The award comes from appropriations language authored by U.S. Sen. John Boozman passed into law in December 2022. The funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response.

鈥淒eveloping a workforce of skilled professionals to combat cybercrime is increasingly important,鈥� Sen. Boozman said. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud to support this initiative to strengthen our state鈥檚 role in preventing cybersecurity attacks and create additional opportunities for Arkansans to safeguard critical energy networks.鈥�

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock is leading a cohort of partners that include the Consortium for Cyber Innovation, , the University of Arkansas, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (糖心Vlog传媒PB). The objectives include improving education, training, and workforce development for securing industrial control systems (ICS) against cybersecurity attacks, improving cybersecurity threat analysis and intelligence sharing, and creating an innovation startup program for cybersecurity in the energy sector.

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. 鈥淭his groundbreaking initiative underscores 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and our partners鈥� commitment to stay at the forefront of cybersecurity education and research, empowering students and researchers to address the complex challenges of the digital age. We are especially grateful to Sen. Boozman for helping Arkansas become better prepared for the growing threat of cybersecurity attacks in the energy sector.鈥�

The Consortium for Cyber Innovation, which includes 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Forge Institute, 糖心Vlog传媒PB, and community college partners in Arkansas, will be creating a competency-based certificate program in cyber-informed engineering tailored for the energy sector. These certificates will equip students with specialized skills tailored to meet the evolving demands of the cybersecurity landscape and will strengthen the cybersecurity expertise of operators, technicians, and engineers within the energy sector. The certificate program will integrate into existing computer science and cybersecurity programs at universities and community colleges within the Consortium for Cyber Innovation.

鈥淭his funding will enable 糖心Vlog传媒PB to hire two cybersecurity instructors who will participate in formulation of not only certificate programs but also revise the course offering in the undergraduate cybersecurity program and graduate program in computer science and technology,鈥� said Dr. Grant Wangila, interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at 糖心Vlog传媒PB. 鈥淭his investment also goes beyond filling the instructors; it enables faculty to engage with industry, government, schools, and colleges in developing these new programs in cyber-informed engineering.鈥�

While developing the certificate program, the researchers will conduct a regional workforce needs assessment on the energy sector within Arkansas and its neighboring regions. This will include hosting a series of workshops, webinars, and site visits to get the feedback needed to understand the workforce skill needs for cyber-informed engineering. The needs assessment will ensure that students have knowledge and skills to address real-world challenges and are prepared for high-demand jobs.

Additionally, the funding will support the establishment of an innovation startup program in the Emerging Threat Information Sharing and Analysis Center dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship in energy cybersecurity, progressing ideas from concept to commercialized solutions.

鈥淎s the Forge Institute spearheads the creation of a national innovation center for grid-connected security and resiliency, we are not just incubating early-stage ideas; we are nurturing the seeds of national security and resilience,鈥� said Lee Watson, chairman and CEO of Forge Institute. 鈥淭his center, rooted in the heart of Arkansas, will be a beacon of American innovation and determination, setting a pioneering path for the rest of the country to follow. Together, we are forging a safer, more resilient future for our nation.”

The innovation program will include a mentorship program, a 12-to-14-week pre-accelerator program to help formalize new entrepreneurial ventures, and a series of innovation programs for students, faculty, community, and industry members. Researchers will work with students so they can receive academic credit for participating in the pre-accelerator program.

“We are on the cusp of a national revolution in cybersecurity and grid resilience, right here in Arkansas,鈥� Watson said. 鈥淭he collaboration between the Forge Institute, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, and the Consortium for Cyber Innovation, established in 2019, signifies a monumental leap towards safeguarding our nation’s energy infrastructure. It鈥檚 a testament to what can be achieved on a national scale when local entities unite with a common purpose. I am profoundly grateful to Chancellor Drale, Dr. Huff, Dr. Farnell, and Dr. Wangila and the entire 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, University of Arkansas, and 糖心Vlog传媒PB teams for their purposeful collaborations and Sen. John Boozman for his steadfast support, which has been instrumental in this endeavor.鈥�

Additionally, the award will fund research initiatives leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), deep reinforcement learning techniques to identify optimal protection strategies against cyber threats. This research will be used to enhance the Emerging Threat Information Sharing and Analysis Center鈥檚 automated threat analysis process by refining its attack simulation environment. Bastazo, a university startup company specializing in cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions with ties to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and the University of Arkansas, is leading the technical development for this project and will use deep reinforcement learning to model realistic interactions between threat actors and defenders.

鈥淚n deep reinforcement learning, a machine learning model learns through trial and error without requiring a set of allowed actions to be predetermined,鈥� said Dr. Kylie McClanahan, chief technical officer of Bastazo. 鈥淭hrough this, we hope to identify new strategies to mitigate vulnerabilities and prevent exploitation and, ultimately, to improve cybersecurity in the electric sector.鈥�

Furthermore, innovative virtual reality (VR) training environments will be created to provide immersive experiences simulating the effects of cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure such as the power grid. Researchers at the University of Arkansas will  augment the cybersecurity testbed at the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT) test facility to allow remote access and experimentation for training and research purposes.

鈥淲e are very excited to partner with this team to help advance workforce development, expand NCREPT鈥檚 cyber-testbed capabilities, and further develop collaborations in the area of cybersecurity to secure our nation鈥檚 critical infrastructure,鈥� said Dr. Chris Farnell, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science and associate director NCREPT at the University of Arkansas.

NCREPT officials will also develop training modules to assist researchers and students in familiarizing themselves with ICS and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition cybersecurity vulnerabilities and mitigation. Collaborating partners will be able to use the ICS simulation environments for cyber-attack exercises and cybersecurity training.

“I am very excited about how this investment will help strengthen the cybersecurity ecosystem here in Arkansas,鈥� said Dr. Brian Berry, vice provost of research and dean of the Graduate School at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. 鈥淢ost importantly, it will help train the next generation of cybersecurity experts.”

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糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock will work with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the University of Arkansas to establish a Quantum Information Science and Engineering program. The effort is funded by a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

糖心Vlog传媒PB is one of three historically Black colleges and universities awarded the 2022 NSF Expanding Capacity in Quantum Information Science and Engineering program grant, which will advance quantum information in a new generation of computers, detectors, and new materials of the future. Once established, QuAPB will be the first-of-its-kind quantum center in this region of the United States – an integrated research and education program in quantum materials and devices for integrated quantum photonics.

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock will receive $750,000 of the grant. Dr. Gregory Guisbiers, assistant professor of physics, and Dr. Tansel Karabacak, professor of physics and interim director of the School of Physical Sciences, will lead efforts at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to synthesize quantum dots that will be used in the development of photonic devices. They will use two novel techniques named Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquids (PLAL) and Hot Water Treatment (HWT) to design free and attached quantum dots, respectively.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a great time to be involved in quantum research,鈥� Guisbiers said. 鈥溙切腣log传媒 Little Rock will mainly be responsible for creating quantum materials, 糖心Vlog传媒PB will be responsible for characterizing quantum materials, and U of A will be integrating those quantum materials into devices. Being involved in this grant from the National Science Foundation is a big honor, and I鈥檓 pleased to be part of it.鈥�

As the lead institution on the grant, 糖心Vlog传媒PB will receive $3.5 million. The funding will enable 糖心Vlog传媒PB to provide quantum laboratory and course content for bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degree students. This grant also supports QISE faculty at 糖心Vlog传媒PB, reorients several nanomaterials experts at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and 糖心Vlog传媒PB toward quantum applications, and creates a hands-on quantum laboratory course for BS/MS students. In addition, education and outreach activities will fuel the QISE student pipelines and promote engagement with K-12 schools about quantum careers.

Researchers at U of A, which will also receive $750,000 from the grant, will fabricate integrated quantum photonic devices at U of A. They will gather component materials from collaborators throughout QuAPB and leverage the heterogeneous integration capabilities of the MonArk NSF Quantum Foundry to produce complete devices for characterization at 糖心Vlog传媒PB. According to Guisbiers, the materials will be used in quantum computing, quantum sensing, and imaging in medicine.

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