07/21/2021
By Sokny Long

The Francis College of Engineering, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, invites you to attend a master's thesis defense by Brandon Keating on “STAIR: Smart and Trustworthy Air Quality Network.”

MSE Candidate: Brandon Keating
Defense Date: Monday, August 2, 2021
Time: 1:30 to 3 p.m. EST
Location: This will be a virtual defense via Zoom. Those interested in attending should contact Brandon_Keating@student.uml.edu and committee advisor, Yan_Luo@uml.edu, at least 24 hours prior to the defense to request access to the meeting.

Committee Members:

  • Yan Luo (Chair), Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Xinwen Fu (Co-Chair), Department of Computer Science , UMass Lowell
  • SeungWoo Son, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UMass Lowell

Brief Abstract:
The fight against climate change takes place across a spectrum of fronts; these include reducing carbon emissions, as well as creating eco-conscious markets and products. The tracking of global air quality is needed to monitor progress and recognize patterns as society takes steps towards a future in renewable energy. This thesis presents our work on the development and implementation of the STAIR Network. This network is composed of individual, self-sustaining devices that measure key data about the air quality in their location. This data is then sent to a sever which displays the data on a virtual world map, showing where each device is and the quality of the air in that location. The data is collected and then sent utilizing the Trust-Zone architecture enabled with the SAML11 processor and ECC608 Crypto-authentication co-processor, allowing the implementation of both a secure application and a non-secure application. The use of this system assures data security and prevents unwanted tampering with the data or devices in general. I will present both the hardware and software design. We have also designed a tailored version of the STAIR device for the purpose of education and keep the cost as low as possible for broad adoption. I will present the hardware and software design of this tailored device in this thesis too.

All interested students and faculty members are invited to attend the online defense via remote access.