October 2024

October 2024

MAJOR NEWS

President Biden appoints Dr. Juan Gilbert to the National Science Board

 

Dr. Juan Gilbert, UF Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering and member of FICS, was appointed by President Biden to the National Science Board, which serves as an independent body of advisors to the president and Congress on policy matters related to science, technology, and math and also provides direction to the National Science Foundation. Dr. Gilbert’s research projects include election security, usability, and accessibility, advanced learning technologies, human-centered artificial intelligence and machine learning, and ethnocomputing, or culturally relevant computing. Notably, his work has included the pioneering of voting systems that prioritize security and accessibility. 
 
“Serving on the National Science Board is a tremendous honor and responsibility. The ability to set the scientific agenda for the nation is a major responsibility,” Gilbert said. “Also, serving as an expert to the President and Congress is an acknowledgment of the research accomplishments from our lab over the years. Serving with so many other esteemed researchers and leaders is humbling. I am truly honored to be a member of the NSB.” 
“This tremendous honor marks far more than Juan’s technical acumen or his relentless drive to help students from all walks of life become leaders in STEM fields,” said Forrest Masters, Ph.D., interim dean for UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. “What it tells us is that Juan is a trusted voice that the president of the United States deems vital in the shaping the nation’s science agenda.”  
 
Dr. Gilbert was one of only 8 people appointed to the NSB this year. In addition to publishing major reports, the board also prepares policy papers and statements on issues of importance to U.S. science and engineering. Click here for the full White House Announcement. 

Small Business Cybersecurity Summit in Review

We extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of the Small Business for Cybersecurity Summit! It was a remarkable event that brought together an impressive lineup of speakers and panelists from across the country, each sharing invaluable insights on cybersecurity aimed at strengthening the defenses of small and medium-sized businesses, as well as local and state governments.

We were honored to feature industry, government, and academic leaders such as:

  • Pedro Allende, Secretary of the Florida Department of Management Services
  • Kevin Chin, Director of Threat Specialist Management, Microsoft
  • Warren Sponholtz, State of Florida CIO
  • Troy Bettencourt, Global Partner of IBM Consulting
  • Karen Evans, Managing Director of Cyber Readiness Institute
  • Numerous esteemed faculty members from the University of Florida and other institutions

The recent event, in collaboration with the Cyber Readiness Institute, Idaho National Lab, and the Florida Department of Management Services, facilitated important discussions on the significance of secure supply chains and the protection of critical infrastructure in the face of evolving cyber threats. We look forward to hosting the next event and fostering more important connections and dialogue. 

 

Research highlight

Dr. Domenic Forte recently delivered a keynote presentation titled “Beyond the Lab: Real-Time Applications of Power and EM Side-Channel Analysis” at the Ashes 2024 workshop on Attacks and Solutions in Hardware Security in Salt Lake City.

In his talk, Dr. Forte highlighted the significant advancements in power and electromagnetic (EM) side-channel analysis (SCA) over recent years, particularly in controlled laboratory settings. While these developments have shown great promise for both offensive and defensive cybersecurity applications, the challenge of applying these methodologies in real-world scenarios remains largely unaddressed.