The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) jointly announce the designation of the following universities as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research (CAE-R) for the years 2008 - 2013:

Auburn University
Boston University
Dartmouth College
George Mason University
Indiana University
Johns Hopkins University
Mississippi State University
Missouri University of Science and Technology
North Carolina State University
Northeastern University
Oklahoma State University
Polytechnic University
Stevens Institute of Technology
The George Washington University
The Pennsylvania State University
The University of Texas at Dallas
University of California at Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
University of Pittsburgh
University of Washington

The need for robust IA technology, policy, and practices that will enable our Nation to effectively prevent and respond to a catastrophic event is paramount. The National Centers of Academic Excellence in IA Research Program was launched in September 2007 to address this need. The CAE-R program is an off-shoot of the current CAE program, and recognizes schools that foster an IA research focus in curriculum, as well as labs. The vision for this program is to establish a process that will present opportunities for IA research centers to drill deeper into much needed solutions to securing the global information grid and provide NSA, DHS, and other federal agencies with insight into academic IA programs that can support advanced academic research and development capabilities.

The designations of these CAE-R result in a total of 23 IA Research centers across 17 states and the District of Columbia.

Presentations will be made to designated Centers on 4 June 2008 during an awards ceremony at the annual conference of the Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education. The conference will be held at the University of Texas at Dallas on June 2 – 4 2008.

The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security jointly sponsor the National Centers of Academic Excellence Programs. This partnership was formed in April 2004, and responds to Priority III of the President’s National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace of 2003 that directs the Federal Government to foster training and education programs to support the Nation’s cybersecurity needs, and to increase the efficiency of existing Federal cybersecurity programs. The President’s National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace refers to cyberspace as the nervous system of our Nation’s critical infrastructures, and indicates that the healthy functioning of cyberspace is essential to our economy and our national security. Securing cyberspace presents a difficult strategic challenge, and information assurance education is a critical component in successfully meeting that challenge.

Universities designated as Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education and Centers of Academic Excellence in IA Research are eligible to apply for scholarships and grants through both the Federal and Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Programs.

Media representatives interested in additional information regarding the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education Programs may contact the Public and Media Affairs Office at (301) 688-6524 or by email at nsapao@nsa.gov. Additional information is also available on the NSA website at www.nsa.gov/ia, or by contacting the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education program office via email at askCAEIAE@nsa.gov.

"Cybersecurity 2008: More Vulnerable Than Ever?"

May 8, 2008, 10:00 am to 3:30 pm

HUB 310 and HUB 108, Husky Union Building
University of Washington Seattle Campus

INSER will present a colloquium on cybersecurity on May 8th. Students, particularly minorities, are encouraged to attend. (See program below.) Registration for the colloquium is free, but space is limited, so please register early. You may register for the morning session plus lunch, the afternoon session plus lunch, or all day. For "Quantity" enter the number of persons for whom you are registering.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

The SADFE (Systematic Approaches to Digital Forensic Engineering) International Workshop promotes systematic approaches to cyber crime investigation, by furthering the advancement of digital forensic engineering as a disciplined practice.
IEEE/SADFE 2008 solicits broad-based, innovative digital forensic engineering technology, techno-legal and practice-related submissions in the following four areas:

• Digital Data and Evidence Management: advanced digital evidence discovery, collection, and storage
• Principle-based Digital Forensic Processes: systematic engineering processes supporting digital evidence management which are sound on scientific, technical and legal grounds Digital Evidence
• Analytics: advanced digital evidence analysis, correlation, and presentation
• Forensic-support technologies: forensic-enabled and proactive monitoring/response

It is held on May 22nd 2008 at the Claremont Resort in Oakland, California. More information can be obtained at http://conf.ncku.edu.tw/sadfe/sadfe08/index.html.

One-day forum in Tacoma on June 3rd 2008 that will highlight cyber warfare and other topics. Air Force Maj. Gen. William T. Lord, Commander, Air Force Cyberspace Command, will be the featured speaker on cyber warfare. This flyer describes the day's schedule and how to register.

The University of Washington Tacoma computer and information security group, Grey Hat, is holding a special event called the Northwest Security Symposium on May 7th and 8th, at the University of Washington Tacoma campus.

Grey Hat is currently looking for speakers for this event. They are open to a broad range of computer and information security topics. The goal is to have security professionals and experts share practical information as well as emerging trends and technologies. Speaking slots are generally one hour, but exceptions can be made if necessary.

Topics should focus on the processes, technology, issues and solutions, but should not focus on a single vendor?s product.

Submissions are due by March 14th, 2008. Instructions for how to submit papers can be found at the NW Sec website located at:
http://students.washington.edu/greyhat/NWSec_at_UWT_Website_v1.5/mainsec.html
(Note: The site is still under construction, but submission guidelines are posted.)

Please include your preferred date and time to speak and a short bio. Grey Hat will make every effort to accommodate speaker schedules.

If you have general questions about Grey Hat or the Symposium, please contact:
Justin Carton
Grey Hat Group Vice President
jcarton1@gmail.com

Host site:   University of Texas at Dallas Conference Center
Date:    June 2-4, 2008
This year, The Colloquium is focusing on the harsh reality of supporting security within both small and global companies. You won't want to miss any of this agenda, packed with industry thought leaders and those tasked with protecting their company's information assets.   Registration for The Colloquium will open shortly at www.cisse.info .