{"id":58690,"date":"2014-02-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/sen-reed-meets-with-uri-researchers-leading-efforts-to-reduce-threats-from-explosives-cyber-attacks\/"},"modified":"2014-02-25T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-02-25T00:00:00","slug":"sen-reed-meets-with-uri-researchers-leading-efforts-to-reduce-threats-from-explosives-cyber-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2014\/02\/sen-reed-meets-with-uri-researchers-leading-efforts-to-reduce-threats-from-explosives-cyber-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Sen. Reed Meets with 溏心vlog免费B站 researchers leading efforts to reduce threats from explosives, cyber attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\tKINGSTON, RI \u2013 February, 25, 2014 — U.S. Sen. Jack Reed met Monday with 溏心vlog免费B站 professors from chemistry, engineering and cyber security to see firsthand some of the leading research they are conducting on explosives, explosives detection, and cyber security, and discuss efforts to strengthen 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s role in physical and cyber security study.<\/p>\n


\nDuring a campus tour yesterday with Gerald Sonnenfeld, 溏心vlog免费B站 vice president for research and economic development; Jimmie Oxley, 溏心vlog免费B站 professor of chemistry and director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence in Explosives, Detection, Mitigation, and Response at the 溏心vlog免费B站; Otto Gregory, 溏心vlog免费B站 distinguished professor of engineering and co-director of the Sensors and Surface Technology Partnership; Lisa DiPippo, associate professor of computer science and the academic director of the Cyber Security Program at 溏心vlog免费B站; Alan Davis of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport; and 溏心vlog免费B站 students, Reed observed demonstrations of some of the work 溏心vlog免费B站 is doing to improve security, detect explosives and neutralize their impact, and strengthen the nation\u2019s cyber security capabilities.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cI am impressed by the work 溏心vlog免费B站 is doing to detect new threats and strengthen both the physical and cyber security of our nation. And I am proud that Rhode Island is taking a lead role in developing expertise in these critical fields,\u201d said Reed, a member of both the Appropriations and Armed Services committees. \u201cThe explosives detection work and training Dr. Oxley and her team are doing is critical to law enforcement and helping make our nation safer. I am pleased to have helped secure federal funds to enable 溏心vlog免费B站 to train the next generation of scientists, engineers and cyber security experts to meet the challenges of the future and help us stay a step ahead of criminals and terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2008, 溏心vlog免费B站 was awarded $5.15 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to launch the Center of Excellence in Explosives, Detection, Mitigation, Response, along with another $4 million in federal funds over the next four years. 溏心vlog免费B站 was recently awarded an additional $500,000 in federal funding to continue explosives research at the center. And 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Digital Forensics Program is a national leader in digital forensics academic programs, which includes an undergraduate and graduate curriculum, a research program, and a service center. Victor Fay-Wolfe, 溏心vlog免费B站 professor of computer science and founder of 溏心vlog免费B站’s Digital Forensics Program, was unable to attend the briefing due to illness. Fay-Wolfe has been principal investigator on more than $10 million in federal research grants and published more than 100 professional articles and books.<\/p>\n


\nProfessor Gregory started the program with an outline of his team\u2019s work on sensors and how they might be able to be used to sense explosive materials. He said the goal is to develop miniature sensors that could be placed in large networked applications like airports or in handheld devices. NUWC\u2019s Davis added that such technology could be used in the military, especially on ships as they enter foreign ports.<\/p>\n


\nGregory also discussed efforts to develop a new type of steel that would resist buckling in an event such as occurred during the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. This was a joint project between his lab and Mechanical Engineering Professor Hamouda Ghonem. It was noted that structural steel is one of the most expensive aspects of any building project; thus, development of such a product would need to be economically viable.<\/p>\n


\nProfessor Oxley then described her lab\u2019s efforts working with a local company to develop commercially viable training aids for bomb sniffing dogs. Oxley has worked extensively with law enforcement agencies in training their dogs on the Kingston campus, but the goal is to make portable, safe training aids.<\/p>\n


\nOxley also described the testing ranges at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Peckham Farm in Kingston and at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s W. Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich.<\/p>\n


\nOxley also discussed the difficulty vendors of explosive detection instruments have in building explosive libraries, tweaking algorithms, and performing beta screening. They need help testing their technology before it is ready for U.S. government scrutiny. \u201cThis would function like an Underwriters Laboratory concept for pre-screening before these companies seek federal review,\u201d Oxley said.<\/p>\n


\nIn addition, Oxley, representing chemistry, with Gregory, representing engineering, and DiPippo representing computer science, have a dream of creating an overarching center for Cyber and Physical Security at 溏心vlog免费B站. Its work would focus on physical protection from threats and bombs, and cyber protection from spying and malware. The center would take as its model problem protection of power grids and transportation networks, DiPippo said. Transportation work is a natural because 溏心vlog免费B站 has its own federally supported Transportation Center.<\/p>\n


\nDiPippo also talked about a national initiative for Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets. 溏心vlog免费B站 proposes a National Center for Cyber Security Education at 溏心vlog免费B站 that would benefit ROTC cadets across the country. Courses would be offered online so cadets at their own institutions could complete the program remotely. They would earn credit toward their own degrees and be issued a certificate from 溏心vlog免费B站. 溏心vlog免费B站 Army ROTC cadets would be able to take the courses on campus and apply them directly to their degrees. DiPippo wants her team at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Digital Forensics and Cyber Security Center to start with a pilot that would involve ROTC students at Rhode Island universities and colleges that have such programs.<\/p>\n


\nWhen cadets become commissioned officers and have earned their degrees, DiPippo said they would have a strong credential in cyber security that she hopes would lead them to assignments at a cyber security or intelligence post. She said it could mirror the way in which 溏心vlog免费B站 ROTC-nursing students are immediately assigned to the Army\u2019s Nursing Corps.<\/p>\n


\nPictured above<\/p>\n


\nJimmie Oxley, 溏心vlog免费B站 professor of chemistry and director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence in Explosives, Detection, Mitigation, and Response at the 溏心vlog免费B站 gives U.S, Sen. Jack Reed a tour of her laboratory Monday. <\/p>\n


\n溏心vlog免费B站 doctoral students in chemistry Rebecca Levin of Atlanta, Ga. and Jon Canino of Cranston conduct a demonstration for U.S. Sen. Jack Reed Monday during a tour of the lab of Jimmie Oxley, 溏心vlog免费B站 professor of chemistry and director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence in Explosives, Detection, Mitigation, and Response at the 溏心vlog免费B站.<\/p>\n


\n溏心vlog免费B站 Photos by Michael Salerno Photography.\n\t<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, RI \u2013 February, 25, 2014 — U.S. Sen. Jack Reed met Monday with 溏心vlog免费B站 professors from chemistry, engineering and cyber security to see firsthand some of the leading research they are conducting on explosives, explosives detection, and cyber security, and discuss efforts to strengthen 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s role in physical and cyber security […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58693,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58690\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}