Contact: Robbie Ward
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State is among some two dozen universities being designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research.
The National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security recently announced the schools' inclusion through 2013, citing a continuing need for academic institutions to help prevent and respond to national catastrophic events.
Ray Vaughn, a Giles Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Engineering who directs MSU's Critical Infrastructure Protection Center, said the designation provides additional opportunities for faculty and student researchers that otherwise are unavailable.
"This keeps us on a list of schools recognized by the NSA and the federal government as having the unique ability to perform research in computer security," Vaughn said. Qualifying for the designation involved meeting 10 criteria, he explained.
Auburn, Boston, Indiana, Northeastern, Pennsylvania State, and Illinois universities are among others on the list as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research.
In 2001, MSU was among an initial list of higher education institutions selected for NSA's Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education.
Vaughn said MSU has established a reputation in the field due, in part, to having one of the largest computer security programs in the nation, coordinating a cyber-corps program and training law enforcement officials in computer forensics techniques.
The academic program begun in 1999 also has "a solid track record" of graduates now working in federal information security, he added.
"We've gone from our first computer security course in 1998 to more than $16 million in grants that support our computer security and digital forensics work," Vaughn noted. "Our department also has the ability to support classified projects with the Department of Defense."
To help combat cybercrime on the local, state and federal levels, MSU leases a 10,000-square-feet facility in Jackson, in partnership with the office of Attorney General Jim Hood. Focusing on detection and prevention, this effort led to creation of the National Forensics Training Center, which is managed by associate professor David Dampier of MSU's department of computer science and engineering.
NSA/DHS's National Centers of Academic Excellence Programs were created to enable established research institutions like MSU seek solutions for securing the worldwide information grid.
Vaughn and Dampier officially accepted MSU's newest NSA certification during a professional meeting in Dallas, Texas.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For more information, contact Dr. Vaughn at 662-325-7450 or Vaughn@cse.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.