Alan Mantooth, distinguished professor of electrical engineering was invited to present during The Energy Council's Annual Meeting in Little Rock on Sept. 16. 

Mantooth serves as the state of Arkansas' representative on the Center for Legislative Energy and Environmental Research as a University Advisory Board member. The presentation, conducted at the Arkansas State Capitol, focused on Cybersecurity in the Energy Sector, including ways the Cybersecurity Center for Secure Evolvable Energy Delivery Systems is working to develop innovative technologies, tools and methodologies that advance the energy sector's ability to survive cyber incidents while sustaining critical functions.

He emphasized the importance of government-industry-university partnerships to develop new solutions needed for the energy sector's cybersecurity. Elected legislators from 12 energy-producing states and two Canadian provinces heard Mantooth's assessment of the state of the industry and the directions the SEEDS Center is taking to address this important national need.

Mantooth holds the Twenty-First Century Research Leadership Chair in electrical engineering. He serves as executive director of the Department of Energy-funded Cybersecurity Center for Secure Evolvable Energy Delivery Systems and the National Science Foundation-funded GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems. He is deputy director of the Center for Power Optimization in Mobile Electronics. Mantooth has served as the executive director of the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission since its inception in 2005 and has overseen its research and building program. He is an IEEE Fellow, has served on the IEEE Power Electronics Society Advisory Committee since 2004 and is currently serving as PELS president until 2019.

At the Center for Secure Evolvable Energy Delivery Systems, engineering faculty from the University of Arkansas, University of Arkansas Little Rock, Lehigh University, Florida International University, Carnegie Mellon University, MIT 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. The center 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 the Center for Secure Evolvable Energy Delivery Systems, 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.