Research and Education in Artificial Intelligence for Control and Cyber-Security of IoT-Based Power Systems
Abstract
Artificial intelligence is being used in various fields for control and anomaly detection. With the advent of 5G technology and Internet-of-Things (IoT), modern power systems are increasingly employing communication networks and complex embedded controllers for optimal performance. Since such communication and control strategies are vulnerable to cyber-attacks by the adversaries, a well-educated and trained workforce for cyber-security of IoT-based power system is essential for the national security. In this context, the key objective of this project is to promote research and education in artificial intelligence for control and cyber-security of such power systems. Towards this objective, the proposed project aims to engage the undergraduate students, K-12 students, and teachers to promote research related education and interest on the subject. Concise Description of the Requested Equipment A concise description of the requested equipment and software is as under: a. High Performance Computing Workstation: A high performance computing workstation with advanced NVIDIA GPUs and processors is required to perform intensive computations for artificial intelligence techniques, namely, machine learning and deep learning. b. OPAL-RT Real-time Simulator: This simulator is required for real-time simulation of modern power systems. It has two essential components; (a) OP5707 simulator with the necessary hardware; and (b) software HYPERSIM to support real-time simulation. c. EXata-CPS Emulator: EXata-CPS emulator is developed by SCALABLE Network Technologies Inc. This software is used to emulate the functions of a real-world communication network. This software can be deployed on OPAL-RT real-time simulator to emulate the power systems with communication networks and various cyber-attack scenarios. Research-related Education Supported in the Project: The key objective of the project will be achieved by engaging the students at various levels through the following research and education activities: a. Graduate Research and Education: One of the departmental objectives is to establish a graduate program in electrical engineering. The equipment acquired through this project will play a key role to establish a novel graduate level research thrust area in the field of AI and cyber-security for cyber-physical power systems. This will help promote graduate level research on the subject. b. Undergraduate Research and Education: The College of Engineering offers scholarships to high performing undergraduate students under the Department of Education Summer Research Project. Students will be paid from this grant for 8-week summer project. They will work in a team of 3-5 students. The undergraduate students will be trained under this research project to perform AIbased research on control and cyber-security of power systems using the requested equipment. This trained workforce will be ready to be employed by industry and for higher education as those techniques are equally applicable to various other IoT-based systems. PI and Co-PI will also seek funding from NSF for Hispanics, women, minorities, and underrepresented students. c. K-12 Students, Teachers and Community Outreach: Ector County ISD is a school district of the Permian Basin region in Odessa, TX, wherein, about 76 % of student population is Hispanic. PIs will engage school students from this diverse population to educate them during the summer camps on annual basis. In addition, the K-12 teachers will also be engaged to help create interest in STEM subjects among the K-12 students.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 25, 2021
- Source ID
- W911NF2110166
Entities
People
- Omar Ali Beg
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- University of Texas Permian Basin