The U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research has awarded approximately $588,000 to two researchers from the University of Arkansas to investigate how information impacts the protection of critical networks during disruptive events. The project, led by assistant professors of industrial engineering Haoming Shen and Robert Curry, aims to establish mathematical models to optimize the collection, sharing, and safeguarding of information in crises such as natural disasters and cyberattacks.
The research will explore how the flow and accuracy of information can enhance a community’s capacity to respond to and recover from disruptions. The team will also assess strategies for allocating limited resources, such as sensors and drones, to detect threats and safeguard infrastructure.
Key Questions and Strategic Approaches
Shen and Curry will focus on two pivotal questions: How can defenders leverage information to predict and identify potential attacks? Additionally, they aim to understand how misinformation or deliberate information sharing can be utilized to deter or redirect threats.
Curry explained, “If we put it in non-mathematical terms, we’re trying to make a set of data-informed decisions, and we’re trying to make those decisions with uncertain information.” While the study will primarily involve theoretical modeling, the potential implications for crisis management and infrastructure protection are significant, particularly concerning transportation and logistics networks.
Shen elaborated on the practical aspects of their research, stating, “We want to proactively configure sensor networks to detect any potential disruptions in our network. However, deploying sensors or conducting sensing tasks requires investment, and the total budget is always limited. So we want to identify the best strategies to allocate resources and detect these attacks to strategically protect our infrastructure.”
Supporting National Security and Research Capacity
The grant was conferred through the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR), an initiative by the Department of Defense aimed at enhancing research capabilities at universities in underrepresented states.
U.S. Senator John Boozman, a supporter of DEPSCoR, noted, “This project provides an opportunity to pursue high-quality research with real-world applications like protecting critical infrastructure. Investing in this project reinforces and enhances our largest institution’s significant role in supporting national security.”
In addition to this funding, the University of Arkansas announced in October 2023 its participation in a national research team aimed at developing advanced video object tracking technology under a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which could secure up to $6 million in federal funding for the university.
This latest initiative highlights the university’s commitment to contributing to national security efforts and advancing research that has the potential to mitigate risks associated with critical infrastructure vulnerabilities.
