U Texas at Austin Gets Cybersecurity Research Infusion from Raytheon

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 06/12/09

The University of Texas at Austin's Center for Information Assurance and Security (CIAS) is teaming with Raytheon on research for new and innovative cybersecurity solutions. Raytheon will provide funding during the next 10 years for CIAS faculty working on computer security and information assurance projects.

The 21 faculty members in CIAS, a research unit in the university's Department of Computer Science, bring significant technical knowledge specific to cybersecurity. They are addressing issues such as privacy, password cracking, network security, intrusion detection, verification, and wireless networking.

"Protecting our nation's computing systems that control critical cyber infrastructure is crucial," said Fred Chang, lead investigator and director of the CIAS. "The partnership with Raytheon will allow us to expand our capabilities to address the rapidly changing problems in cybersecurity with a great deal of agility and flexibility."

"It is impossible to defend against every conceivable threat without the great innovations of academia," said J Smart, chief technology director for Raytheon's Intelligence and Information Systems business. "By partnering with The University of Texas at Austin, Raytheon will tap into some of the best and brightest minds to help design security capabilities for business and government customers and develop new technologies to protect against high-target threats."

The Department of Computer Science at UT Austin has 900 undergraduate majors, 250 graduate students, and 52 faculty members. Raytheon specializes in defense, homeland security and other government markets globally.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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