Author: Eva Casto | Major: Computer Science | Semester: Spring 2024

Eva Casto is an Honors College Fellow from Maumelle, Arkansas studying computer science with minors in data analytics and mathematics. With the rapid modernization of the world in recent decades, critical infrastructures that drive our society are increasingly reliant on technology and computer networks, reducing the need for power grid operators to constantly keep an eye on the state of the grid. This provides benefits like remotely being able to access, control, and monitor the smart grid. However, the drawback is that this creates vulnerability, providing another “in” for malicious hackers or making hardware system faults more common. If the grid is compromised, this could result in faulty data being sent to the power grid’s network, in turn corrupting it. One of the key devices that could be compromised within the smart grid is the phasor measurement unit (PMU) which holds the data measurements of the grid like its recorded voltage and frequency. The purpose of my research is to detect and mitigate the faulty data coming into the PMU network, using a decentralized approach for increased speed and accuracy.

I have been working on this project quite closely with Jack Norris, as we are both doing research for Dr. Kevin Jin, our honors research mentor. To be more specific, Jack’s project focuses on detecting missing data within the PMU smart grid network, and my project focuses on detecting delayed data, since both types of faulty data can be detrimental if they are received in a smart grid network. In January 2024, Dr. Jin told us about the annual Green Technologies conference hosted by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). We chose to submit our abstract to the conference since it was very relevant to us – all about sustainable energy sources (like the smart power grid in our projects) – and it was very conveniently located this year in Springdale, Arkansas. We decided that it’d be a good idea to work together on a conference poster, merging our projects into one for the purposes of this conference.

This was my first conference – and my first time presenting my research to the world – so writing an extended abstract and later putting the poster together was new to me. I’m grateful that Jin Labs had plenty of resources to help guide me. Then it was time for the IEEE GreenTech conference, which took place on April 3-5 in Springdale. Receiving the Honors College Research Travel Grant allowed me to pay for the registration fee and gas money. The student poster presentations were not until April 4, so I had plenty of time to watch presentations from those in academia and industry, learning how their own research labs are contributing to sustainable energy practices. Also, there were enlightening panel discussions from industry professionals, discussing how organizations like Walmart, the infrastructure division of the Arkansas state government, and Entergy are working towards sustainability and smart resources.

The most rewarding experience of all was being able to present our poster, along with Jack, at the GreenTech conference – this allowed me to understand my project better and be able to explain it in a more general way. The style of this presentation was like a science fair format, where people could walk around, view our poster, and ask us questions. There were people all over the world attending this conference in disciplines like computer science, electrical engineering, agriculture, and so much more. Some were experts on computer networks and some knew very little, so I had to adapt my explanation of my work depending on the person I was talking to. This skill will benefit me for purposes like writing this blog, grant proposals, and my Honors Thesis, where the audience will not know the technical details of my work. Also, during the presentations we received some insightful questions that made me rethink some details. Attending conferences is great, even if your project isn’t complete yet, since you can get different opinions from an objective source, and you can consider their input as you finish your project. Conferences also allow you to learn more about your field from the projects and presentations of other undergraduate students, graduate students, professors, and those in the industry. An added bonus of attending conferences is that, in my case, there was a nice 3-course dinner!
Now, I have made more progress in my project since then, improving performance and accuracy of my program. Hopefully next semester, while I am working on my Honors Thesis, I can attend another conference or get my work published!