Connecticut Advanced Computing Center

New England Security Day 2024

On March 15th, the Innovation Partnership Building hosted New England Security Day 2024 (NESD), featuring cutting-edge cybersecurity research by experts from academic and professional backgrounds. Participants included industry professionals and academic institutions such as Boston University, Brown, Harvard, UMass, MIT, Northeastern, WPI, and Yale. Attendees had the opportunity to learn about the latest advancements in technology and network for potential collaboration and employment prospects. The conference welcomed a diverse audience of professionals, academics, and graduate and undergraduate students interested in cybersecurity, regardless of their familiarity with advanced concepts like fuzzers, machine learning methods for intrusion detection, or efficient post-quantum cryptography.

Visit the NESD 2024 web page for additional information and to view the NESD 2024 video, complete event program and additional photos.

Registration Open for New England Security Day

UConn will host the New England Security Day on March 15, 2024 at the Innovation Partnership Building | UConn Tech Park. This event showcases cutting-edge research in all areas of cybersecurity from academics and professionals. The audience is a mix of students (undergraduate and graduate) and working researchers. It represents an opportunity to learn about state-of-the-art and recruit phenomenal students from universities across New England. The program committee creating the schedule has participants from Boston University, Brown, UConn, Harvard, UMass, MIT, Northeastern, WPI, and Yale. We encourage attendance and participation from industry. Talks will be accessible to a general audience in cybersecurity so don’t worry if you’re behind on the latest fuzzer, ML methods for intrusion detection, or efficient post-quantum cryptography.

Please register here. If you would like to be more involved please contact Jessica Guilbeault jessica.guilbeault@uconn.edu and Benjamin Fuller Benjamin.fuller@uconn.edu.

2nd Industrial Workshop on Separations Technology at UConn Tech Park

The Connecticut Center for Advanced Separations Technology (CCAST) hosted its 2nd Industrial Workshop on Separations Technology at UConn Tech Park on October 5-6th.

CCAST Center Director Jeff McCutcheon was thrilled with the success of this year’s event and explains that his vision is “for the workshop to become a premier event on industrially relevant separations that features talks from prominent speakers from industry.” The 1 ½ day event drew over 110 registrants from more than 60 companies and featured 16 speakers, 19 panelists, and over 20 poster presenters focused on separations technology innovation, financing, startups, and technology needs across different industries.

The dynamic workshop was well attended by a range of separations technologies stakeholders, including end users, established providers, start-ups, public/private funding entities, researchers, and experienced industry experts, providing an excellent networking opportunity for guests.

Speakers and panelists discussed the importance and value propositions for new separations technologies, with a range of topics including challenges that require new separations technologies, business opportunities for new separations technologies, how separation technologies impact industry and businesses, innovations in separation technologies, and perspectives and trends on the separations field that may guide future R&D efforts.

McCutcheon expressed his thanks to all who helped make the event happen. “This year’s workshop would not have been possible without help from my co-organizer Dr. Shan Yong,” he says. “It really does take a village to run a workshop, and I’m grateful to UConn, CCAST and C2E2 staff, faculty, and students for lending so much support for this event. I greatly appreciate all the panelists, speakers, and company representatives who shared their research and insights at this far-reaching workshop. Special thanks goes to all our sponsors for helping make this a free event for all who attended!”

The 2023 workshop company sponsors are Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Mott Corporation, and the Athletic Brewing Co. Planning is already underway for the 3rd Industrial Workshop on Separations Technology at UConn Tech Park! Click here to share your agenda suggestions and join the mailing list for the 2024 workshop, or email jeffrey.mccutcheon@uconn.edu

Connecticut Center for Applied Separations Technologies serves the State of Connecticut, greater New England, and the U.S. by identifying opportunities to implement membrane and other advanced separation technology into various industrial and manufacturing processes in order to lower energy use, reduce carbon footprint, limit waste, and prevent adverse environmental and health impacts.

 

 

 

Synchrony Center of Excellence in Cybersecurity at UConn Tech Park

image of Stealing personal data through a laptop concept for computer hacker, network security and electronic banking securityOur culture is arguably becoming more and more dependent on ubiquitous information technology. Digital devices play a critical role for healthcare, banking, commerce, entertainment, manufacturing and more. Meanwhile, our digital tools are constantly vulnerable to ongoing attacks meant to steal private and personal information, intellectual property, trade secrets, financial records or even voter databases.

The Synchrony Center of Excellence in Cybersecurity at Tech Park and Synchrony have formed a partnership committed to safeguarding the infrastructures and organizations at the heart of our digital economy. They are taking a two-pronged approach to tackle this issue, by developing information security talent and conducting leading research that best supports the companies and consumers struggling to stay ahead of these threats.

Laurent Michel, professor in UConn’s Computer Science and Engineering Department and Center Director for the Synchrony Center of Excellence in Cybersecurity, believes this approach is imperative to developing sound strategies for reducing vulnerability to cyber-attacks.

As a consumer financial services company, Synchrony maintains a vested interest in protecting their customers from cybersecurity breaches. They have provided generous support to the center since its inception, including an endowment for the Synchrony Chair in Cybersecurity held by Laurent Michel, with a focus on leadership in the advancement of education and research in cybersecurity. Synchrony has also provided funding for a Cybersecurity Fellows Program and a scholarship program for UConn graduate students to conduct independent cybersecurity research.

The Synchrony Center of Excellence in Cybersecurity is one of four member centers of the Connecticut Advanced Computing Center (CACC), an umbrella group with a broader overarching purpose. A key goal for CACC and its member centers is to break new technology grounds and advance innovative solutions to prevent, detect and cope with the spectrum of attacks that threaten information technology systems.

Within CACC, the Synchrony Center of Excellence in Cybersecurity addresses threats to financial organizations as well as the assessment and adoption of cyber-technologies susceptible to impact FinTech.  The three sister centers specialize in critical areas such as networking products deployed in businesses and homes, hardware security and ensuring safe and secure elections in the State.

Staying ahead of this maelstrom of digital infiltrators is a constantly evolving challenge. The Synchrony Center of Excellence in Cybersecurity and all the CACC centers offer to agencies, industries and the public at large, the necessary education, awareness and transparent technology they need to continue to operate effectively in such adversarial environments.

Laurent Michel is an internationally recognized expert in the area of cybersecurity. He was appointed Synchrony Chair for Cybersecurity in December 2019 and is also co-Director of CACC.

Click here for more information on Michel and his academic work. For more information on CACC and its other member centers, click here.