Jerone Dunbar
St. Thomas Aquinas College
Undergraduate Sr.
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My name is Jerone Dunbar and I am a Computer Science major from St. Thomas Aquinas College in New York.   I am currently an undergraduate senior and I plan to complete my degree by January 2010.  I love computers and it has just been a passion for me from I was in middle school.  My email address is jdunbar07@stac.edu, and you can find out more information about my college at www.stac.edu

 auburn

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Mentor Information

Dr. Juan Gilbert is my mentor for the Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates (DREU) program this summer.  He is currently the Distinguished Professor in the Computer Science and Software Engineering Department and a Center for Governmental Services Fellow at Auburn University.  His current area of research includes usability studies with Prime III which is an electronic voting system being developed.  Click on this link to gain more information on Dr. Gilbert and his website: www.juangilbert.com

The Research Project

The research project and goals given to me by Dr. Gilbert mainly includes usability studies with Prime III.   Prime III is an electronic voting system being developed in a way, such that the blind, deaf and those without hand(s) will still be able to use this electronic system and vote.  Myself and four other students are working on the project this summer, conducting the usability studies, and at the same time we are in an effort to manipulate the code so that it will be as efficient as possible, meeting everyone's needs.  The other four students working on the Prime III this summer are Ashley, Shanee, Jerome and Dwight.
Some of the specific projects and tasks that were given to me by my mentor for the summer are to prepare four computers for the Prime III usability study at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB) which I have been already done.  Secondly I have to integrate the Java sound detector code developed by another graduate student into Prime III.  I also have to create a bootable version of Prime III on DVD, and lastly, I have to continue a past master's student research at Auburn University, with reference to where people touch a touchscreen.  
Additionally, Dr. Gilbert said that we will be conducting usability studies for the entire summer.  On June 4, 2009 the Prime III group went to the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind and we carried out a study to examine, and to gain feedback from the blind, deaf or disabled.  We will have a second study that we will have to carry out in a couple of days however, Dr. Gilbert says that he will brief us on that very soon. 

After meeting with my mentor on the third week of my internship, he mentioned in the general Prime III meeting that my next task, will be to carry out a detailed analysis of the information that was received from the Talladega usability study.  He also said that I should correct everything on my website to ensure that it is working efficiently.  

Click on this link to view a technical paper on my research project:  Technical Paper - The DREU Experience

Additional Information

The goal of the project that I am working on is to create the best electronic user friendly voting system.  In essence that means that regardless of various disabilities, one will be still be able to vote, privately, safely and efficiently.  Persons that are blind, deaf or have no hands will still be able to use the system.  The system has visual aid, it is voice operational and if one cannot see, he/she can listen and follow the necessary steps.
Throughout the entire summer experience we will be conducting usability studies with the system.  

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