Rep. Ciro Rodriguez hosts cybersecurity roundtable at UTSA

From left are Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, COB Dean Lynda de la Vina, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, Maj. Gen. Richard Webber, UTSA President Ricardo Romo and Richard Perez (S.A. Chamber of Commerce)

By Wendy Frost
Director of Communications, College of Business

(Dec. 16, 2009)--Congressman Ciro Rodriguez hosted a roundtable discussion with San Antonio area network experts on Saturday, Dec. 12 co-sponsored by The University of Texas at San Antonio, the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the Cyber Innovation and Research Consortium.

Special guests included Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, vice chair of the House Homeland Security Committee; Richard Perez, president of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce; and Maj. Gen. Richard E. Webber, commander of the 24th Air Force in San Antonio.

Presentations included an overview of the strengths of San Antonio as a "Cyber City," a cyber consortium update and a presentation on the UTSA Information Security Community by Lynda de la Vina, dean of the College of Business. According to de la Vina, UTSA is committed to advancing information security through its educational, research and outreach programming. The UTSA Information Security Community includes the UTSA College of Business, College of Engineering, College of Sciences, Institute of Cyber Security and Office of Information Technology.

Following the roundtable, the participants were given a special preview tour of the new UTSA College of Business Advanced Laboratories for Information Assurance and Security (ALIAS). Nicole Beebe, assistant professor of information systems, demonstrated the capabilities of the lab and conducted a computer forensics exercise.

ALIAS supports a broad spectrum of security-centric activities within the College of Business. The lab's secure server area supports faculty research in network intrusion detection, development of forensic search algorithms and security modeling. The lab includes two advanced technology classroom areas that support student coursework in digital forensics, network and telecommunications security, secure operating system development, secure code development and biometrics. A formal dedication of the lab will be next spring.

A leader in the field of infrastructure assurance education, UTSA has been designated a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research and a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.