KENNESAW, Ga. | Nov 11, 2026

Kennesaw State University researcher Honghui Xu will receive $110,000 through a subaward from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the lead institution on a collaborative National Science Foundation (NSF) project to develop artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that improve emergency communications, while reducing energy consumption and protecting sensitive information.

The research aims to help connected sensors and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices share essential information more efficiently during disasters. By prioritizing meaningful information over unnecessary data, the technology could support emergency response when network capacity and battery power are limited. Researchers also will explore lightweight AI models and privacy protections to safeguard emergency data. The work seeks to strengthen communications during unfamiliar emergency situations, helping response systems exchange information reliably as conditions change.

The project, “Collaborative Research: VINES: Track 1: AI-Empowered and Privacy-Aware Semantic Communications for Energy-Efficient IoT-Enabled Emergency Response,” is led by Songyang Zhang at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and includes researchers from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Georgia State University. Xu will lead the project’s privacy-protection research, developing methods that safeguard sensitive information during transmission, and will supervise a KSU graduate research assistant over the three-year project.

This research is supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 2548961 (a subaward from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette)

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 51,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university's vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.