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Our Research Projects

The Institute for Infrastructure and Information Assurance (IIIA) at James Madison University (JMU) integrates and supports the University's efforts in the increasingly vital area of homeland security. IIIA actively seeks research sponsorship and provides funding for cutting edge research within the broad context of improving the nation's security. Providing a balance between physical and cyber security is on the main goals of IIIA's research agenda along with providing policy and technological solutions to the security issues facing our nation.

The various projects are organized into these general function categories: Education, Assessment and Modeling, Prevention, Protection, and Response

NEW! 2008 Funded Projects Preview the projects that received funding through the 2008 IIIA RFP. These projects will be completed Summer 2008 with results reviewed at the Fall Research Review event (scheduled for September 2008).

Education

  • The C.R.I.S.I.S. Matrix (2006)

    Noel Hendrickson

    		Policy-makers cannot avoid considering "counterfactuals" (statement about what would occur in different possible scenarios such as "If Iran were to develop nuclear weapons, they would share this technology with terrorists."). Unfortunately, the fundamental principles of applied counterfactual reasoning are far from obvious. And, relatively little academic research has been done on the subject. However, given that many critical decisions are grounded in counterfactual claims, we must develop useful and plausible standards for thinking about what might be. In response, I propose to expose, explain, and evaluate the underlying methodological assumptions of counterfactual reasoning about real-life cases. The ultimate goal is to create a procedure to guide conceptually well-grounded counterfactual reasoning: the C.R.I.S.I.S. Matrix.

    Cyber Security Laboratory Development/Operation

    Mohamed Aboutabl

    The CyberRange is a testing laboratory for networks and systems security hardware and software located in the Department of Computer Science at JMU. The laboratory is equipped with a variety of security enhancement hardware and software.

    Development of Computer Security Training Programs for Future Business Managers (2006)

    Faye Teer, S. Kruck

    		For several decades computer security has been gaining in importance. In today's computing environment with widespread information sharing over the Web, computer security has become a vital concern as threats continue to grow. The need for further research in the area of computer security awareness and computing security safe practices is the problem addressed in this proposal. This study will examine the computer security awareness and the computer security safe practices of the next generation of computer users-undergraduate university students. The objective of this project is to obtain an understanding of the present level of students' computer security awareness and the extent to which computer security safe practices are being utilized by students. Information pertaining to the undergraduate university student computer users is important since this group will become corporate and government computer users. Research in the area of computer security has indicated that the way to lessen computer user risk is through computer security awareness and training. In a second phase of the project, the researchers will strive to develop a training program targeted to address the needed area of computer security. The researchers plan to seek external funding for the second phase of the project.

    Disaster Mental Health Training Module (2006)

    Lennie Echterling, Anne Stewart

    		The goal of this project is to create an innovative disaster mental health training module, CHARTT-Creating Hope and Resolve in Troubled times, for developing and maintaining the systemic preparedness of responders and the psychological and social resilience of survivors. In contrast to a community's health and human services physical infrastructure, which may be damaged or inaccessible in a disaster, the sense of community can be made to withstand and adapt to disaster conditions. Unique attributes of the CHARTT module are its focus on resilience and interprofessional coordination and the use of the case method of instruction incorporating diverse media, including web-based "collaboratories" to acquire and practice complex decision making and teamwork skills.

    Information Analysis Curriculum (2007)

    For more info, visit the ISAT website.

    		 An interdisciplinary team of faculty members have worked to develop a curriculum which will offer students the opportunity to pursue studies towards an undergraduate Information Analysis degree. Based on a strong liberal arts foundation, students in this program will use critical thinking skills and data manipulation tools to evaluate large and complex data sets to develop actionable information for decision makers. The Information Analysis program will prepare students to apply the principles of information analysis, synthesis, and data mining to problems in national, international or business intelligence settings.

    Assessment and Modeling

  • Modeling Pandemic Flu Burden on Health Facility (2007)

    Patricia Higgins

    		Many models have been proposed for calculating the effects of a influenza pandemic. Using two different modeling tools, Stella (stock and flow) and NetLogo (agent based), JMU Graduate Students in ISAT and CS worked under Patricia Higgins to tailor a model to simulate the patient flow at Augusta Medical Center during a flu pandemic. This included modeling patients with different levels of care and the nursing staff needed to accommodate the patients. The patients had a variety of additional conditions (age, history of illness, etc.) This model is currently at AMC for use in their flu pandemic planning scenarios.

    Network Security Risk Assessment Model Development (NSRAM)

    George Baker     		NSRAM is a tool for determining the probability of failure and
    repair/recovery time of complex systems composed of a network or system of networks. The invention models interconnected networks, such as electrical grids, communication systems, and roadways. Some of the unique attributes of this invention are its time domain probabilistic
    risk assessment method, the ability to analyze the interaction of disparate network elements, and the detailed repair simulation capability. Recent work on the NSRAM project has focused on re-engineering the software for enhanced performance and maintainability. A patent application has been under consideration since its filing in September 2006.

    Timelining Events from Disparate Sources (2006)

    Florian Buchholz    		 We propose the creation of a framework that allows a forensic investigator to synchronize timed events that are obtained from different sources to a common reference time. Once the timestamps have been synchronized, they may be ordered into a timeline of events as they occurred in relation to each other. This will enable the investigator to reconstruct events that are directly or indirectly responsible for incidents in computing. This will benefit investigations where connections to events in the physical world need to be established, as well as investigations of networked computer incidents or failures, such as the 2003 power blackout in the northeaster United States.

    Prevention

  • America in Africa: Security U.S. Interests and Promoting a Continent's Development (2006)

    J. Peter Pham

    Long ignored in policy discussions, Africa is becoming increasingly significant to U.S. interests. To site just one datum, the National Intelligence Council estimates that within the decade the volume of petroleum imported from West Africa will exceed that from the Middle East, amounting to one-quarter of the U.S. total. Consequently, there needs to develop not only as assessment of current American interests but also an "early warning" mechanism to guide U.S. policy. Furthermore, as recent legislation (e.g. AGOA) and energy trends lead to increased U.S. commercial relationships with African partners, there is a need on the part of industry for both training to the unique business environment of the continent. In short, all the institutions that currently exist to facilitate the American political, economic, and security relationship with the Middle East need to be recreated in the African context.
    This project seeks to undertake at the heart of the new African Union in Addis Ababa, a detailed assessment of both American interests and African needs. The resulting findings will serve as the basis for developing a new initiative that would draw upon JMU's resources, combined with government and business community support, to rise to meet the new need with policy recommendations, training, and general education.

    Download the African Security Booklet here.

    Development of Financial Model to Estimate the Cost of Internet Security Breaches and Risk Management According to a recent survey by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, based on the responses of 530 firms and agencies, the total annual cost of security breaches was $202 million n the U.S. in 2003. Overall costs are estimated to be near $1.5 billion in the U.S. in 2003, and worldwide estimates for 2004 is over $3 billion. The staggering cost of a strategy implementation of security breaches created a difficult task for corporate managers and governmental agencies to measure risk in the current competitive economic environment.
    The key objective of this multi-disciplinary effort is to develop a flexible and the first commercialized model and input variables for institutions of different sizes and scopes to deal with the financial costs of internet security vulnerability and breaches, and to provide ideas to better measure and manage risk. In addition, remedies will be provided to deal with barriers associated with strategies to implement information security, as well as the benefit of upgrading usage of technology. Emphasis is placed on bridging the gap between quantitative finance, computer technology and mathematics. Eleven input variables were recognized to accommodate eight financial security breaches and risk categories.

    Enhancing Energy and Environment Security (2007)

    Chris Bachmann, T. Benzing, CJ Brodrick

    		According to the 2007 State of the Union address, it is in our vital interest to diversify America's energy supply. We must also confront the serious issue of climate change. To do this, America must alter the way it produces electricity to include more Wind, Hydro, and Solar energy, and invest in new technologies that produce clean diesel and biofuels using an array of feedstocks including grasses, wood chips, and agricultural wastes.

    This project investigates the potential for the development of clean, renewable energy alternatives for Virginia that maximize the utilization of natural resources within the Commonwealth, while minimizing the overall environmental impact of Virginia's energy and agricultural practices. Economic and environmental issues associated with the production, collection, and distribution of poultry litter will be a major focus of this study, along an analysis of the potential to utilize the Harrisonburg Resource Recovery Facility to incinerate poultry litter and produce energy, and laboratory investigations into the cultivation of freshwater and marine micro algae to reduce harmful emissions and generate high-value biomass for the production of biofuel.

    Impact of RFID Technology on Critical Infrastructure Information Systems (2004)

    Geoffrey Egekwu

    The development and application of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and readers are widely tested in inventory and supply chain management applications, but experts believe that a the technologies continue to improve, "it could form the core of networks that will handle many activities, from monitoring the structural integrity of bridges to reminding you that the tub of coleslaw in the fridge is past its due date."

    Download the Market Brief here.

    Information-driven Law Enforcement for National Park Service Infrastructure Protection Despite the diligent application of existing protective techniques, natural and cultural resources entrusted to the National Park Service continue to decline. A similar decline in the exceptional perception of personal safety requisite to a national Park experience is postulated, but not documented. Recent Threats of catastrophic damage or loss due to terrorism have highlighted the problem facing the largest federal law enforcement agency.
    Global, social and economic changes in he last half of the twentieth century have overwhelmed the essentially isolated and reactive protection capacities of the national Park system. Reserves managed as "islands in the sky" are subject to such rapidly evolving threats as terroristic targeting of national monuments, global demand for limited natural resources, and ecosystem level threats such as air pollution and water scarcity.
    The National Park Service is attempting to respond to these threats with a ranger force whose primary focus is within individual park boundaries. Its information and risk awareness capacities are isolated from other preserves with similar threats. This ranger force, designed to respond to crime and emergencies within the park boundaries, is primarily managed by random uniform patrol strategies.
    This ranger force is dedicated and very successful in responding to the threats it was created to confront. However, its design and application are inadequate to detect, much less mitigate, modern threats to the resource and visitor experience.
    This project develops strategy for developing a risk prioritized and information driven protective capacity for national Parks and other preserves against global,rapidly evolving modern resource and visitor experience threats.

    Local Electric Power Grid Assessment (2005)

    George Baker     		A small town electrical distribution system was studied. The immediate goal was to understand the system and to identify the possible failure modes that could cause interruptions of power. Recommendations were made to reduce the risks or to mitigate them. The information from this part of the study is being incorporated into the concurrent work on modeling risks and creating guidelines for community self-assessment.

    Multi-Dimensional Model of Vocal Deception (2005)

    Michael Hall     		Several vocal measures were evaluated as potential indicators of deception using matched utterances produced by the same individuals under truthful and deceptive conditions. Student participants either produced phonemically similar truthful and intentionally deceptive statements about their academic records, or alternatively, were interviewed about their academic records using matched question items under truthful and deceptive instruction conditions. Monetary incentives for effective deception were provided in each task. Average fundamental frequencies (F0), duration, as well as cycle-to-cycle variation in the spoken waveworms with respect to frequency (F0, jitter) and amplitude (shimmer), were compared across truthful and deceptive uttterances. A reduced inclination in F0 was observed at the onset of false information, relative to truthful utterances. Additionally, a significant reduction in shimmer was observed under deceptive conditions. Expected benefits of this new approach are discussed, as are potential limits that it reveals for the development of field applications using voice-based technology.

    Open Source Geographic Information System for Simulating Container Movement (2007)

    Helmut Kraenzle

    The GISSCM demonstrates that users can monitor the worldwide transportation of containers traveling to and within the United States via ship, truck, or train. It was created on ArcGIS software that costs $15,000-$25,000 for a single license. Purchasing ArcGIS for the GISSCM may not be attractive to some companie--particularly those on a smaller budget or with multiple offices that use the GISSCM. In contrast to the ArcGIS, open source GIS software is free. Placing the GISSCM on an open source GIS platform widens its commercial appeal and marketability to prospective organizations and companies. The Commonwealth of Virginia would benefit a more marketable cost-effective GISSCM on an open source platform with the possibility of a wider range organizations and companies that would be able to implement the technology. Additional benefits using open source GIS include an open source code that enables the user to review the code and the underlying algorithms that make the GIS work.
    For this project, an open source software package will be used to test the functionality of the GISSCM using open source. The project will require transferring the GISSCM from ArcGIS to an open source GIS platform. Student support will be used to test the GISSCM on an open source platform. This project focuses on making the GISSCM more marketable to companies like Unisys, SAIC, etc.

    Download the Market Brief here.

    The Production of Ebola Virus Recombinant Proteins to Create Critical Reagents for the Development of Viral Diagnostic Systems (2006)


    George Coffman, Ron Raab, Robert McKown     		The animal virus known as Ebola, a causative agent for hemorrhagic fever, is considered a likely candidate for use as a weapon for bioterrorism. Research scientists in the Molecular Diagnostics Division at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), JMU faculty (with their research students) have been requested to produce three Ebola proteins for testing for use as diagnostic reagents. In contrast to prior IIIA-supported JMU biotechnology/biomanufacturing work, the genes for these proteins will be cloned ultimately into non-E. coli expression systems (i.e., a commercial insect virus/cell protein expression system). Recombinant Ebola proteins released from disrupted infected cells will purify by affinity chromatography and then will be characterized in terms of molecular size and content. In addition, with the cooperation of USAMRIID, the purified protein preparations will be tested (with Ebola-specific serum antibodies) for their ability to serve as effective antigens for the development of diagnostics for the detection of exposure to Ebola.

    State-of-the-Art Waste to Energy Facility (2006)

    Christopher Bachmann    		 The problems associated with the depleting global oil reserves and the impeding global energy crisis are compounded by the rapid industrialization of both India and China, and increasing instabilities in the middle-east. Loss of fuels for the transportation industry will impact import, export, and local distribution of ALL gods and services; the prices of food, clothing, building materials, industrial supplies, and end-user products will all be affected, with substantial price increases yielding the potential to devastate Local, State, National, and even International economies. Development of new fuels and fuel processing strategies is thus of utmost importance. Biodiesel and ethanol present the two most promising alternatives for fueling the transportation industry because they are compatible with the existing transportation and fuel distribution infrastructures. They can be implemented in existing vehicles, are clean burning, renewable, and show tremendous promise for reducing the United States' dependence on foreign oil. The following proposal is intended to investigate a novel Waste-to-Energy facility that supports American agricultural practices and builds upon current research efforts and state-of-the-art methodologies for the production of both biodiesel and ethanol.

    Use of Stun Guns for Disabling Personal Computers (2007)

    George Baker, R. Tuttle

    		Because the operation and control of most critical infrastructures are so highly dependent on electronics, it is important to understand the vulnerability of those electronics to intentional electromagnetic interference (EMI). The possibility of interference using readily available consumer devices is a particular concern. We investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of using compact stun guns to intentionally interfere with electronic systems. Test articles included individual computers and computers networked through a central hub. 60KV and 600KV devices were used in the experiments. Results indicate that stun guns are capable of causing transient upsets, lockup and permanent damage to digital electronic systems.


    Protection

  • Detection of Airborne Toxic Aerosols by Thermal Sensing (2006)

    Gene Tucker

    Technologies to detect serious and immediate airborne health threats inside critical infrastructures require sensitive and rapid sensors for a variety of chemical and biological agents. This project focuses on development of sensors that would be used in systems for sensing noxious air pollutant episodes in buildings and alerting building occupants. In previous related work funded by IIIA, we confirmed the general feasibility of our particular sensor technology and demonstrated semi-quantitatively the performance of the technology for a gaseous chemical. The main emphasis of this proposal is to investigate whether airborne particles can be detected. We are proposing the test microspheres coated with Bacillus anthracis spore material and droplets of chemical solutions as model bioaerosols. We will investigate spore coat-specific antibodies or other receptor molecules as reactive coatings for our thermopile heat sensors. Research projects to further develop this technology are being or will be proposed to other funding agencies including NSF and the Department of Homeland Security. While this project builds on our previous work, it is a new direction for this research in the sense that we are proposing to (1) study the detection of airborne particles, and (2) advance to the detection of harmful biological agents by investigating the detection of a protein unique to the outer layer of Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) spores.

    Download the Market Brief here.

    New Diagnostics and Treatments for Ocular Injuries (2007)

    Robert McKowen

    		Lacritin is a human tear protein preferentially secreted by acinar cells in the adult lacrimal gland where it is transported and deposited onto the rapidly renewing epithelia on the surface of the eye. In vitro studies have shown that recombinant Lacritin promotes lacrimal acinar cell secretion and stimulates corneal epithelia cell proliferation. Recent experiments performed in the Biomanufacturing Laboratory at JMU have shown that recombinant variants of Lacritin have a concentration dependent antibacterial activity against gram negative and gram positive bacteria.
    Dry eye is the most common eye disease that affects the quality of life of over 25 million Americans and is a major feature of ocular diseases such as Sjogren's syndrome and blepharitis. In collaboration with Eastern Virginia Medical school and EyeRx Research, Inc., we have shown that topical application of recombinant Lacritin to rabbit or monkey eyes significantly promotes tearing. The cell proliferation property of Lacritin may offer new treatments to promote wound healing variants offer a new line of defense for the prevention and treatment of bacterial keratitis that addresses the problem of human pathogens resistant to established antibiotic drugs. We hypothesize that Lacritin is a natural protector of the ocular surface and that topical application of human recombinant Lacritin may promote wound healing and be an effective treatment for dry eye and bacterial ocular diseases.
    In collaboration with the University of Virginia, Eastern Virginia Medical School and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC, we propose to develop the first clinical immunoassay for human tear Lacritin and pursue the development of recombinant Lacritin as a novel therapeutic for wound healing and the treatment of ocular diseases.

    The Production of Ebola Virus Recombinant Proteins to Create Critical Reagents for the Development of Viral Diagnostic Systems (2006)

    George Coffman, Ron Raab, Robert McKown     		The animal virus known as Ebola, a causative agent for hemorrhagic fever, is considered a likely candidate for use as a weapon for bioterrorism. Research scientists in the Molecular Diagnostics Division at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), JMU faculty (with their research students) have been requested to produce three Ebola proteins for testing for use as diagnostic reagents. In contrast to prior IIIA-supported JMU biotechnology/biomanufacturing work, the genes for these proteins will be cloned ultimately into non-E. coli expression systems (i.e., a commercial insect virus/cell protein expression system). Recombinant Ebola proteins released from disrupted infected cells will purify by affinity chromatography and then will be characterized in terms of molecular size and content. In addition, with the cooperation of USAMRIID, the purified protein preparations will be tested (with Ebola-specific serum antibodies) for their ability to serve as effective antigens for the development of diagnostics for the detection of exposure to Ebola.

    Securing the Chemical Sector: Evaluation of Community Emergency Planning (2007)

    Jill Stephens, G. Kirk

    		In 1986, Congress enacted the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know-Act (EPCRA), Title III of the Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act (SARA). This statute required local communities to plan for accidental releases from chemical facilities. It also prioritized public access to information in an attempt to include citizens in the regulatory process. The proposed research will evaluate the implementation of EPCRA in Virginia by addressing two primary questions. Is this community-based EPCRA model effective in terms of planning and involving citizens? Does the EPCRA model have potential for application to terrorism preparedness efforts for the chemical sector or other critical infrastructures?
    This research is student-initiated, and it will be conducted with assistance from a faculty adviser. It will also provide an opportunity for an undergraduate to assist with the research this summer. The project addresses several topics of interest to IIIA including policy analysis, critical infrastructure protection, and community protection and awareness.


    Response

  • Crisis Intervention Counseling Agent (CICA) Development (2007)

    Lennie Echterling, Joe Marchal

    		 The long term project that we have in mind is to develop an intelligent Crisis Intervention Counseling Agent (CICA) that will provide real time counseling assistance for crisis intervention teams when responding to disaster situations. CICA will also assist in training new counseling professionals to function effectively on crisis intervention teams. This initial goal of this summer's project is to develop a prototype expert system (ES) knowledge-base that will support CICA in its full deployment. Two sets of resources are needed to complete this initial goal: first, expertise and experience in crisis intervention; second, expertise and experience in knowledge engineering and the design of intelligent computing systems. The first set of resources will be provided by Lennie Echterling, JMU Department of Graduate Psychology; the second set of resources will be provided by Joe Marchal, JMU Department of Integrated Science and Technology. The project team will also include one student from each of the respective departments. This project involves JMU faculty and students in an interdisciplinary effort with the initial deliverable a prototype ES knowledge-base, the central component of CICA in its full deployment. It is expected that the successful development of the ES knowledge-base will be the basis for future funding for further development of CICA as a decision support system for disaster management and disaster recovery.

    Designing a Computerized System for Table-Top Emergency Response Exercises (2006)

    David Bernstein     		Table top exercises are used by emergency response agencies for training/critiquing, policy/procedure evaluation, and other activities designed to improve and enhance emergency response and incident management. Various emergency management organizations in the I-81 region believe that computerized table-top exercises will be both more flexible and easier to use than traditional table-top emergency management exercises on a network of computers.
    In many respects, the system will be similar to systems used in distributed role-playing games. however, because of the application domain, this system will be much simpler than generic gaming systems, and will have capabilities not found in generic gaming systems.
    Conversations with emergency service providers indicate a need for a system that an be used for both critiquing ant training To be useful for critiquing, the system must be able to duplicate actual incidents. To be useful for training, the system must be able to simulate a wide array of hypothetical accidents in a wider variety of settings.

    Development of a Networked RFID Hurricane Bracelet System (2007)

    Tony Teate, K. Chiang, Renee Parilak

    		On Thursday, September 15, 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, President George W. Bush addressed the nation in a nationally televised speech describing the aftermath of the powerful storm and outlining a plan for recovery. He explained that over 500,000 families had evacuated their homes in the Gulf Coast region, and that our fellow Americans had been "left stunned and uprooted, searching for loved ones." The President emphasized that the nation would do whatever it takes to help separated families reunite, and promised that our government would "make necessary changes so that we are better prepared for any challenge of nature, or act of evil men that could threaten our people."
    As tragic as any disastrous hurricane can be, it is often paired with a second potential disaster: a large-scale evacuation that leads to the separation of families and loved ones. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), after Hurricane Katrina, more than 330,000 families were displaced from their homes. Of these, over 182,000 victims of the storm moved into Red Cross and Salvation Army shelters across more than 20 states. Many of these individuals were separated from their families and loved ones and remained separated for many weeks.
    If we are to minimize the impact that natural disasters like hurricanes have on America, and prove that our country can effectively recover from these tragedies, it is clear that we need a more efficient way of reconnecting families and friends and returning them to normalcy as soon as possible after an emergency evacuation.
    To address this critical need, we will partner with RFID Informatics, Inc. to develop a simple cost-effective system that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to track the current location of large numbers of individuals that have been evacuated to shelters in several different geographical locations during a natural disaster evacuation. This system uses RFID-embedded bracelets that have been registered in a national secure database and involves automatic tracking and data logging, rapid information retrieval, an effective notification method, and a centralized, secure data storage center that is accessible worldwide. This model system will serve as a prototype for the development and implementation of a large-scale tracking and notification system to be used during hurricane evacuations with negligible cost or effort on the part of the end-user.
    This system will also help the DHS meet its mandate delineated in the National Response Plan, which called for ensuring security of the homeland, saving lives and protecting the health and safety of the public, mitigating damages and impacts to individuals and communities, and facilitating recovery of individuals, families, businesses, and communities.

    FALCON (HAZMAT Tracking and Management System) (2005)

    Mike Deaton

    FALCON is a decision support system that integrates several different elements that are used or needed by emergency response personnel for planning or real time reponse. While many of these elements already exist, they are typically "disconnected" so that decision makers must manually access information from several different sources and media and then try to integrate that information in an often ad-hoc way. FALCON provides a fully integrated environment that pulls all these sources together and enhances their value through powerful, yet easily understood analysis tools.

    Download the Market Brief here.

    • Research Highlights

    To learn more about our annual research reviews, please access the following documents: