Starting Date: June 2018
Prerequisites: Computer Science Undergraduate Student, Enthusiasm and desire to be a problem solver
Will results be assigned to University:
Project Description
Carbon footprint associated with a product is a combination of the emission-related in the manufacturing and logistics of the product. Logistics plays a vital role in moving products from factories to home and is one of the significant causes of carbon emission in Europe. Besides this, the last mile delivery network is also responsible for traffic congestions. Nowadays, when buying a product, we can gain information about its ingredients, ethical provenance (Fairtrade labelling), calorie/nutritional labelling and quality. However, there is no indication provided about the carbon labelling. One reason for this is that actual carbon cost to deliver a product to your doorstep or at a store is not know in advance at manufacturing time, and it varies a lot depending upon the location of the final destination.
A potential solution is to design a dynamic system that calculates the carbon footprint based on the supply chain and manufacturing cost of a product. For assurance of immutability and trustworthiness of reported figures, blockchain based technologies can be deployed. Therefore, in this project, UROP recipient will develop a secure, privacy-preserving and blockchain based carbon labelling platform that consumers can then see to know the carbon footprint of particular products.
The respective UROP recipient will be pivotal in shaping the scope of this project and lead the research activities in collaboration with the ISG-SCC team.
Required Technical Skills
ISG-SCC value the enthusiasm and commitment significantly and considers technical skills as an acquirable skill during the internship. However, basic understanding and knowledge of blockchain technology, smartphone (Android or IOS) development, and user interfaces will be desirable.
What will you gain during UROP?
During this internship, the objective of the ISG-SCC is to make sure that you develop your independent research and development skills and enhance your skills on a) presenting the project’s progress, b) keeping in line with time management, b) research methods, c) technical writing skills for project outcomes and d) problem identification and solving.
ISG-SCC Track Record
ISG-SCC has successfully run the UROP for the last two years. The success of the previous two years has produced a patent application (under review by patent office) and commercial demo (MVP) under development, and five research papers. Corresponding undergraduate students are named as first authors on the papers and co-inventor on the patent application. Research papers by undergraduate students have won one ‘best student paper award’, featured in a news article on Medium and being pivotal for a World Economic Forum’s project for anti-corruption project. The ethos of ISG-SCC is that undergraduate students have the talent and imagination to sort out unique and innovative solutions. They just need guidance from established researchers, and this is what ISG-SCC will provide during the UROP.