WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — (Purdue News Service) Purdue University’s Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS) is joining the national Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII) to improve cybersecurity and energy efficiency for American manufacturing.

Purdue joins 24 universities in the effort, which will develop tools, technologies and guidance for securing manufacturing, supply chains, factory automation and information, and for manufacturing workforce development. Purdue is one of five founding university members of CyManII; the University of Texas at San Antonio will lead the $110 million national effort. The effort is being funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

U.S. manufacturing is increasingly using emerging electronic and cyber technologies, such as microprocessors, microelectronic sensors and networks that have the potential to introduce new cybersecurity vulnerabilities, said Theresa Mayer, Purdue’s executive vice president for research and partnerships, who also sits on the governance board of CyManII.

“The Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute will speed the adoption of next-generation technologies because there will be fewer concerns about security threats,” she said. “This will give the United States a competitive advantage and also provide support for national security.”

Purdue’s participation will be directed by Dongyan Xu, director of CERIAS and the Samuel Conte Professor of Computer Science, who said understanding evolving technology threats will help secure automation and supply chain systems by giving workers the tools they need.

“This national consortium will not only share new information and technologies with manufacturers but will also address the need for education, training and workforce development. These are critical skills needed for advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity,” Xu said.

In addition to Xu, Purdue faculty members involved in CyManII are:

Ananth Grama, the Samuel D. Conte Professor of Computer Science.

Nathan Hartman, the Dauch Family Professor of Advanced Manufacturing, director of the Digital Enterprise Center and co-executive director of the Indiana Next-generation Manufacturing Competitiveness Center (IN-MaC).

Joel Rasmus, managing director, CERIAS.

John Sutherland, the Fehsenfeld Family Head of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, and professor of mechanical engineering.

Chenn Zhou, Purdue Northwest’s NIPSCO Distinguished Professor of Engineering Simulation.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.

Writer, Media contact: Steve Tally, steve@purdue.edu. @sciencewriter

Source: Xu, dxu@purdue.edu

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