JULY 2, 2021 — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has awarded UTSA an academic grant for $450,000.
Miltos Alamaniotis, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, will use the grant to develop a nuclear power plant cybersecurity research program at the university.
“We will work to develop cybersecurity solutions for nuclear power plants. This is something new for UTSA,” Alamaniotis said. “UTSA does have cybersecurity, but not specifically geared towards nuclear power plants. We proposed to develop a new area that is going to be overlooked by me and will focus on cybersecurity for nuclear power plants.”
Claire Walton, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Mathematics, will also work on the project during the second and third years of the NRC grant, bringing her background in control systems and applied mathematics to the project. David Akopian, professor and associate dean of research in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering will oversee the project from the mentoring perspective.
The proposed program would focus on several areas such as digital instrumentation and controls, artificial intelligence, data analytics, hardware-in-loop simulations, nuclear plant modeling, and cyber-physical security, Alamaniotis said.
In addition, it will contain UTSA’s first hardware-in-loop simulator, which will create simulations of nuclear power plant digital instrumentation and control (I&C) operations and cyber-attack scenarios.
“Nobody has this here at UTSA, and it’s going to be one-of-a-kind facility,” Alamaniotis said. “Only the University of Tennessee at Knoxville has one and we’re going to be the second one.”
He added that he hopes the program will allow UTSA researchers to “detect, identify, characterize and prevent strategic surprises pertained to cybersecurity of digital I&C in nuclear power plants,” while establishing a workforce pipeline.
"Through this grant we’re going to be able to study the vulnerabilities of these power plants and build solutions before putting reactors online," Alamaniotis said.
By establishing this new program, Alamaniotis said they’ll be able to identify the cybersecurity vulnerabilities in nuclear plants and have a better idea of what new technologies can be deployed to fix any issues and protect nuclear power plants from hackers.
Alamaniotis added that he is thankful for the opportunity. “It’s a big opportunity,” he said. “It’s a big deal that we got this grant, so we can develop this new area.”
The NRC awarded 30 grants to 26 different institutions in 19 states, totaling nearly $10.7 million this year. Since 2009, the NRC has awarded 546 educational grants, totaling more than $177 million.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Learn to use the simple but powerful features of EndNote®, a citation management tool. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to setup an EndNote library, save references and PDFs, and automatically create and edit a bibliography.
Virtual EventLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThe UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures welcomes historian Rebecca Sharpless, author of “Grain and Fire: History of Baking in the American South,” to discuss how food customs shape cultures.
Room 1.01.01 on the 1st Floor at ITC, UTSA Institute Of Texan CulturesOur GSAW Research Symposium begins with lunch and a Poster Presentation Competition. Faculty, staff, and graduate students are welcome to attend and review the exceptional research from UTSA's best and brightest.
Student Union Ballrooms 1 & 2, Main CampusHear from UTSA doctoral candidate in environmental science, Andre Felton, as he discusses best practices to discuss scholarly research in non-academic settings. Our 2023 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) winners will also share their winning presentations.
Student Union Ballrooms 1 & 2, Main CampusJoin this fun event if you want resume and interview resources, a job or internship, a snow cone from Kona Ice and to socialize.
Sombrilla PlazaIn partnership with San Antonio Metro Health, join us for a special lecture series during Public Health week! An esteemed panel will discuss the job market’s impact on public health departments in Texas municipalities.
Retama Auditorium (SU 2.02.02,) Main CampusThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.