The Center for Information Assurance, led by Dr. Dipankar Dasgupta, will share in a $2.3 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The grant funds the work of the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC), a five university consortium that includes The University of Memphis, the University of Texas, San Antonio, the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, Norwich University, and Texas A & M University. Norwich University is the lead institution on this $2.3 grant.

The consortium will develop and deliver four web-based, just-in-time courses on cybersecurity that can be accessed by communities throughout the United States. The courses address how to develop a cybersecurity annex, how to manage a cybersecurity incident, how to defend against cyberterrorism, and first responding during a cyberterrorism incident.

This new FEMA grant follows up on the work of the ACT Online program. ACT Online was funded by a $4.2 million grant from the United States Department of Homeland Security from 2006-2010. The ACT Online project developed a series of ten courses on cybersecurity. More than 50,000 people have successfully completed this training.

The Center for Information Assurance will also be hosting the sixth annual Midsouth Cybersecurity Summit from October 16-17, 2014. The summit will feature eight speakers including representatives from the Department of Homeland Security, the National Science Foundation, and members of the consortium. It is anticipated that 150-200 people will participate in the summit. More information about the work of the Center for Information Assurance can be found on their website: http://cfia.memphis.edu/index.php