Elijah Neundorfer, a computer science student at Columbus State University, is headed to Pittsburgh this summer for a prestigious research opportunity at Carnegie Mellon University.
 
Neundorfer was one of only about 30 students nationwide selected to participate in CMU’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute. As part of the 10-week program, he will complete a research internship under the mentorship of Dr. Jason Hong. Hong is recognized as one of the top researchers in the area of privacy and mobile security, with his work being cited more than 20,000 times.
 
The specialty of human computer interaction is one of great interest to Neundorfer, who is also minoring in psychology. Following his expected graduation in 2020, he hopes to continue his education in a master’s or doctorate program.
 
“This research experience will give me more experience as to what a master’s program will look like,” said Neundorfer. “It will also provide me with contacts and allow me to get more experience under my belt.”
 
Neundorfer says that CSU helped prepare him for the opportunity. Last summer, he completed an undergraduate research experience with CSU’s computer science department. In that role, he participated in research in android security and worked to find ways to protect Android devices from a particular type of cyberattack called a “logic bomb”.  In his time at CSU, Neundorfer has also been involved in Phi Kappa Tau, Honoris Causa, and Servant Leadership.
 
“The faculty at CSU’s computer science department really helped me to get to this point– especially with the stuff I did last summer,” said Neundorfer. “It helped me learn more about what other opportunities are out there, and advisors in the Honors College helped me with workshops and preparing a CV.”
 
Originally from Newnan, Neundorfer is the second in his family to attend CSU. His sister is an art major on the RiverPark campus, which he says helped to influence his decision to come to CSU.
 
“The ability to custom-make my college journey is what really drew me to CSU,” said Neundorfer. “You really get to choose your own path here.”