NEWS

U.S. Air Force’s Office of Scientific Research has awarded Louisiana Tech University a $2.85 million grant to establish the Cyberspace Research Laboratory at Enterprise Campus, Louisiana Tech’s research park.

The Cyberspace Research Lab will support advanced research and development functions such as virtualization, visualization, high performance computing, wireless sensor networks, and micro unmanned aerial vehicles. These facilities will allow researchers to configure different environments, simulate and test real-life events where security breaches may occur, and develop remedies against such security attacks.

“We are grateful for the support of Congressman Rodney Alexander, Senator Mary Landrieu, and former Congressman Jim McCrery,” says Louisiana Tech President Dan Reneau. “Their vision and advocacy were essential to our receiving this funding.”

Louisiana Tech expects that the establishment of the Cyberspace Research Lab will advance collaborative efforts with other cyber research centers throughout the world, providing opportunities to develop and test new algorithms, software, equipment, and systems in realistic scenarios.

The Lab is also expected to attract R & D partners, faculty, post-docs and graduate students as well as high-tech companies looking to relocate to the area and capitalize on the intellectual energy of the University.

“Tech has an important role to play in cyberspace R & D,” says Dr. Les Guice, vice president for research and development at Louisiana Tech. “As evidenced by recent attacks government computers, cyber threats are more and more prolific, demonstrating a critical need for further R & D. We intend to play a major role in addressing these needs.”

According to Guice, Louisiana Tech already has several faculty who are heavily involved in research with the Air Force as well as other organizations. He expects the Cyberspace Research Lab will support further development of research programs with them over the longer term.

The Cyber Innovation Center (CIC) located in Bossier City has been a catalyst for the program at Louisiana Tech. It will connect to the facility over Louisiana’s high-speed optical network LONI, The combined resources of the CIC and Tech’s Cyberspace Research Lab will extend several cyber-related academic and research collaborations across the I-20 corridor.

Upon completion and operation, the Cyberspace Research Lab will be one of the top cyberspace research labs in the nation, supporting Tech’s active research programs with the Department of Defense, other agencies, and private industry. It will be housed in Tech Pointe, the first multi-tenant facility to be constructed at Enterprise Campus.

Written by Dave Guerin