Tyler O'Neal, Staff Editor APPLICATIONS

WVU programmed to fill cybersecurity jobs with NSF award

When West Virginia University first offered cybersecurity classes in 2003, the gravest fear of a casual Internet user might have been opening an infected email attachment that erased computer files or reset their homepage.

And who could forget landing on some dodgy website that would generate a never-ending array of pesky pop-up windows

Those problems were so 2003.

Hacking has since morphed into a more sinister creature. Espionage, extortion, election meddling, data tampering, credit card and identity theft...the list of immoral activities committed via cyberattacks is ever-evolving.

This calls for more cybersecurity experts. A lot of them. CAPTION By 2021, an estimated 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs across the globe will be unfilled. The WVU Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering hopes to help plug the demand with a project called 'ACCESS' that cultivates cybersecurity experts through scholarships. CREDIT Brian Persinger/West Virginia University{module In-article}

With the aid of a $1 million award from the National Science Foundation, the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering hopes to prepare students to help meet the demand for these cybersecurity roles.

According to Cyberseek.org, there are nearly 1,000 available jobs in the cybersecurity field in West Virginia. Nationwide, there are more than 313,000 open positions.

Professor Katerina Goseva-Popstojanova said the NSF award will provide a total of 120 annual scholarships of $5,000 to 40 undergraduate students over a five-year period. The project is called Attracting and Cultivating Cybersecurity Experts and Scholars through Scholarships.T

"The need for cybersecurity keeps increasing as we become more dependent on computers, networks, and devices," she said. "Fifteen years ago, there were barely any smartphones or tablets. Now everything is connected to the Internet or network, from health records to the water supply to critical infrastructure. Just think about how you can now control the temperature in your home from your office. There's potential for an attack there.

"Cyberattacks evolve because technology evolves. It's a cat-and-mouse game."

The methods of cyberattacks are growing at such an alarming rate that it's hard for government and industry to keep up. By 2021, it's estimated there will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity positions globally.

Goseva-Popstojanova highlighted ransomware as one of the newer types of malicious software. Ransomware is designed to extort money by encrypting the files on a computer system, and thus making them unusable until a ransom is paid.

She also cautioned against the use of certain apps, even if they seem harmless on the surface. Case in point: FaceApp, the Russian mobile app that uses artificial intelligence to create a realistic rendering of what you might look like in a few decades. Despite its popularity, the app raised questions over privacy concerns.

"When you download an app, it asks for permissions, such as access to your location," said Goseva-Popstojanova, whose research focuses on software security, information assurance and intrusion tolerance. "Apps don't need to know that. Maybe Google Maps, but why would other apps? Apps collect data about users, track behavior and may sell your data for financial gain."

WVU will begin awarding the funds in spring 2020. Recipients must be in good academic standing (at least a 3.5 high school GPA for incoming students or 3.0 GPA for current university students), have demonstrated financial need and be enrolled in an eligible bachelor's program in the Lane department.

Since 2006, WVU has been designated by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security as a National Center of Academic Excellence in both cyber defense education and cyber defense research.

Other faculty involved in ACCESS include Robin Hensel, Brian Woerner, Roy Nutter, David Krovich, Earl Scime, and Kathleen Cullen, all of the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.

"The outcomes of the project will reach beyond West Virginia and are likely to be applicable to other states that have similar population characteristics and face similar challenges," Goseva-Popstojanova said.

Students will learn how to program and design systems that not only thwart attacks but also allow them to continue operating if compromised.

"Developing resilient systems is important," she said. "Attacks will happen. So how can systems keep working even if they're attacked? You don't want the electrical grid to get attacked and be completely out of power. The key is to make systems resilient."

Another goal of ACCESS is to encourage diversity, such as women, in the STEM fields.

"In general, there are not very many females or minorities in STEM," Goseva-Popstojanova said. "We're committed to increasing the number of women and members of underrepresented groups who get degrees with specialization in cybersecurity. This serves such a broader impact on society.

"For me, I was raised in a family where I was never told, 'You cannot do that.' I became a computer scientist. It wasn't an issue. But once you get into the system, you notice you're one of a very few. Wherever you go, in any country, there are fewer women than men in STEM roles."

ACCESS will partner with other initiatives such as Girls Go Cyberstart, an interactive series of digital challenges designed to introduce girls to the cybersecurity field, and CyberPatriot, an education program created by the Air Force Association to inspire K-12 students toward cybersecurity careers.

Funding recipients will also have access to seminars, lectures, mentors and internship opportunities.

Russian scientists create machine learning model for damaging mutations prediction

Tyler O'Neal, Staff Editor APPLICATIONS

The new-generation sequencing technology has ushered in a new era in medicine, making it easier to identify a sequence of nucleotides in the DNA or a sequence of amino acids in the proteins of a specific individual and use this information for both diagnosis and treatment. Minute alterations in these sequences, mutations can be indicative of a minor disorder and, sometimes, a grave disease.

Scientists from Skoltech, the Technical University of Munich, St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (Chennai, India) developed a machine-learning-based method that allows analyzing the atomic structures of proteins and predicting the pathogenicity of mutations. The method is adapted for transmembrane proteins that account for 25-30% of all the proteins in a cell and often serve as targets for drugs. {module In-article}

"In this study, we used a combination of 1D information on the amino acid sequences of proteins and 3D information on the protein's atomic structures to create an effective machine-learning-based model that helps identify disease-associated amino acid substitutions in membrane proteins," says the first author of the study and Assistant Professor at Skoltech, Petr Popov.

Texas A&M System Regents approve RELLIS to be central testing hub for the Army Futures Command

Tyler O'Neal, Staff Editor APPLICATIONS

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents on Thursday authorized the construction of a $130 million combat development complex at the A&M System’s RELLIS Campus in Bryan.

The complex will include a one-of-a-kind, kilometer-long tunnel that will make Texas A&M Engineering “the hypersonic research capital of the country,” said M. Katherine Banks, Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Engineering.

At the RELLIS Campus, Gen. John “Mike” Murray, commanding general for the Army Futures Command, said the Army Futures Command would develop, test and evaluate next-generation technologies from the private sector and universities around the country.

The Texas A&M System will build a $50 million building with laboratories, accelerator space and offices for the Army Futures Command on the RELLIS campus, plus invest another $30 million in infrastructure improvements to support the new facility.

The Texas Legislature also appropriated $50 million to establish an innovative proving ground, which the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) will implement as an outdoor testing area at RELLIS for designing, analyzing and validating new technologies in challenging environments. Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Speaker Dennis Bonnen championed the $50 million to be included in the state appropriations bill for the proving ground.

“This innovative new complex strengthens Texas’ partnership with the United States Military and further establishes our state as a hub for emerging technology,” said Governor Abbott. “I am proud to have worked with the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker, and the Legislature to secure funding to move this project forward. The state of Texas will continue to work with the Texas A&M System and the Army Futures Command to modernize our defense and keep our Armed Forces at the forefront of technological advancement.”

The Army Futures Command, headquartered in Austin, is drawing on research from universities around the country and the private sector to modernize the U.S. Army, but the new facility at RELLIS will be the central hub where the newest and most innovative ideas are tested and evaluated – often by soldiers from nearby Fort Hood or members of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.

The aim is to shorten the time it takes to get emerging technologies from the lab to the field and maximize technology capabilities through soldier feedback. A team of Army and Texas A&M System researchers will quickly evaluate prototypes that can be tested by soldiers in a real-world environment using a vast array of sensors and instruments at RELLIS.

“We are humbled and grateful to the people of Texas, Texas elected leaders, and the Texas A&M University System for the opportunity to further develop our strategic partnership through the establishment of the combat development complex on the RELLIS Campus,” said Gen. Murray. “This effort will certainly prove vital as we work together to discover, develop, and test ideas and concepts that will help our Soldiers, and our future Soldiers, to protect America’s tomorrows — beginning today.”

Not only is the RELLIS Campus close enough to the Army Futures Command headquarters and Fort Hood for ideal oversight, but it is also near Texas A&M University’s world-class College of Engineering and Disaster City, the world’s largest search and rescue training facility that can double as a training site for urban warfare.

Although the combat development complex isn’t expected to be completed until June 2021, Vice-Chancellor Banks said the hiring of additional engineers will begin immediately. 

Three years ago, RELLIS didn’t even exist.

In May 2016, Chancellor John Sharp announced the creation of RELLIS – named for Texas A&M’s core values of Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity and Selfless Service. He began the building boom to redevelop the 2,000-acre property with an initial investment of $300 million. Today the campus is home to the Texas A&M System’s transportation and engineering agencies as well as an education complex served by Blinn College and Texas A&M System universities from around the state.

More growth is coming, and more construction is planned, including a state-of-the-art supercomputing center. {module In-article}

The arrival of the Army Futures Command will bring the RELLIS site full circle, back to the location’s June 6, 1943 opening as the Bryan Army Air Field. It also takes RELLIS to another level as companies interested in working with the Army Futures Command are expected to locate on or near the campus.

“We consider serving the military of our nation to be the highest of honors and responsibility,” said Chancellor Sharp. “Also, having the Army Futures Command at RELLIS is a game-changer for that campus and the Brazos Valley area; RELLIS was envisioned as a research dynamo and the Army’s arrival will speed that up.”