Burr visits campus to learn about University’s cybersecurity expertise

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr recently visited UNC Charlotte to talk with campus officials about the University’s nationally recognized cybersecurity programs. Burr serves as chairman of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which provides oversight of the nation’s intelligence community.

During his visit, Burr met with Bob Wilhelm, vice chancellor for research and economic development; Yi Deng, dean, College of Computing and Informatics; Bill Tolone, associate dean, College of Computing and Informatics; Bill Chu, professor of software and information systems; Ehab Al-Shaer, professor and director of the Cybersecurity Center; Chip Yensan, associate director, Charlotte Research Institute; and Betty Doster, special assistant to the chancellor.

The University, through the College of Computing and Informatics (CCI), is designated a National Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Education/Cyber Defense and National Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Research, among the first in the state and country to receive such distinction.

CCI researchers and faculty are preparing graduates to be on the frontline of cybersecurity in government. Since 2002, the University has trained more than 150 students through the Scholarship for Service Program, a federal initiative to increase cybersecurity expertise in mission-critical areas. Graduate students Spike Dog, Andrew Mannikus, Leroy Rouse and Alexander Tweed, who participated in the Scholarship for Service Program, also met with the senator.

UNC Charlotte is developing the PORTAL Innovation Ecosystem as a research accelerator that will enable cross-functional partnerships and collaboration among government, academic and industry entities and a planned Internet Neighborhood Watch Program to increase cybersecurity information sharing while protecting civil liberties and individual privacy.

“We greatly appreciate Sen. Burr’s time and interest in promoting UNC Charlotte’s unique capabilities in cybersecurity,” said Doster. “In his role as chair of the Intelligence Committee, the senator was impressed with the depth and span of our expertise and recognizes the value we can bring to this field.”

Photo: Sen. Burr (seated right) with Bill Chu and graduate students Andrew Mannikus, Alexander Tweed, Spike Dog and Leroy Rouse (standing, left to right).