WVU partners win grant
for biometrics research
By The Associated Press
Wednesday March 17, 2004
MORGANTOWN -- Researchers at West Virginia University will launch a federally funded, three-year study of biometric technology, focusing on everything from performance and privacy issues to the vulnerability of certain systems.
The work will be funded by a $3.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation and supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
WVU and four partner institutions -- Clarkson and St. Lawrence universities in New York, Michigan State University and the University of Pittsburgh -- will help the government learn how to authenticate a person's identity efficiently while protecting the information that new high-tech systems generate.
"To my knowledge, never before has this type of comprehensive research been conducted,'' WVU professor Larry Hornak, who is leading the project, said Tuesday.
Biometrics is an identification science built on physical characteristics that cannot be duplicated such as fingerprints or voice and retina patterns. WVU created the world's first four-year degree program in biometrics in 1997.
Automated biometric systems were in use before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but Hornak said they're now experiencing rapid growth. Several large systems have been mandated or proposed for processing visas, passports and driver's licenses.
WVU is building a lab where fingerprints, hand geometry, and face, voice and iris patterns can be collected from volunteers.
dailymail.com
steve |
