Luke Waind

Author: Luke Waind | Major: Computer Science | Semester: Spring 2023

My name is Luke Waind and I am a Computer Science major at the University of Arkansas. My research mentor is Dr. Kevin Jin, who is a member of the Computer Science and Computer Engineering Department. I started researching with him last year and wrote an honor’s thesis for the honor’s college. I plan on continuing work with him and beginning the master’s program at the University of Arkansas

My research topic is cyberattack detection in power grid communication networks. My work focuses on finding vulnerabilities in DNP3, the most popular protocol used in SCADA systems in North America, and how to detect attacks that exploit those vulnerabilities. My work distinguishes itself from other work due to a new technology, called P4, that I am using to detect cyberattacks. P4 is a technology that allows specialized network switches, called P4 switches, to have full programmability of the data plane while still maintaining line-rate speeds using the P4 programming language.

I met Dr. Jin because he was the instructor of my computer networks course. Throughout the course I discovered that the area of computer networks is more interesting and nuanced than I expected, and I wanted to learn more, so I asked to be a undergraduate researcher of his. The computer networks course did not cover security, so my research became my first exposure to the field of cybersecurity. I very much enjoyed the kind of practical problem solving that is employed in this area of computer science compared to others, so I began taking more courses about cybersecurity.

Dr. Jin played a key role in helping me complete my research project and write a thesis about what I did. We met every week and discussed progress that I have made and questions I had about the research or how to move forward. He also helped me look for scholarship opportunities to fund my research including the Honor’s College Research Grant. Preparing the research proposal necessary for this scholarship also served to help me understand and plan out my research project so that I would be able to complete it by the end of my senior year.

In the future, I plan to continue working for Dr. Jin. I am currently working as a post-undergraduate researcher. I plan to begin the master’s program at the University of Arkansas and continue working with him to complete a master’s thesis by the end of the program.

This Honor’s College Research Grant has allowed me to do great work on a topic that I am passionate about. I have been able to balance my research and course work without having to worry about financing my endeavors.