CyberTraining: Implementation: Small: Infrastructure Cybersecurity Curriculum Development and Training for Advanced Manufacturing Research Workforce

This project addresses the problem of Cyberinfrastructure (CI) needs in Advanced Manufacturing and Industry 4.0 by aiming to host a 10-week summer program for undergraduate, graduate students and CI professionals. The project develops instructional materials and implements a new CyberTrainng project to train current and future Advanced Manufacturing (AM) research workforce members in CI cybersecurity. It exposes the participants to various challenges of CI centered cybersecurity in Industry 4.0, with a focus on the vital national need for well trained and highly knowledgeable AM researchers who are capable of solving real-world cybersecurity problems in emerging complex Industry 4.0 manufacturing systems. The training also includes the secure and safe adoption of CI centered computational tools in AM. The project has direct and long term impacts in both the public and private sectors by training the research workforce to address CI centered cybersecurity challenges in Industry 4.0. University at Buffalo (UB) has established solid and intellectually-engaging programs in the areas of AM and CI centered research areas. This project can form a new synergetic research and education program for the AM research workforce. Moreover, utilizing the collaboration with established diversity-promotion programs at UB and local industrial partners, this CyberTraining project can significantly increase the collective impact of the project, benefiting numerous graduate and undergraduate students from underrepresented groups and improving the diversity of the research workforce. The goal of this project is to bridge the gap between general cybersecurity education and CI centered Advanced Manufacturing research training and to prepare a group of future AM research workforce with advanced CI cybersecurity knowledge to undertake specific roles in their future careers. Currently, as computers,networks and intelligent devices penetrating every aspect of Industry 4.0, CI cybersecurity training is in high demand to cover materials that deeply incorporate discipline-oriented topics for modern CI-centered manufacturing environments beyond core literacy in computers/networks security. Specifically, the team aims to develop and provide an innovative training program, including a set of hands-on labs that introduce domain specific cybersecurity attack surfaces and mitigation techniques. The training skills are crucial to address the various cybersecurity challenges of Industry 4.0 systems in AM hardware (e.g., industrial controllers and power line), AM software (e.g., embedded firmware, CAD/CAM software, and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems), AM communication networks (e.g., industrial IoTs, CAN bus) and other crucial CI components (e.g., new side channel discovery, IP theft/protection, quality control tools, supply chain software/database, and incident response strategies). Moreover, the project employs learning science principles, specifically the active learning and inquiry based learning strategies, that facilitate students' learning outcomes and provide formative feedback to instructors. This project is jointly funded by OAC and the CyberCorps program. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.