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Ragsdale, Piotrowski, Launchbury, Cantrell and Ratcliffe
Left: Ragsdale, Piotrowski, Launchbury, Cantrell and Ratcliffe | Image: Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station

The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and The Texas A&M University System hosted a roundtable discussion on “The Role of Cybersecurity in Protecting the Nation’s Infrastructure” Tuesday (April 21) in Washington, D.C. The roundtable featured discussion on how research universities can contribute to cybersecurity solutions and train a workforce capable of defending vital resources.

“Cybersecurity is a challenge that affects us all, impacting our personal bank accounts, transportation infrastructure, power grid and enhances the protection that we need from those who would do us harm,” said Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of Texas A&M Engineering and director of TEES. “It is critical that we raise public dialogue on this topic by bring together our engineering experts with public policy leaders.”

U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe, chairman of the subcommittee on cybersecurity, infrastructure protection and security technologies also attended the discussion, which featured cybersecurity experts from Texas A&M and other government agencies.

Dr. Valerie Taylor, senior associate dean for academic affairs, Regents Professor and the Royce E. Wisenbaker Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University, moderated the panel. Panelists from Texas A&M were Dr. Pierce Cantrell, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Dr. Daniel J. Ragsdale, professor of practice with the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Other panelists were Dr. John Launchbury, program manager for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and Dr. Victor P. Piotrowski, program director for the National Science Foundation.

TEES also celebrated its 100th anniversary at a reception on April 20. TEES research was on display at the event, which drew people from federal agencies, Capitol Hill, the non-profit sector and industry groups. TEES researchers receive funding from a variety of federal agencies including the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and NASA.