The MANIAC Challenge: Educational Experiences in Ad Hoc Networking

The Mobile Ad hoc Networking Interoperability and Cooperation, or MANIAC, Challenge is a student competition aimed at a better understanding of cooperation and interoperability in ad hoc networks. It also hopes to encourage student interest in solving the complex issues involved in mobile-network technology. Student teams develop and program their strategy for routing and forwarding packets for other network nodes, using an API developed by us. During the competition, teams come together to generate a mobile ad hoc network. The cooperation strategies and the network topology, routing, and performance data collected provide valuable insights into how ad hoc networks will behave when widely deployed outside tightly controlled laboratory environments.