The University of Memphis received a $4 million grant Thursday for a project called mProv: Provenance-based Data Analytics Cyberinfrastructure for High-frequency Mobile Sensor Data that focuses on creating a framework to handle and transfer health data collected by mobile devices.
Santosh Kumar, professor and Moss Chair of Excellence in Computer Science at the U of M, is the principle investigator leading the project.
“This [grant] reflects our growing reputation as a hub for mobile sensor ‘big data’ and [mobile health] research as well as Dr. Kumar’s national and international reputation as a leader in this field,” M. David Rudd, president of the U of M, said in a statement.
It is the largest amount of money the National Science Foundation has ever awarded to the U of M.
Kumar is currently working with data collected at the U of M’s Center of Excellence for Mobile Sensor Data-to- Knowledge (MD2K). The office runs algorithms on human cues to determine health outcomes.
With researchers across the United States studying mobile health, creating a way with mProv to easily store and transfer the data collected by MD2K could lead to significant breakthroughs in the field.
Barbara Burch Kuhn, digital content and website specialist of the MD2K Center at U of M, said the office is currently studying how to use cellphone sensor data to break smoking habits and monitor fluid build-up in the lungs of individuals with congestive heart failure.
Tennessee Congressman and Memphis native Steve Cohen commended the research when announcing the grant in a press release.
“Our students at the University of Memphis are a great resource for both our city and our country,” Cohen said. “This grant will help make research opportunities available that provide real-world, hands-on experience and pave the way for ground-breaking research on health data collection. I am pleased to see the continued federal investment in the University of Memphis.”
