinators erred and a channel would remain fallow. The finder's preference rules encouraged people to find such unused spectrum with the reward being that they would have a preference in gaining 'ownership' of the license. Since the FCC's data bases are often inaccurate/incomplete and the FCC has limited monitoring/enforcement capabilities, the finder's preference rules had the public interest benefit of getting unused spectrum into the hands of someone who would put it to good use. The rules were withdrawn, however, and it would be interesting to evaluate why they were withdrawn and, moreover, whether such withdrawal was advisable.
This project is inspired by the SFTP/ITP September 7, 2006 event and would follow up on several issues raised by the conference. Namely, the paper would analyze issues that may include the following: (1) problems in defining the character and scope of spectrum and water rights possessed by private parties (in spectrum, there is much debate concerning the extent of a licensee's rights (e.g., does it cover all dimensions of the electrospace? only dimensions it needs for its service? what about for an improvement to its service?); in water law, some see rights as fully vested in private hands, while others see rights as subject to public trust obligations); (2) the use of various policies which promotes usage of the resource; and (3) problems in enforcement of right - namely, what spectrum regulation might learn from water law's system of monitoring, enforcement, and adjudication of disputes. Patrick Ryan and Brad Bernthal may be able to provide additional information and ideas on this topic.