鈥溙切腣log传媒 Little Rock is home to a diverse student body and respected faculty transforming academic endeavors into practical support and solutions for Arkansans. Establishing a full-service veterans legal clinic within the Bowen School of Law and bolstering nanotech research with a wide range of real-world applications will benefit veterans and accelerate innovative breakthroughs at the intersection of science and medicine,鈥� said U.S. Senator John Boozman, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee. 鈥淚鈥檓 pleased to have championed these investments and look forward to the exciting impact they will have on our state and beyond in the years to come.鈥�

Chancellor Christina Drale added that these investments further position the university to serve Arkansas through impactful research and programs.

鈥淭his level of federal investment affirms the value and impact of the work happening at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock,鈥� said Chancellor Christina Drale. 鈥淔rom supporting Arkansas veterans to advancing research in nanotechnology, cybersecurity, and data analytics, these appropriations strengthen our ability to serve the state and deliver research that makes a measurable difference for our communities and our country.

The federal funding package includes two direct allocations secured by Boozman for the veterans legal clinic and nanotechnology research equipment, in addition to the other investments he and the Arkansas congressional delegation supported for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock programs:

• $750,000 to support the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at the William H. Bowen School of Law
• $6 million for nanotechnology initiatives, including:
  • $3 million to enhance nanotechnology research capacity through the purchase of highly specialized state-of-the-art equipment
  • $3 million specifically for nanomaterials for bone regeneration research
• $5 million to develop a cyber-resilient computing platform in partnership with Montana State University
• $1 million to support COSMOS (social networks analysis) research

Veterans Legal Services Clinic

The $750,000 appropriation will enhance the Bowen School of Law鈥檚 Veterans Legal Services Clinic, which provides free legal assistance to Arkansas veterans while giving law students hands-on experience. To date the clinic has supported Veterans in two thirds of Arkansas counties and has secured more than $500k in benefits for veterans. With the additional funding, the clinic hopes to secure additional support to serve all Arkansas counties.  

鈥淭his funding strengthens our ability to stand alongside Arkansas veterans and ensure they have access to the legal services they deserve,鈥� said Dean Colin Crawford of the Bowen School of Law. 鈥淚t also gives our students meaningful, real-world experience advocating for those who have served our country.鈥�

Analytical and Nanotechnology Research Expansion

The $6 million in nanotechnology funding will significantly expand 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 research capacity. The $3 million equipment investment will enhance nanotechnology research through the acquisition of advanced instrumentation, positioning the university for continued growth in high-impact materials science. The instrumentation will serve both the academic as well as the industrial partners and provide educational opportunities for a variety of students and users. An additional $3 million will support research focused specifically on nanomaterials for bone regeneration, with potential applications for injured service members and others requiring regenerative medical treatments.

鈥淭hese investments strengthen the university鈥檚 ability to conduct advanced characterization and research at a higher level both academically and industrially,鈥� said Dr. Alex Biris, Chief Scientist at the Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences. 鈥淭he funding expands our research capacity, and the support for the development of technologies focused on advanced bone and tissue regeneration, allowing us to pursue innovative solutions with significant implications for both national defense and medical advancement.鈥�  

Cyber-Resilient Space Computing Platform

The $5 million cyber-resilient computing platform project, a joint effort between 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and Montana State University, will focus on strengthening satellite systems against emerging cyber threats and enhancing national security capabilities in space.

鈥淭his project advances our ability to build AI models that protect mission-critical systems operating in increasingly complex and contested cyber environments in space,鈥� said Dr. Philip Huff. 鈥淚t reflects 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 growing leadership in applied cybersecurity research that directly supports national defense and workforce needs.鈥�

COSMOS: Social Networks Analysis

The $1 million investment in COSMOS (social networks analysis) will expand research capabilities in data analytics and national security applications.

鈥淪ocial network analysis plays a critical role in understanding complex digital ecosystems and cognitive security challenges,鈥� said Dr. Nitin Agarwal, director of COSMOS Research Center at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. 鈥淭his funding allows us to deepen our research impact while preparing students to lead in high-demand intelligence and analytics fields.鈥�

Together, these investments accelerate 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 momentum as a leading public research university and a driver of innovation in Arkansas. From supporting veterans in Arkansas courtrooms to advancing technologies that strengthen national security, the university continues to translate research excellence into tangible benefits for the state and the nation.

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Mya Little, a junior music major and education minor from Little Rock, participated in the in Italy from June 30 to Aug. 5. The festival is a true international opera experience, presenting a unique opportunity for young artists to work with internationally renowned professionals, immersed in an environment with opera singers from all parts of the world.

鈥淭his is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for singers to expand musical horizons, immerse themselves in the rich cultural heritage of Italy, and showcase talent on an international stage,鈥� said Dr. Lorissa Mason, director of choral activities at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.

While Little has never performed in an opera prior to this summer residency, she took on the challenge of singing the role of Cardella in the opera 鈥淟o frate 鈥榥namorato鈥� by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. She described the character as a feisty, funny maid who loves to gossip, argue, and know what is going on.

鈥淲hen I first walked into the room, I was not an opera singer, but I knew I would become one,鈥� Little said. 鈥淚 do what I do to the best of my ability and take direction from my coaches, teachers, and directors and bring the best of me to my performance. I did a lot of growth as a person, a singer, and an entertainer during this program.鈥�

Diane Kesling, Little鈥檚 voice coach at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, recommended Little to Carroll Freeman, a director at Festival International Opera, and she was able to attend the program as an invited singer. She had approximately three weeks to prepare for her summer program.

She is very grateful to members of the community for rallying around her to help her go on the trip. Little held a benefit concert in North Little Rock that helped raise more than $3,000 to cover airfare and the cost of the summer program. She is also thankful to Sen. John Boozman and his staff, who helped Little receive an expedited passport so she could travel to Italy on time.

During the program, Little participated in voice lessons, coaching sessions with Italian coaches, masterclasses with prominent stars, performances in weekly concerts, and tours in Italy鈥檚 cities.

鈥淭he rest of the time was mostly me doing independent studying, being in the practice rooms for hours, and staying up late to learn my lines,鈥� Little said. 鈥淚 met some really cool people, and I especially enjoyed working with my teacher, Tyler Nelson. He was great, patient, and had a lot of knowledge to give.鈥�

Little plans to graduate from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in December 2024. Afterwards, she will continue to perform but also wants to create a nonprofit organization that will be a fine arts and performing center for youth. Her nonprofit is inspired by her own experience as a displaced teenager who left the state in order to live with a family friend and attend high school in Texas.

鈥淢y end goal is to create a boarding school for at-risk and underprivileged youth,鈥� Little said. 鈥淚鈥檝e met so many community leaders that I鈥檝e been inspired by, and I want to become someone who helps people like me when I was a displaced young girl who just wanted to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.鈥�

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This new project adds to the already operational Emerging Threat Center and enables purposeful collaboration to expand operational capabilities and enhance regional threat information sharing.

The project brings together electric utilities and partners from the energy sector to advance practices in cybersecurity threat sharing throughout the mid-South region of the country. The center鈥檚 goals focus on increasing workforce development, creating education and training for securing energy sector control systems, and advancing cybersecurity threat intelligence sharing practices.

鈥淭he energy sector, and electric utilities, in particular, are on the front lines when it comes to nation-state cybersecurity attacks,鈥� said Dr. Philip Huff, assistant professor of cybersecurity at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and principal investigator on the grant. 鈥淭hey are often among the first targeted because they provide critical services to society and are relied on by all other critical infrastructure sectors. It is especially important that we have cybersecurity protections for these services in place.鈥�

The project is supported with a $1 million award from the (CESER), and is endorsed by Sen. John Boozman.

鈥淭he new Emerging Threat Information Sharing and Analysis Center is an exceptional example of the collaboration needed to enhance energy security on a regional level in the United States,鈥� said Puesh Kumar, CESER director. 鈥淢y office is proud to support this effort to advance workforce development, training, and threat sharing capabilities, all of which are essential to our continued success in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats. I applaud the University of Arkansas Little Rock for involving students in this initiative as it presents a unique learning opportunity and supports the realization of a skilled cybersecurity workforce for the challenges of tomorrow.鈥�

鈥淭he Emerging Threat Information Sharing and Analysis Center will be an instrumental part of our national strategy to prevent cybersecurity breaches and attacks that have the potential to disrupt our lives,鈥� Sen. Boozman said. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud to support initiatives that strengthen the Natural State鈥檚 role in combating cyberthreats and prepare and train our workforce to help protect our information and secure our critical networks.鈥�

The center brings together a consortium of universities, cybersecurity experts, electric utilities, and energy sector partners through the Cybersecurity Consortium for Innovation (CCI), led by the Forge Institute. This project provides services for utilities and power system operators throughout the region, including the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, Arkansas Public Power Utilities, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Entergy, Midwest ISO, and Southwest Power Pool.

鈥淭his federal funding and collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, and other partners, enables thoughtful engagement, training, and capability development to support the needs of energy sector organizations, including municipally owned utilities,鈥� Forge Institute Chairman and CEO Lee Watson said. 鈥淥ur goal is to refine and improve a next-generation information sharing and analysis collaboration that will help critical infrastructure entities share information through a trusted community with a clear goal of being one step ahead of our adversaries providing enhanced situational awareness.鈥�

During a May 23 meeting of consortium partners, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Chancellor Christina Drale and Forge Institute signed on to a Memorandum of Understanding with the Idaho National Laboratory, a Department of Energy national laboratory and leading center for power grid cybersecurity resilience and nuclear energy research and development.

This agreement between Idaho National Laboratory and Forge Institute on behalf of CCI will result in collaboration for cybersecurity threat sharing and analysis, industrial cybersecurity labs for training and exercises and training and workforce development. This is the first time such an MOU has been signed between a state consortium and a national laboratory.

“This new center will be a perfect fit for the mission of this university to provide leading-edge experiential learning opportunities that give our students a career advantage,鈥� Drale said. 鈥淚t also fits well with our applied research mission to use our talent and expertise to address real life issues for everyone’s benefit.”

The center will build a pipeline of student researchers to develop innovations to defend against cyber threats. Ten students from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and the University of Arkansas will work with center members to conduct threat analysis.

Members of the center will develop and deploy energy sector control system simulations for community members to train and test defensive measures to enhance protection against cybersecurity and cyberattacks. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock will expand the Cyber Arena, a cloud-based cybersecurity education and training platform, to provide an online learning environment where community members can access these simulations on demand.

Additionally, the center will utilize a near-real-time threat correlation platform with the ability to detect patterns between threat intelligence reports and community member provided information. The platform will automate threat analysis tasks through artificial intelligence. The center will use this information to develop a cyber threat intelligence technology that will allow for broader cybersecurity threat sharing.

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