ABSTRACT: 2015 ELATE Institutional Action Project Poster Symposium
Project Title: CAPER: Cybersecurity And Privacy Education and Research at Carnegie Mellon
Name and Institution: Lorrie Cranor, Carnegie Mellon University
Collaborators: Farnam Jahanian (VP of Research) and David Brumley (CAPER co-chair)
Background, Challenge or Opportunity: Cybersecurity and privacy are important strategic areas
for research and education. Carnegie Mellon University has a strong research program and
numerous educational offerings in these areas. However, faculty members who work in these
areas are spread over many departments, and there has been little coordination of these
efforts. There are opportunities to coordinate so as to reduce student confusion about course
offerings, offer joint courses and develop course sequences and degree programs across
departments, attract and hire new faculty, pursue larger collaborative research funding
opportunities, and increase the visibility of our programs.
Purpose/Objectives: The Cybersecurity and Privacy Education and Research (CAPER) working
group will inventory current cybersecurity and privacy research and education activities across
CMU and identify opportunities for internal coordination of these activities, external outreach
related to these activities, and new educational and research initiatives.
Methods/Approach: The CAPER working group, chaired by Lorrie Cranor and David Brumley,
includes 12 members from across the university. It has been chartered by our VP of Research to
produce the following deliverables:
• An inventory of cybersecurity and privacy activities at Carnegie Mellon, including research,
education, and outreach activities
• A narrative summary of the cybersecurity and privacy activities identified in the inventory
• University-level recommendations for strengthening cybersecurity and privacy research and
education efforts at Carnegie Mellon
• A plan to coordinate cybersecurity and privacy education activities
• A plan for doing outreach and publicity related to Carnegie Mellon cybersecurity and
privacy activities
• Facilitation of department hiring by bringing together all departments involved in
cybersecurity and privacy
The working group is conducting a survey and interviewing key stakeholders to inform the
development of these deliverables.
Outcomes and Evaluation: Our initial survey has already identified 58 faculty members, 50
courses, and 20 related degree programs. This information is informing discussions university
advancement is having with potential funders. Our first big outreach event, CMU Privacy Day,
included a keynote speech from an FTC commissioner. Our CAPER meetings are already
resulting in coordination of faculty hiring efforts. After producing the initial deliverables, the
working group will likely be chartered to continue in its coordination role and evaluate the
implementation of its recommendations.