UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – More than 25 experts from across academia, industry, and government will participate as panelists and presenters at the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Workshop, taking place March 29 through April 1. The CIP Workshop is jointly hosted by the Penn State Center for Security Research and Education, Center for Energy Law and Policy, and the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Science.

The workshop features six sessions, all held virtually via Zoom, covering topics including information security, cyber threats, energy infrastructure, global risks to supply chains and more.

Registration is now open and is required to attend.

“The security of critical infrastructure is a vitally important topic with wide-ranging implications for national security, business operations, and the functioning of society in general,” said Vice Adm. (Ret.) James W. Houck, interim dean of Penn State Law in University Park and the School of International Affairs and the director of CSRE. “We are very pleased to offer this series of events to the Penn State community and partners around the world, and honored that so many experts, including government representatives and elected officials, are participating.”

Panel Sessions

“Information Security in the Power Grid”
Tuesday, March 29, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET)

This session will include presentations and a roundtable discussion on the timely topic of cybersecurity of wide-area measurement systems (WAMS), including phasor measurement unit (PMU) data anomaly detection and correction, and its impact on different applications. A deep dive on the state-of-the-art in the areas of WAMS cyber defense and potential vulnerabilities to be addressed will be conducted.

The panel will be moderated by Seth Blumsack, professor of energy policy and economics and international affairs, and director of the Center for Energy Law and Policy.

“The Cyber Threat to America’s Infrastructure”
Tuesday, March 29, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. (ET)

Critical Infrastructure is essential for maintaining the functions of a modern society from healthcare, to security, to the economy.   A cyber-attack on critical infrastructure has the potential to cripple a nation.  Using our collective background and real-world experiences, we will lead a discussion on the cyber threats to critical infrastructure and the importance of pro-actively and holistically addressing them.

This session is presented by Michael Hohnka, head of the Embedded Forensics and Reverse Engineering Department, Applied Research Laboratory; and Will Parker, head of the Offensive Security Department, Applied Research Laboratory.

“Regulating and Managing Energy Infrastructure Interdependencies”
Wednesday, March 30, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET)

A highly fragmented business and regulatory environment across decision-makers and across infrastructure systems has impeded the ability of individual energy infrastructure operators to monitor or reduce vulnerabilities that stem from high levels of interdependence. It has also created a regulatory system without clear oversight of the decisions made by those infrastructure operators. This session will focus on the roles and needs of the regulatory process in addressing vulnerabilities across infrastructures.

This panel will be moderated by Chiara Lo Prete, associate professor of energy economics in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering.

“Developing Research Requirements to Secure America’s Critical Infrastructure”
Wednesday, March 30, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. (ET)

Currently, there are no established processes to develop and conduct research to support critical infrastructure in the United States. Research efforts conducted by industry, academia, and governments are done on an individual and ad hoc basis. In this session, the panelists will discuss how stakeholders can better establish a) prioritized requirements for research to support risk reduction in critical infrastructure sectors and b) process to conduct interdisciplinary research to support the Homeland Security Enterprise.

This panel will be moderated by Nicholas Eftimiades, assistant teaching professor of homeland security in the Penn State Harrisburg School of Public Affairs.

“Securing America’s Critical Supply Chains against Global Risks”
Thursday, March 31, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. (ET)

This session will showcase four presentations follow by an open discussion. The four presentations will cover topics related to advanced manufacturing, fashion supply chain sustainability, food supply chain resilience, and supply chain networks and complexity. The open discussion will focus on innovative solutions for critical supply chains and on-going supply chain disruptions.

This panel will be moderated by Alfonso Mejia, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and affiliate researcher in the Institutes of Energy and the Environment.

“Next Steps”
Friday, April 1, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET)

The protection of critical infrastructure has become ubiquitous in the national security discourse, and Penn State and our partners have substantial research, education, and service capabilities across the critical infrastructure sectors. Can/how can we better work together i.e. University-wide, interdisciplinary efforts, in partnership with industry and government, to improve the security of critical infrastructure? What topic areas should we prioritize? What opportunities should we pursue?

This event, moderated by John Hodgson, associate director of the Center for Security Research and Education, is planned as an open discussion among all participants.

Visit the workshop webpage for more information and to register.