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REU Site: Undergraduate Research
About the Site
About the Site
Supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the REU Site: Undergraduate Research Experience in Edge Intelligence provides a ten-week summer research experience at the University of Nevada, Reno. Beginning in Summer 2027, ten undergraduate students each year will work with faculty and graduate student mentors on machine learning for edge devices and systems. The program combines hands-on research with technical training and professional development.
News
News
Summer 2027 — First REU Cohort
Summer 2027 — First REU Cohort
The inaugural program will take place in Summer 2027. Program dates and application instructions will be announced on this website.
May 2026 — NSF Award
May 2026 — NSF Award
Our REU Site in Edge Intelligence received NSF support under Award No. 2548395.
Mission and Goals
Mission and Goals
The Edge Intelligence REU Site prepares undergraduates for graduate study and careers in computing and engineering through sustained participation in research. Students will study the challenges of deploying machine learning at the edge, implement and evaluate research methods, and learn to communicate their findings. Faculty and graduate mentors will support students through regular research meetings, project feedback, and career guidance. The site welcomes students from a range of institutions, including those with limited opportunities for undergraduate research.
Host Institution and Mentor Team
Host Institution and Mentor Team
The Edge Intelligence REU Site is hosted by the College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno and led by Dr. Rui Hu (PI) and Dr. Lei Yang (Co-PI) from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Faculty and graduate student mentors contribute expertise in artificial intelligence, robotics, and cyber-physical systems.
University of Nevada, Reno
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno is a public research university in Reno, Nevada. REU participants will conduct their summer research on campus, working in the university’s research laboratories and taking part in the undergraduate research community.
College of Engineering
College of Engineering
The College of Engineering brings together research in artificial intelligence, computing, robotics, and engineering systems. Its faculty and laboratories provide the setting for the REU Site’s research and technical training.
Program Overview
Program Overview
The first cohort will join us at the University of Nevada, Reno in Summer 2027. The ten-week program supports ten undergraduate participants, each receiving a $7,000 stipend ($700 per week), on-campus housing, an on-campus meal plan, and $600 in travel support. Exact dates will be announced.
The summer begins with orientation, project introductions, and research tutorials. Students then work with faculty and graduate student mentors on a defined research problem. Weekly meetings, written progress reports, and presentations provide opportunities to discuss results and refine the work. Workshops cover scientific writing, research presentations, graduate school applications, and career preparation. The program concludes with a final research report and presentation. Lab visits and group activities are also planned.
How to Apply
How to Apply
Summer 2027
Summer 2027
Applications for the first cohort will open once the program dates and application schedule are finalized. We will post the application link and full instructions on the Apply page.
Who Should Apply
Who Should Apply
Undergraduate students interested in artificial intelligence, machine learning, edge computing, or robotics. The program is designed for students with a background in computer science, mathematics, engineering, or a related field and familiarity with at least one programming language.
Participants should be able to commit to the full ten-week summer research experience. Final eligibility requirements will be included in the application announcement.
Research Projects
Research Projects
The following sample projects illustrate research topics available through the site. Students will work on a defined part of a larger research effort with guidance from faculty and graduate student mentors. Individual projects and assignments will be finalized for the Summer 2027 cohort.
Server-Assisted Federated Learning
Server-Assisted Federated Learning
Devices in a federated learning system often differ in computing speed and wireless connectivity. Students will implement federated and split learning methods, then study how a server can take on part of a device’s workload. Experiments will compare training time and model performance as computing resources and wireless conditions change.
Memory-Efficient Training of Large Language Models
Memory-Efficient Training of Large Language Models
Students will learn the structure of transformer models and implement low-rank adaptation (LoRA) for text tasks. They will investigate layer freezing and quantization to reduce memory use during fine-tuning, and evaluate the trade-offs between memory savings and model accuracy.
Collaborative Multi-Robot Reinforcement Learning
Collaborative Multi-Robot Reinforcement Learning
Students will implement a multi-robot reinforcement learning pipeline in simulation and study methods for weighting and combining policy updates from robots with different experiences. Experiments will compare learning performance and training stability with baseline methods under different data conditions.
Student Support
Student Support
Support for Summer 2027 Participants
Support for Summer 2027 Participants
Stipend: $7,000 per student for the ten-week program ($700 per week).
Housing: on-campus housing provided through the program.
Meals: an on-campus meal plan during the summer program.
Travel: $600 in travel support per participant.
Housing, meal, and travel arrangements will be shared with selected participants. The program will support ten undergraduate researchers in its first summer cohort.
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