Sen. Maria Cantwell is participating in a symposium on energy cybersecurity Nov. 17 at the University of Washington Bothell in Discovery Hall.
The symposium brings together experts from the government, private sector, utilities, military and academia to discuss defense against cyber-attacks.
At a Senate hearing in October on cyber technologies, Cantwell called for increased collaboration among critical partners to share knowledge, expertise and experience.
Cantwell has called for necessary investments to prevent attacks that could cause widespread blackouts or devastate the economy. Ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Cantwell is specifically concerned about budget cuts to cybersecurity programs at the Department of Energy where national labs, such as the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory at Richland, Washington, play a key role in cybersecurity.
UW Bothell’s expertise in cybersecurity policy and workforce development is recognized through its designation by the National Security Agency (NSA) as a center for academic excellence in research and in cyber defense education — the only college with both designations in the Northwest.
“Cybersecurity is an area where the University of Washington Bothell can use its strengths in research and education to develop experts and policies in support of the nation and organizations such as the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and regional partners such as T-Mobile,” said Chancellor Wolf Yeigh. “We’re pleased to host the symposium and welcome the attention Sen. Maria Cantwell brings to this issue.”
In recognition of successful government-industry-academic programs, Yeigh was selected to host the NSA 2018 Cyber Summit Executive Leadership Forum in April.
UW Bothell has partnered with T-Mobile to accelerate the training of cybersecurity professionals. Twelve students are currently working as cybersecurity interns at T-Mobile.
Many of the University’s cybersecurity events and programs are organized through the Center for Information Assurance and Cybersecurity, which is based at UW Bothell.
For students, the campus offers a Bachelor of Science in computer science and software engineering with an information assurance and cybersecurity option. UW Bothell also offers a Master of Science in cybersecurity engineering.
For a wrapup of cybersecurity activities and programs at UW Bothell check out this story.
