Purdue University's CERIAS Members Join IACT Advisory Board

September 30, 2005

Members from Purdue University's prestigious Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS) have joined the IACT Advisory Board.

Kieth Watson, CERIAS Research Engineer, holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Purdue University. His primary research areas include Intrusion Detection, Security Architecture, Security Operations, Systems Administration, Network Architecture, Embedded Sensors. Areas of key interest to Kieth are Security Awareness, Education, Training Assurable Software and Architecture Enclave and Nework Security Incident Detection, Response, Investigation Identification, Authentication, Privacy.

Kieth has been involved with several research projects at the COAST laboratory. His former employers include Sun Microsystems, Inc. (a research engineer for SunLabs developing advanced network security tools), the Solaris Software Group (security consultant for the Professional Services division and product manager for network security). He currently leads the research efforts for the Embedded Sensors Project and the Poly^2 security architecture project. He is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Matt Rose is an instructional designer at the Center for Education and Research in Information and Assurance (CERIAS) at Purdue University. A former high school English teacher, Matt coordinates the CERIAS K-12 Outreach and Continuing Education programs and conducts research in the areas of Security Awareness, Training, and Education, and Risk Management, Policies, and Laws. Matt also has a courtesy appointment as Assistant Professor in Computer and Information Technology (CIT) in the College of Technology, where he teaches courses in Information Security, Risk Management, and Information Security Ethics. His specialty areas include human performance technology, instructional design, learning theory, curriculum design and standards mapping, and educational technology [cognitive aids, distance learning, learning objects, multimedia] as they intersect with information assurance and security. Specifically, Matt is interested in studying the efficacy of various information security awareness campaigns and training programs.

Matt has a close relationship with the K-12 community. Before completing his work on his master’s degree in educational technology at Purdue University, Matt taught AP Literature and Composition and AP Language and Composition at Frankfort Senior High School in Frankfort Indiana. While in graduate school, Matt taught several teacher education courses and served as a facilitator of the Technology Integration Project, an NSF-funded program designed to improve students’; achievement and attitudes in math and science. As part of this project he conducted daylong workshops to train teachers as facilitators to work with other teachers to implement technology in their classrooms. Matt brings these experiences to bear as the K-12 outreach coordinator where he helps teachers learn how to integrate information security into the K-12 curriculum and use it as a way to promote inquiry-based learning. Matt is also a board member of the Hoosier Educational Computer Coordinators, a group dedicated to providing those charged with implementing education technology in Indiana schools with timely information and resources in order to improve communication, efficiency, and the integration of technology.

We are honored to have them as members of the IACT Advisory Board, and look forward to their input in our initiatives.

About Fountainhead College of Technology's (FCT) Center for Information Assurance & Cybersecurity Training (IACT)

Fountainhead College of Technology, formerly Tennessee Institute of Electronics, was founded in 1947 and is committed to using it resources to significantly contribute to efforts to secure the nation's critical infrastructure. In 1999 the college began offering an associate's degree in Information Technology with curriculum developed to include information security training. In 2002 the college began development of a baccalaureate degree in Network Security and Forensics; and in 2003 Fountainhead College of Technology became the first college in the southeast to offer a computer security focused baccalaureate degree. The mission of the IACT center is to develop and maintain a strong information assurance curriculum that adheres to national standards, and to also address the cybersecurity needs of the community by offering training and support for Fountainhead College of Technology students, staff, and faculty; local law enforcement; government agencies; and information technology professionals.

For more information, please visit the official IACT website at: http://www.iawire.org, or contact Tammy Alexander, Program Coordinator at tam@iawire.org.