CCI xG Testbed turns on the power

Students were hard at work this month, installing 72 software-defined radio nodes in the ceiling rack of our xG Testbed. CCI has the largest testbed of its kind in the country. You can learn about some of the behind-the-scenes work on the testbed here.

New testbeds at VCU College of Engineering boost CCI’s
capabilities in securing NextG, medical devices, and smart cities

The three new testbeds dedicated to securing NextG, medical devices, and smart cities were developed under the leadership of Erdem Topsakal, director of the CCI Central Virginia regional node and chair of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. These testbeds, along with the CCI xG Testbed, are expanding what CCI can offer to researchers from academia, government, and industry.

CCI researchers helping secure
nation’s energy systems 

Last year’s cyberattacks on key infrastructure made it clear that the systems we all rely upon are vulnerable to attack. CCI-funded researchers are at the forefront of securing the nation’s power systems.

Chen-Ching Liu, director of the Power and Energy Center at Virginia Tech, was awarded a nearly $2 million Department of Energy project, Cyber REsilience of SubsTations (CREST).

Liu and his team will create a two-part system to detect and mitigate cyber incidents while maintaining secure communication and critical functions. Partners for the project include the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Southern Company Services, and GW Grid Solutions LLC.  

“What we are doing with CCI projects enhances our competitiveness for major awards. Thank you for your support!” Liu said.

CCI AI security research
garnering attention

Our student and faculty researchers are winning accolades for their work in securing AI. This month, a poster designed by CCI graduate research assistants Wan-Yi Mao and Mehmet Yardimci won the best paper award at the Florida Artificial Intelligence Research Society’s international conference. The winning poster, “Trustworthy AI Solutions for Cyberbiosecurity Challenges in Water Supply Systems,” competed against 45 universities from around the world.

In other AI security news, papers written by CCI researcher Feras Batarseh are being cited in influential reports. One such new report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is about AI and data assurance for agriculture and the effects of data uncertainties, including cyber issues, on trade and supply chains. The report cites Batarseh’s work “Public policymaking for international agricultural trade using association rules and ensemble machine learning” and “Artificial Intelligence Methods for Evaluating Global Trade Flows.” 

Cybersecurity workforce development through hands-on learning

The CCI Northern Virginia regional node, which is led by George Mason University, recently launched a cybersecurity traineeship program that attracted 374 applicants for 21 available slots. Initial data shows an overwhelming majority of underrepresented populations applying for cybersecurity traineeship. Some applicants are transitioning from other careers to work in cybersecurity. We’re eager to find out what this cohort achieves in the coming months!

Experiential learning is a focal point for CCI across the commonwealth. This fall, the CCI Coastal Virginia region, led by Old Dominion University, plans to hold a Cyber Con dedicated to cybersecurity experiential learning research and practice to help bridge the gap between academia and industry. The event will be held at the College of William and Mary on Sept. 28-29, 2022. Save the date. More information is forthcoming.

Securing the Future of Cyberspace:
Call for Posters

CCI researchers and students are invited to submit a poster abstract for the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine 2022 Summit, which will be held on Oct. 25, 2022, at the National Academy of Science in Washington, D.C. The theme is Securing the Future of Cyberspace. 

This is a competitive Call for Posters. Applications are limited to students and faculty from Virginia higher education institutions. Only those accepted will be invited to attend the summit and present their posters. Poster applications are due June 15, 2022. To learn more and download the submission application, please visit the summit’s Call for Posters webpage.