Rutgers University
Homeland Security
Research
Symposium
Fred Roberts
Chair, RUHSRI
Director, DIMACS Center
froberts@dimacs.rutgers.edu
anthrax
September 23, 2003
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Concerns about security:
•Physical safety
•Transportation
•Food and water supply
•The fundamental technologies underlying our
economic system (communications, computing)
•The very working of our modern society
RUHSRI is aimed at coordinating homeland
security research at Rutgers.
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RUHSRI was founded in May 2003.
It resulted from a series of meetings following the
September 11 attacks; meetings were aimed at
sharing information about research efforts at
Rutgers.
Thanks to the initiative of:
Office of VP for Academic Affairs
Office of Federal Relations
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
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Existing efforts at Rutgers in homeland security
research are widespread and impressive.
Many could lead quickly to practical R&D
programs and new business development.
They could easily form the basis for a dozen major
initiatives.
We present a selection of relevant current
research.
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SURVEILLANCE/DETECTION
•Biosurveillance/chemosurveillance
–Adverse event/bioterrorist attack detection
–Pathogen detection (Terahertz (THz) wave
imaging; detecting airborne anthrax particles)
–Weapons detection/identification (dirty bombs,
plastic explosives)
–Analysis of massive, high speed data for
anomaly/outlier detection
–Intelligent question answering (interface between
the intelligence analyst and data)
–Computational/mathematical models in
epidemiology
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SURVEILLANCE/DETECTION-II
•Biometrics
–Face, gait, voice, iris recognition
–Non-verbal behavior detection (lying or
telling the truth?)
•Text Surveillance
–Monitoring message streams for “new
events”
–Statistical methods in textual analysis
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SURVEILLANCE/DETECTION - III
•Sensors
–Bioterrorism sensor location
–Sensor networks to monitor
bio/chem hazards
–Design of sensors (high
sensitivity ZnO sensors; UV
detection devices for biodetection; nanoscale
semiconductor sensors)
BASIS bioterrorism sensor
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PROTECTING THE CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
•Communication Security
–Network security, mobile and wireless security
–Secure communication through tunable adaptive
filters
–Secure communication through low bit-rate coding
–Sharing data
–Information privacy
–Identity theft
–Secure e-commerce
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PROTECTING THE CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE II
•Transportation and Border Security
–Transportation infrastructure security (airports,
marine terminals, transit hubs)
–Pattern recognition for machine-assisted baggage
searches
–Statistical analysis of flight/aircraft inspections
–Port-of-entry inspection algorithms
–Border security (decision support software)
–Vessel tracking for homeland defense
–Pipeline security
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PROTECTING THE CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE III
•Food and Water Supply Security
–Regional drinking water security consortium
–Food and water biosecurity initiative
–Remediating contaminated water
–Bioterrorism training (environment & public health)
–Agroterrorism: Using economic weapons to prevent
agroterror attacks
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RESPONDING TO AN
ATTACK
•Exposure/Toxicology
–Modeling dose received
–Rapid risk and exposure characterization
–Toxicology of WMD’s
•Evacuation
–Simulating evacuation of complex
transportation facilities
–Plume modeling to determine areas of risk
–Handling patients before ER admission.
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RESPONDING TO AN ATTACK - II
•Cleanup
–Monitoring and control for
chem/bio attack emergency
response
–Air and water purification
systems
–Decontamination of areas
affected by chem/bio weapons
–Emergency scene management
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RESPONDING TO AN ATTACK - III
•Emergency Communications
–Infostations for rapid wireless
communication for first responders
–Rapid networking at emergency
locations
–Risk communication methods
–Rapid “telecollaboration”
•Legal Responses to Terrorism
–Analysis of laws to control or
suppress terrorism
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STRENGTHS AT RUTGERS
•Many of the projects described are already
receiving external funding.
•There is already substantial partnership with
NJ industry (small and large).
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Partial List of Partners at Rutgers
Departments.: Computer Science, Chemistry, Physics,
Statistics, Mathematics
Centers: CAIP (Advanced Information Processing), DIMACS
(Discrete Math & CS), EOHSI (Environmental &
Occupational Health & Safety), WINLAB (Wireless
Networking), Institute for Marine and Coastal Studies, Rutgers
Center for Study of Public Security, CIMIC (Information
Management, Integration & Connectivity), Waksman Institute
for Microbiology, Computational Biomedicine Imaging and
Modeling, CAIT (Advanced Infrastructure & Transportation)
Schools: Engineering, SCILS (Information and Library
Sciences), Cook College and NJ Agricultural Experimental
Station, Business School, Law School, Criminal Justice
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Current external funding for Homeland Security
Research at Rutgers (without a coordinated
effort) is $54M
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PROJECTS OF RUHSRI
•Database of researchers/research at Rutgers
•Enhancing collaborations within RU and with
other universities and government and industry
•Leveraging individual efforts (e.g., CJGED
proposal, DHS university centers of excellence
proposal)
•Taking a leadership role at Rutgers and NJ:
Today’s symposium
Symposium on homeland security research at
NJ’s research universities: October 29, at
Rutgers
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TODAY’S AGENDA
•Short talks: quick overviews
•Posters and demonstrations: In lobby and during
lunch in 4th floor conference room
•Lunch: fourth floor lounge (with DIMACS
Workshop on Large-Scale Internet Attacks)
•Discussion groups: What should we be doing and
what can Rutgers do? See “charge”.
•Reports from discussion groups.
•Networking reception.
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•ORSP: Mike Breton
•Staff:
Leslye Lowen
Christine Spassione
•Organizing Committee:
Margaret Brennan
Nabil Adam
Stan Dunn
Rick Mammone
Bob Snyder
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