Assistant Professor Hiram López Valdez (Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics) was award an NSF Grant for $247,013 for "Collaborative Research: Evaluation Codes, Duals, and Applications" for 2022-2025.   

Brief Abstract: Coding theory supports reliable, robust communication even while using imperfect channels, which distort messages. It has evolved since its emergence in the 1940s to support various applications ranging from secure communications to data storage. Bespoke codes and customized error correction or erasure recovery algorithms satisfy ever-changing technological needs. Evaluation codes employ tools and underlying structures from algebraic geometry and commutative algebra to provide flexible constructions that address various scenarios. They build on the heavily utilized Reed-Solomon and Reed-Muller codes which depend on polynomial structures. This project focuses on designing codes and algorithms which recover erased data or correct errors using less information than traditional methods, building frameworks for use in practical settings, and employing them in quantum error correction. The impact of this proposed research expands beyond the immediate scientific applications to serve as a platform for student and postdoctoral training and efforts to diversify the discipline. The PIs have a history of providing research engagement opportunities and amplifying them via other outreach such as Cleveland State University's STEM Peer Teachers and Association of Latin Professionals for America as well as Virginia Tech's Broadening Engagement and Participation in Undergraduate Research, SWIMM: Supporting Women in Mathematics through Mentoring, and Virginia's Commonwealth Cyber Initiative.