Undergraduate Research in OSCAR Lab

The OS, Security, Concurrency, and Architecture Research (OSCAR) Lab in the Department of Computer Science investigates novel computer systems designs. Projects generally involve building serious computer system prototypes, and then measuring improvements in performance, security, or usability. Current projects include: * The BetrFS write-optimized file system, which combines recent advances in theory to build the fastest general-purpose file system for Linux. * Hardware-Assisted Virtualization for secure containers – exploring new ways to apply memory protection hardware to improve the security of containers * UIWear – a platform for adapting user interfaces to different device form factors, such as porting a phone app to a watch. Undergraduate Research Assistants require strong programming abilities, typically in C, and will help graduate students build prototype systems. Depending on the projects, students will learn how to evaluate these systems with a combination of measurement techniques and user studies. Students should take COMP 530 before joining the group, or demonstrate equivalent background from other experience or self-study. Additional CS courses in systems and algorithms are helpful. Students generally start as volunteer or for credit; in some cases and generally after some success as a volunteer, paid RA positions are available