Education and Exploration:
Undergraduate Research at Rice

Adam Stubblefield
Mathematics Major

A lot of students scramble to make their mark. Math major Adam Stubblefield unscrambles.

Adam specializes in research in computer security and applied cryptography. He was part of the Rice/Princeton team that unscrambled the Secure Digital Music Initiative codes—digital watermarks developed by the recording industry to prevent and/or allow the playing and copying of digital music. And recently, he demonstrated a major flaw in a common wireless computing standard, the Wired Equivalent Privacy protocol.

His work has been noticed by the Computing Research Association, which named him the Outstanding Male Undergraduate for 2002 at a national computing-research conference this year. The award recognizes exceptional potential in computing research. Only two students in the nation receive this award each year.

“Adam has done some really great work,” says his adviser, Dan Wallach, assistant professor of computer science and of electrical and computer engineering. Professor Wallach adds, “I’m very proud to see that he has gained this important and well-deserved recognition from the research community.”

Adam’s academic record is impressive. He’s a co-author on four published academic papers. He’s the primary author on two of those, one of which won a Best Paper award at the 2001 Network and Distributed Systems Security Symposium. He’s completed a journal paper and two tech reports, and three of his papers are currently being reviewed for publication. He’s also had successful summer internships at two research laboratories, Xerox PARC and AT&T Research.

Adam became involved in computer security research while in high school in Alexandria, Virginia, where he participated in an internship with a Department of Defense contractor. And for Adam, the big draw to Rice was its small size and flexibility, which he knew would give him the ability to continue doing research at the undergraduate level. “Back in high school, when I was deciding where to apply to college, I realized that I’d get a decent education no matter where I decided to go,” Adam explains. “So, instead of basing my decision solely on academics, I looked for a school that was small enough that I wouldn’t get lost in the crowd and inexpensive enough that I could afford it. It also didn’t hurt that Rice wasn’t in the snowy Northeast.

“My main reason for liking Rice is the relationships that I’ve developed with faculty members. Professors here have time to spend on undergraduates, whether it’s a question for a class or advice on a research project. I also like the academic flexibility that Rice provides. For example, instead of enforcing course prerequisites, Rice allows students to take any class for which they feel prepared.”

Adam isn’t sure where, but he knows that he’ll pursue a Ph.D. in computer science, and he plans to continue his research in computer security. Wherever he goes, recognition and awards are sure to follow.