Contact: Phil Hearn
Mississippi State is joining hands with three other institutions of higher learning to create a center that will work with business and industry to provide better computer security for corporate systems.
In line with that, the proposed creation of a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center will be discussed Wednesday and Thursday [Sept. 22-23] when representatives of the universities, private industry and government agencies meet on the MSU campus. All events will be held at the Hunter Henry Center.
"The purpose of the meeting will be to present our current research, discuss what research efforts are attractive to industry partners, and to solicit membership in the new center," said Ray Vaughn, director of the university's Center for Computer Security Research.
With NSF support, Mississippi State has joined with Iowa State, New Jersey Institute of Technology and University of Kansas to form a Center for Information Protection. The schools will work with industry members to solve real problems that exist today in securing infrastructure and providing security for corporate systems.
"The Center for Information Protection will change the way that industry, academia and government interact with one another to solve information and security problems," Vaughn said.
"With over 85 percent of the nation's cyber resources controlled by the private sector, the CIP will offer industry and government opportunities to sponsor and direct cutting-edge research and education in information security," he added.
The conference will kick off Wednesday with a 7:30 a.m. registration and breakfast, followed by welcoming remarks from MSU research vice president Colin Scanes and Julia Hodges, head of the computer science and engineering department. Vaughn will provide an overview of the proposed center at 9 a.m.
Work sessions are scheduled throughout the day Wednesday and will close with a Thursday luncheon.
"The Center for Computer Security Research already has been highly successful in involving a number of other institutions from academia and industry in its programs," said Hodges. "This latest effort with the proposed creation of an Industry/University Cooperative Research Center is yet another indicator of the level of interest in computer security and the national reputation that our CCSR has established.
"We view this as an opportunity for MSU to continue its role as a leader in computer security research and education," she added.
In addition to MSU, ISU, NJIT, and the NSF, other institutions and organizations represented at the Starkville meeting will include FC Business Systems of Washington, D.C., Atlanta-based Southern Co., Harris Corp. of Melbourne, Fla., Raytheon Corp. of St. Petersburg, Fla., Farm Bureau of Mississippi, Advanced Technology Institute of South Carolina, N-Cyles of Memphis, Tenn., Team HPC of Eudora, Kan., Diversified Technology of Ridgeland, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Robert Altenkirch, a former Mississippi State research vice president who earlier also was dean of the university's Bagley College of Engineering, now is president of the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
For more information, telephone Vaughn at (662) 325-7450.