The Cybersecurity Center for Secure Evolvable Energy Delivery Systems (SEEDS), a cooperative research center between the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering, hosted its 2016 Midyear Research Meeting at the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway on March 2. The meeting drew together faculty from five partner universities and industry leaders from 11 companies to discuss the research portfolio and goals of the center.

The meeting kicked off with opening remarks by Alan Mantooth, executive director of SEEDS. The meeting discussions were concentrated on the five research areas:

• Secure grid control and operations
• Secure emerging power grid components and services
• Secure energy delivery system operation technology infrastructure
• Cybersecurity management and visualization
• Cybersecurity testing and validation.

The meeting, open to all Industry members, invited guests, and faculty from partnering universities was a success. 

"We're proud to be recognized as a national leader in the area of power electronics research and security. The impact of this work is tremendous. This center's mission is directly focused on protecting America's energy delivery systems, and we are pleased to have a great team with which to approach these challenges," said Mantooth.

At SEEDS, engineering faculty from the University of Arkansas, University of Arkansas Little Rock, Lehigh University, Florida International University, Carnegie Mellon University and engineers with Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. collaborate with members of industry to identify and carry out research projects in the area of cybersecurity technologies for energy delivery systems that are the most relevant to industry needs. SEEDS is a member-driven center, with an Industrial Advisory Board made up of interested companies working in energy sector in areas such as electric power, oil and gas, and renewable energy resources. Also participating in the center are security system providers and equipment manufacturers.

For more information on SEEDS, contact Shannon Davis, managing director, 479-575-6877. For more information on the upcoming fall conference, contact Karin Alvarado, karina@uark.edu, 479-575-4958.