SSU participates in cyber security research

SAVANNAH – Savannah State University’s (SSU) Qian Chen, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science technology, and two students completed a summer research project aimed at protecting infrastructure. Chen was joined by Summer Sykes, a senior electronics engineering technology student from Atlanta, Ga., and Chelsea Calhoun, a senior in computer science technology from Jacksonville, Fla.

(L-R) Jeff Nichols, Ph.D., SSU student Summer Sykes, SSU student Chelsea Calhoun, Qian Chen, Ph.D., and PhD candidate Jarilyn Hernandez (West Virginia University) at ORNL.

The SSU team worked at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to design and test a method for companies to know a cyber attack is affecting a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. Many of the nation’s large industries and manufacturers – oil companies, wastewater facilities, electrical grids, large communication networks – use SCADA systems to remotely operate multiple locations from a single place.

SCADA systems are prime targets for cyber attacks and, according to one study, have doubled over the past year; yet, more than 30% of organizations did not know their SCADA system had even been breached.

The research conducted by Chen, Sykes and Calhoun designed a technique with high detection accuracy. Their process monitors, tracks and compares the power consumption during normal activity and during an attack. The SCADA systems can now be programmed to sense the spike in power consumption, detect a threat and alert an organization.

Chen will present the findings at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 50.

Established in 1890, Savannah State University is the oldest public historically black college or university in Georgia and the oldest institution of higher learning in the city of Savannah. The university’s 4,800 students select majors from 30 undergraduate and six graduate programs in three colleges — Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Business Administration and Sciences and Technology — and the School of Teacher Education.

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Just Keep Swimming

Like many of his classmates, Freshman Thierry Sawadogo has a big trip planned this summer. But his is not a vacation. He will be swimming for Burkina Faso in the Olympics in Rio.

A native of Ouagadougou, Thierry admits competitive swimming is not a popular sport there. “Everything is about soccer,” he says. It’s one of the main reasons he decided to come to the United States to study – so he could keep swimming.

He was eight years old when he first got in the pool. At 6'8" and 21 years old, he’s the best in his country. “I grew up watching Michael Phelps. I just knew I had to swim like him.”

Thierry is studying computer science technology at Savannah State. He sees it as a way to work in a field he loves but also to bring innovation to his homeland. “Since my childhood, I loved everything about electronics. Later, I would like to open my own business in my country and help industry build software and applications.”

Thierry trains everyday, before and after classes. “I just stay focused on my main goal. And remember there are people who believe in me, who are counting on me.”

Thierry will be competing under the flag of his country – “I love the U.S. but Burkina Faso… that is my home.” – at the summer Olympics in the 50m freestyle. “I’m a bit scared. It’s a big event, the dream of every athlete.”

Even with the facilities and training he has in America, he knows that he is not a threat to someone like Ryan Lochte this year. “But I will take notes for future competitions. And I will be ready for Tokyo in 2020."