I3P Program, Founded at Dartmouth, Celebrates 10th Anniversary

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Representatives from 28 member institutions gathered this month at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Institute for Information Infrastructure Protection (I3P). I3P, founded at Dartmouth in 2002, is a federally funded consortium of universities, laboratories, and non-profit organizations that conduct cyber security research.

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Dartmouth’s Shari Lawrence Pfleeger, director of research for I3P, speaks at the organization’s 10th anniversary celebration. “We’ve gotten better at learning what our sponsors need and trying to address it with the various levels and disciplines of expertise of our 28 members,” she said. (photo courtesy National Press Club/Nathan Mitchell)

“Since its founding, I3P has emerged as a major national consortium on cyber security,” said Interim Provost Martin Wybourne, the chair of I3P, who was unable to attend the event due to a last-minute scheduling conflict. “Dartmouth is proud to have had the leading role in this distinct organization, and we look forward to continuing to work with member institutions to pioneer research in the science of cyber security risk over the next decade.”

Over the past decade, I3P has worked to build communication between academic, industrial, and governmental agencies, while developing technologies to address infrastructure vulnerabilities. During the festivities last week, 12 speakers talked about about how I3P had affected their research and professional lives, and what challenges lie ahead for the organization. Tony Stramella, special assistant to the director at the National Security Agency’s Threat Operations Center, gave the keynote address.

Zach Tudor, vice chair of the I3P and program director in the computer science laboratory at SRI International, discussed research projects of I3P, which include safeguarding online identity and online sharing, providing security for the Department of Defense, and making cyber security more user-friendly.

“We feel that we have a unique model,” said Tudor. “We try to put the best minds together to develop proposals to address issues and actually develop solutions.”

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George Cybenko, the Dorothy and Walter Gramm Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth, was the final speaker of the afternoon. (photo courtesy National Press Club/Nathan Mitchell)

Jean Camp, director of the Security Informatics Program at Indiana University, touched on the historical significance of I3P.

“I3P brought people together in a very critical way,” said Camp. She said I3P “had a tremendous effect on the discipline and the inter-disciplines that surround it.”

Dartmouth’s Shari Lawrence Pfleeger, director of research for I3P, talked about how the organization evolved over its first decade.

“I think over the 10 years, not only have we expanded our portfolio, but we’ve gotten better at learning what our sponsors need and trying to address it with the various levels and disciplines of expertise of our 28 members,” she said.

Funding for I3P comes from organizations that include the Department of Homeland Security, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Science Foundation.

University of Illinois Professor William Sanders said the early work of I3P was “quite unique at the time,” and instrumental in advancing cyber security as well as in shaping the way research is conducted. Several speakers talked about how I3P shaped curriculums at colleges and universities across the country, approaching cyber security through different disciplines.

“It is clear that both on the research side and on the education side,” said Sanders, “I3P has been really impactful.”

For more information on I3P and the conference, including photos and videos from the 10th anniversary commemoration, visit the I3P website.

Keith Chapman