Research Centers

Informatics Research Institute

The Informatics Research Institute has two research facilities dedicated to Information Assurance research and teaching. The oldest is the Simplot Decision Center established in 1991 and the National Information Assurance Training and Education Center established in 1999.

Simplot Decision Support Center

The Simplot Decision Support Center has been actively involved in Information Assurance Education for the past ten years. The SDSC began its relationship with the Information Assurance education process by producing training materials for the Department of Energy Idaho field office. Subsequently, the SDSC staff produced training materials for the National Security Agency. The center has distributed over 15,000 copies of the Green Book modules to academic and industrial organizations. Each year we handle over 8,000 calls from individuals and organizations seeking training materials in Information Assurance.

The director of the SDSC was the first non-government employee to receive the FISSEA (Federal Information Systems Security Educators Association) award for educator of the year.

The director of the SDSC was invited to brief the NSTISSC on the SDSC efforts in developing national Information Assurance training standards. It has been active in all aspects of the AT&E initiative.

The ISSA (Information Systems Security Association) recognized the SDSC for outstanding contributions to the profession in 1996.

In 2000, the director of the SDSC was one of two individuals from academia to be given an honorary CISSP

The SDSC has been an active participant in the professionalization and eDACUM efforts of the profession. The staff has prepared over 400 documents in the Information Assurance education arena in addition to several hundred publications and presentations at professional organizations.

National Information Assurance Training and Education Center

In January 2000, a national plan was proposed to address the increasing vulnerability to cyber-based disruption and attacks. This plan emphasizes the role academia plays in this cyber-defense arena and calls for active partnerships among private sector, academia, and governmental organizations. Pursuant to reducing this vulnerability, National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance were designated. Idaho State University was one of the original designees.

Central to establishing uniformity in building a professional cadre via new Information Assurance curricula should be shared course material that has been vetted and meets nationally established standards. This is effective only if there is a trained cadre of qualified faculty. There is a current and projected is a deficit in Information Assurance faculty who are prepared to develop and deliver appropriate courses.

The National Information Assurance Training and Education Center (NIATEC) has been established to meet these needs. The structure of the NIATEC program at Idaho State University has begun to show success:

n Outreach through the state department of commerce

Established outreach to regional corporations and national laboratories to develop commerce based security systems.

n Increase inter-organizational cooperation,

Proposed formation of Northwest Information Assurance Research Partnership (NIARP) in conjunction with the University of Idaho

n Introduce new faculty to Information Assurance materials

Established faculty orientation courses in conjunction with the National Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education (NCISSE)

n Increase the availability of validated course material for government and industrial education and training,

Established educational course materials web site for national dissemination of training and education materials.

Established Journal in conjunction with the National Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education (NCISSE) to disseminate instructional materials and methods.

n Increase cooperation among the National Centers of Excellence in Information Assurance Education

In conjunction with the presidents of the National Centers of Excellence in Information Assurance Education, NIATEC is aiding in the development of a draft national education plan for Information Assurance.

n Increase the number of minority students involved in Information Assurance classes, and

NIATEC is working closely with the United Negro College Fund and Microsoft to establish courses for minority students at UNCF and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBUC)

n Increase the responsiveness of academic programs to the Information Assurance crisis.

The NIATEC is a sponsor of the National Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education (NCISSE)

n Establish outreach to the Pacific Rim. Pacific Rim nations are critical trading partners.

NIATEC has been invited by the Department of State to address the APEC Telecommunications Committee in Canberra, Australia.

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