ITTA BENA, Miss.— Two Mississippi Valley State University students recently presented research that explores the relationship between cybersecurity and homeland security during the Mississippi Academy of Sciences (MAS) Meeting.
Hosted Feb. 22-23 at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Thad Cochran Center, the annual meeting offered participants the opportunity to present addresses, symposia, workshops, scientific papers, and exhibits of interest to members of the state-wide organization dedicated to reshaping and expanding the role of science and technology in the state.
Among those presenting were MVSU Criminal Justice major Bianca Watkins of Plainfield, Ill., and Mathematics, Computer, and Information Systems (MCIS) major Mubarak Ibrahim of Nigeria on the topic, “Why Cybersecurity is Essential to Homeland Security”.
The students conducted the research with assistance from MVSU Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Dr. Alaba Oludare and Instructor Christopher Lanclos of MVSU’s MCIS Department and Cybersecurity Center.
The research was supported by funds awarded by the Charles Koch Foundation, under the direction of Dr. Emmanuel Amadi, chair of MVSU’s Criminal Justice Department.
“The students performed well during their presentation,” said Amadi. “The audience was very engaged and impressed by their findings.”
In an effort to evaluate homeland security, the research team performed a case study on the MVSU community to assess awareness of cyber threats.
The findings of the survey were then compiled into a poster presentation showcased during the meeting. Watkins and Ibrahim were on-hand to provide additional insight of the findings to MAS members.
MAS sponsors include the University of Mississippi Medical Center, School of Health Related Professionals; The University of Southern Mississippi; and Millsaps College. The annual meeting was sponsored by the Mississippi IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE).
To learn more about MAS, visit www.msacad.org