Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and their derivatives such as Internet of Things (IoT) and the Internet of Industrial Things (IIOT) are no longer confined to traditional applications such as smart homes and transportation. It has already marked its presence in Industrial applications and extended even to wildlife conservation. The impending concerns associated with such wireless networks are their privacy and security. One such menace afflicting wildlife is cyber poaching. Taking this into consideration, Dr Manjula R, Assistant Professor, and her student Mr Tejodbhav Koduru, from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, have published a paper, “Position-independent and Section-based Source Location Privacy Protection in WSN” in the journal, ‘IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics’ having an Impact Factor of 10.215. The article is published in collaboration with Ms Florence Mukamanzi from the University of Rwanda, Rwanda, Africa and Prof Raja Datta from IIT Kharagpur, West Bengal, India.

The sensors collect data about these endangered animals and report it to the central controller which is connected to the Internet. Over the period, the hunters have also evolved and are equipped with smart devices that help them to easily locate the animal with minimal effort. In the simplest form, the attacker or the hunter just eavesdrops on the communication links to know the message’s origin and backtrack to the source of information. Once the source of information i.e., the location is identified then the endangered animal is captured. To overcome such backtracking issues, their work aims at delaying the information disclosure to the attacker through traffic obfuscation.

Although it may not act as an ultimate solution, the research work focuses on contextual privacy, unlike traditional content privacy. The attacker collects only contextual information such as packet rate, traffic intensities, routing paths, time correlations etc., to determine the source of information. The work focuses on mitigating traffic correlation i.e., hop-by-hop backtrack attacks and protecting the assets that are monitored using WSNs. The performance metrics include safety period and network lifetime amongst other metrics. The proposed random-walk-based routing solution achieves an improved safety period and network lifetime compared to the existing schemes. The work was simulated using a custom-designed simulation tool and was validated with the numerical results obtained using mathematical models.

The proposed solutions could be seamlessly used in monitoring endangered animals such as rhinoceros or in military applications to track soldiers. In addition, the routing algorithm could also be used in delaying tolerant networks to improve the efficiency and lifetime of the network, in designing the random trajectories of bio-nano bots for intrabody monitoring etc. Their future research plan includes developing improved source location privacy preservation techniques for terrestrial and underwater wireless sensor networks using the benefits of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. In addition, they also aims at the development of data collection and routing protocols for intrabody nanonetwork operating at tera hertz frequencies— next-generation networks, envisioned networks.

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The leaders of tomorrow are defined by the clarity of thought in translating their vision into action. Their words reflect the undying spirit to make it big in life and brace up the world for unforeseen challenges in the times to come. Currently pursuing Master’s in Management at ESMT Berlin, Mr Aaditya Jain, the alumnus of Class of 2021, Computer Science and Engineering, is one such promising leader who is on an endeavour to gear up his personal and professional limits with a solid vision and impeccable work ethic. The high-end Business magazine of Europe, ‘Brainz’ has recently featured his article titled ‘How to Be A Leader Even If You Don’t Have A Title (Yet)’.

Brainz magazine is a global digital periodical that brings influential entrepreneurs, coaches, and business experts to share their knowledge and stories with the world. It features articles across various themes- exploring business innovations, leadership mindsets, aspirational lifestyles, and many more. The magazine aims to disperse inspiring content to augment the quality of life in all aspects. In an interview with Snježana “Ana” Billian, Aaditya shared the top four tips on how to show leadership at work, even if you don’t have a leadership title. As far as he is concerned, one must lead oneself before venturing out to lead others.

Aaditya pronounces the importance of self-awareness as it gives the opportunity to capitalize on one’s strengths and weaknesses to create as much value as possible in every situation. “One of the most powerful things I was told by one of my professors back during my undergrad is: We have all the resources within us. This statement inspired me to embark on a journey of self-discovery” he remarked. Aaditya is also aware of the huge benefit of the internet. Sharing one’s views and experiences online does not require a title. He regularly shares his experience at work and the lessons he learned on leadership online. This makes it easier for him to reach out to like-minded people and create a shared value.

“The need to mould oneself as a proactive communicator and concoct a support network at professional space is essential to ensure one’s career advancement”, says Aaditya. He believes, that asking out for help is a quality that must be encouraged. He further went on to divulge how moving to Germany and settling in was not an easy job. But according to him, the greatest challenge was how to make the most out of it. Success in the words of Aaditya is, “Living my values while continuously growing and inspiring human leadership at work”.

Here is the link to his article: https://www.brainzmagazine.com/post/how-to-be-a-leader-even-if-you-don-t-have-a-title-yet