Author: Evan Meyers | Major: Computer Science: Cybersecurity | Semester: Spring 25

As a rising senior at the University of Arkansas pursuing dual majors in Computer Science and Spanish, my research during the spring 2025 grant term focused on designing and building a mobile Android application that implements Solid, a decentralized protocol for safer data storage. Under the mentorship of Dr. Alexander Nelson, my work directly engaged with core cybersecurity principles such as access control and data governance. This project has been an invaluable experience, confirming my aspiration to work in the cybersecurity field and demonstrating the potential of Solid to give users greater control over their personal data.

I chose this project after attending an event for the University of Arkansas’ Association for Computing Machinery. During this event, professors from the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department presented different research projects and opportunities for students to be a part of. After this event, I contacted Dr. Nelson, eager to join in on one of his projects relating to post-quantum cryptography. Unfortunately, this project was at its twilight, but he recommended I be a part of one that was showing promise: the implementation of Solid Pods in the Android ecosystem. Although I had never developed a mobile app before, I embraced the challenge.

After getting a base application started with the Solid data structure during the fall 2024 semester, my original goal for the spring was to develop multiple unique apps to demonstrate the functionality of Solid with different data types in various use cases. These apps included a workout tracker storing highly sensitive health data, a travel planner storing crucial location and personal identifiers, and a journaling app storing data related to mental health and well-being. Beginning with the workout tracker, which I later named SolidFit, I quickly realized that my time would be much better spent solely developing one app. Through doing this, I created a much more polished example of what Solid can be, while also implementing all previously desired data types and more.

The process of getting to this state came with many difficulties and setbacks. Among smaller issues of deciding how to design and integrate features, an overarching problem of data persistence loomed during most of the development of SolidFit. I found that when storing data on one device and then trying to receive and modify it on another, the data would sometimes duplicate, disappear, or become corrupted. After consulting with Dr. Nelson, I identified the likely cause and began redesigning my data handling logic. After several hours redesigning my data insertion and modification methods, I was able to root out the data inconsistency problem and bring my app to a stable state.

Through the Honors College Research Grant, I was able to pursue structured research in an academic setting while also furthering my technical abilities. I also learned how, through thorough planning, thoughtful design, and iterative testing, I can refine my development process and prevent many issues from ever occurring. During the fall 2025 grant period, I plan to continue evolving this project to further prove the viability of Solid in real-world applications.