Trusted CI Webinar: Conducting Responsible Human-Centered AI Research, Monday May 19th @ 10am Central

Clemson University's Bart Knijnenburg is presenting the talk, Conducting Responsible Human-Centered AI Research, on Monday May 19th at 10am, Central time.

Please register here.

With the recent rise of LLMs, it becomes increasingly possible (and necessary) to conduct human-subjects studies with AI tools. However, integrating AI in human-subjects research raises concerns about participant privacy, safety, and the confidentiality of research data. These concerns are exacerbated by the fact that many AI researchers have limited experience with human-subjects research, and most ethics review boards (e.g. IRBs) have little knowledge about AI.

In this talk, I present findings from a series of investigations into human-centered AI research studies: our team systematically reviewed AI-related studies published at the ACM SigCHI conference, we interviewed researchers who conducted human-subjects studies with LLMs, and we conducted a scenario-based study to unpack study participants' opinions about AI-based research.  

We find that (1) many papers lack important details about basic study parameters, (2) researchers often fail to disclose the use of LLMs to research participants, and (3) participants are sensitive to study parameters like anonymization, data retention and consent, but are unaware of the threats of third-party data sharing and of data leakage through model training. I will discuss these findings, and more, during the talk.

Speaker Bio: 

Dr. Bart Knijnenburg is an Associate Professor in Human-Centered Computing at Clemson University where he co-directs the Humans And Technology Lab (HATLab). His research explores the societal, social, and psychological aspects of human interaction with intelligent systems. His research has been funded by the NSF (including a CAREER award), the Department of Defense, the Department of Education, the Department of Justice, and corporate gifts.

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Join Trusted CI's announcements mailing list for information about upcoming events. To submit topics or requests to present, see our call for presentations. Archived presentations are available on our site under "Past Events."

Trusted CI Member Spotlight: Rick Wagner

Rick Wagner is the Chief Technology Officer of the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), a facility based at UC San Diego. 

Rick has been interested in many topics, including astrophysics, high performance computing, and cybersecurity. But, over time, he’s learned that he’s got one real passion: understanding how researchers use technology to achieve their research goals. He’s been a part of Trusted CI since 2021, when he served as a Trusted CI Fellow. We recently talked with Rick to learn more about his professional journey and work with Trusted CI’s programs.

Intro

How do you become the chief technology officer for a supercomputer center? Rick laughs and replies, “You do that by studying astrophysics and being very, very good with computers." He started by attending San Diego Mesa Community College, where he discovered an initial interest in physics. At UC San Diego, as an undergraduate, he worked with a professor who became his research advisor. From there, Rick became interested in studying turbulence in outer space. "That meant I had to do a lot of data analysis and parallel computing,” Rick explains, “I enjoyed working with the computers and those two things dovetailed.”

At the crossroads of cybersecurity and computer science

While in graduate school at UC San Diego, Rick started to work in the high performance computing clusters at SDSC. Eventually, he worked his way up and became the High Performance Computing System Manager. More and more, Rick was working closely with SDSC security engineers. While he enjoyed these interactions, he noticed that there was sometimes tension between his colleagues and the cybersecurity staff. Rick found that by bringing the security engineers into the systems management process, things got smoother, particularly by asking the security team to help manage the system configuration through the same DevOps process as the systems group.

After graduating, Rick also worked with the University of Chicago, as part of Globus, a research data management platform that connects over 150,000 users. In his new role, he helped groups develop portals. At one point, while working on building services for a federal agency, Rick saw cybersecurity professionals and research staff struggle to communicate once again. Suddenly, he had a realization. Both groups shared a common goal but viewed the project through two different lenses. “Somebody needed to be the mediator between those two groups,” Rick explains, “And that project really was what cemented my activity to be like, I know how to do this. I know how to align the cybersecurity and research needs, and communicate that in a way both groups can understand.” Rick saw a gap and realized he had the necessary skills to bridge the cybersecurity and research community.

Getting involved with Trusted CI

While at Globus, Rick started to hear about Trusted CI. Globus relied on CILogon, a service run by Jim Basney, and there were many overlaps between the communities (e.g., Trusted CI reviewed the Globus software stack).

After returning to work at UCSD, in 2020, his supervisor suggested Rick apply to the Trusted CI Fellows Program. Rick joined the 2021 cohort and quickly saw the value of working with a small, dedicated group. Rick notes that, because it was COVID times, the group grew very tight-knit and frequently met over ZOOM to talk about common interests and lessons learned. “The idea,” Rick observes, “is that [fellows] can reach out and talk to each other….[the fellowship] is a way to approach building groups of people to promote a goal, in this case, research cybersecurity.”

At the time, Rick was working on a NIH project that he brought with him from UChicago back to UCSD. As Rick worked through his project, he discovered the Trusted CI Framework, a comprehensive cybersecurity resource with templates and tools that helps organizations establish and refine their programs. “It gave me a way to communicate what the project I was working on was doing,” Rick recalls, “Where we were trying to fit around the expectations of security compliance from the federal agency.” Most importantly, Rick said, “the Trusted CI Framework enabled me to say, here is our path. It's achieving our goals, it's enabling security.”

Finding a place in a research community of experts

After Rick started participating as a Fellow, he continued to volunteer and work with the Trusted CI community. Between 2023 and 2024, he was a NSF Cybersecurity Summit Program Committee member. In that role, Rick helped to shape the NSF Cyber Security Summit’s program helping to select keynote speakers, review community proposals and make suggestions on the program flow.

He continues to be involved in the Trusted CI Fellows Program as a moderator of the yearly panel at the Summit. Rick also organizes workshops at the Summit. In one regular session, he collaborates with Mark Krenz on a combined tutorial and workshop about approaching security for Jupyter Notebooks. Rick fondly remembers the very first workshop, held at the Summit in San Diego in 2019. “The attendees were able to give us feedback,” he recalls, “Like, Hey, I'm a security engineer and users are asking for me to deploy this, and I don't understand how it works. And I'm like, oh, you're right. I could see how that's a challenge.”

Rick relishes every opportunity to gather user feedback. He loves learning more about how people work with technology and how to make the process even smoother. Every day, he’s motivated by helping people feel like they’re enjoying their interactions with software and computers. Rick has found a group of similarly excited researchers, software engineers, and cybersecurity experts at Trusted CI. Rick appreciates how Trusted CI offers webinars, tools, and resources like the Trusted CI Framework. “I think it's one of the better places to turn,” says Rick, “to stay abreast of what's going on with research cybersecurity, particularly the NSF landscape.”

Are you interested in keeping track of what’s new with Trusted CI? Sign up for our announcements listserv (announce+subscribe@trustedci.org) for regular updates on upcoming webinars and tools. 

Trusted CI Webinar: The Operational Technology Procurement Vendor Matrix, Monday March 31st @10am Central

Trusted CI's Mark Krenz is presenting the talk, The Trusted CI Operational Technology Procurement Vendor Matrix, on Monday March 31st at 10am, Central time.

Please register here.

Operational Technology (OT), when installed on an organization's network, becomes part of the overall cyber attack surface for an organization. When procuring this OT, it is important for the purchasing organization to understand how it will integrate with the existing network and security controls as well as understand what new risks it might introduce. The Trusted CI Operational Technology Procurement Vendor Matrix (the Matrix) provides a prioritized list of questions for organizations to send to manufacturers and suppliers to try to get as much of this information as possible.

In this webinar, we will walk through what security issues impact OT, the role of procurement in mitigating security risks, our reasoning and process for developing the Matrix, and a walk through on how to use the Matrix at your organization. Questions and shared experiences with OT are encouraged.

TARGET AUDIENCE:
Organizational leadership, procurement department, IT, cybersecurity

The Matrix can be found at https://trustedci.org/ot-matrix

Speaker Bio: 

Chief Security Analyst Mark Krenz is focused on cybersecurity operations, research, and education. He has more than two decades of experience in system, network administration, programming, and system security and has spent the last decade focused on cybersecurity. He also serves as the CISO of Trusted CI.

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Join Trusted CI's announcements mailing list for information about upcoming events. To submit topics or requests to present, see our call for presentations. Archived presentations are available on our site under "Past Events."

Trusted CI 2024 Summit Report Now Available

Last October, Trusted CI convened the 2024 NSF Cybersecurity Summit. This yearly event provides a forum for National Science Foundation (NSF) scientists, researchers, cybersecurity, and cyberinfrastructure (CI) professionals and stakeholders to share effective technical practices and brainstorm solutions to everyday challenges facing cybersecurity environment professionals. When the community comes together for the Summit, they collectively learn from each other.

The 2024 Summit was held in person in Pittsburgh, PA, at Carnegie Mellon University. Over 250 individuals attended, including representatives of 44 NSF projects. Lorrie Faith Cranor, the Director and Bosch Distinguished Professor in Security and Privacy Technologies at the Cylab Security and Privacy Institute, delivered the keynote lecture and gave suggestions on how to develop the best cybersecurity practices for users.

During the four days of the Summit, attendees could choose from various workshops, training sessions, and seminars. These included topics such as:

• How to adopt the Trusted CI Framework
• How to apply Generative AI for cybersecurity defense
• How to manage cybersecurity and ransomware risks

Interested in reading more takeaways from this year's Summit? Download the full Summit Report from https://zenodo.org/records/14866819 and read more about lessons learned from the NSF’s top cybersecurity experts.

Trusted CI and the Research Infrastructure Security Community Respond to NSF’s Draft Research Infrastructure Guide

 

Trusted CI, in collaboration with the Research Infrastructure Security Community (RISC), submitted comments to the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) regarding Section 5.3 of NSF’s 2025 draft Research Infrastructure Guide (RIG). These comments offer the community’s perspective on the NSF’s proposed new guidance for Major Facilities and Mid-Scales on building their cybersecurity programs.

RISC is a community of practice built by Trusted CI for NSF-funded cybersecurity professionals. RISC is composed of graduates from the Trusted CI Framework Cohort Program, who continue to gather as a community to expand their cybersecurity knowledge, share experiences, and build relationships.

For more information, please contact us at info@trustedci.org.

Trusted CI Webinar: Trusted Volunteer Edge-Cloud Computing for Scientific Workflows, Monday February 24th @10am Central

Mizzou's Prasad Calyam is presenting the talk, Trusted Volunteer Edge-Cloud Computing for Scientific Workflows, on Monday February 24th at 10am, Central time.

Please register here.

The unprecedented growth in networked edge devices (e.g., scientific instruments, sensors) has caused a data deluge in scientific application communities. The data processing is increasingly relying on distributed computing to cope with the heterogeneity, scale, and velocity of the data. At the same time, there is an abundance of low-cost computation resources that can be used for “volunteer edge-cloud computing” (VEC), where collaborators in a community (e.g., bioinformatics, manufacturing) contribute their resources to form a distributed infrastructure to execute scientific workflows. In this talk, a VEC management reference architecture and a related framework implementation will be presented for support of trusted resource allocation in VEC environments for scientific data-intensive workflows. We demonstrate how our novel scheduling approach optimizes task allocation on VEC nodes by balancing workflow requirements and resource preferences, improving latency, task completion times, and resource utilization efficiency. Lastly, we outline our recent efforts to ensure privacy-preservation of the scientific workflow execution in VEC environments by adopting principles from the confidential computing paradigm.

Speaker Bio: 

Prasad Calyam is a Curators’ Distinguished Professor and the Greg L. Gilliom Professor of Cybersecurity in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at University of Missouri-Columbia, and Director of the Center for Cyber Education, Research and Infrastructure (Mizzou CERI). His research and development areas of interest include: Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, and Advanced Cyberinfrastructure. He has published over 235 peer-reviewed papers in various conference and journal venues. As the Principal Investigator, he has successfully led teams of graduate, undergraduate and postdoctoral fellows in Federal, State, University and Industry sponsored R&D projects sponsored by National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, National Security Agency and others. His basic research and software on multi-domain network measurement and monitoring has been commercialized as ‘Narada Metrics’.

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Join Trusted CI's announcements mailing list for information about upcoming events. To submit topics or requests to present, see our call for presentations. Archived presentations are available on our site under "Past Events."

Trusted CI: Relaunching and Expanding the Student Program

As cybersecurity continues to grow in importance across the scientific community, the need to cultivate the next generation of cybersecurity leaders is more critical than ever. Trusted CI is proud to announce the relaunch and expansion of its Student Program, designed to provide students with very useful insights, mentorship, and hands-on experiences in cybersecurity while fostering a cybersecurity workforce for all. Applications for the 2025 cohort open on February 3, 2025.

Why the Student Program Matters

For over a decade, Trusted CI has significantly impacted the NSF community by equipping researchers and institutions with comprehensive cybersecurity knowledge and resources. Our analysis revealed opportunities to extend this impact by engaging students from a wider range of academic fields, such as those in the NSF Education and Human Resources (EHR) and Biological Sciences (BIO) Directorates, as well as reaching out to new institutions not currently engaged in cybersecurity programs. The Student Program aims to ensure that perspectives from across all disciplines and institutions contribute to shaping the future of cybersecurity.

Alumni Insights: Mentorship and Impactful Experiences in Cybersecurity

On the Mentor Program

Sandra Darkson - University of New Haven, MS in Cybersecurity and Networks
“My mentor (Carolyn Ellis) is really one of a kind; she is among those few individuals who sees the potential in me and, at the same time, believes so much in me that this belief drives me to work harder, and strive for excellence. I am so fortunate enough to have her as my guide and mentor on my path.”

On the Poster Session

Nana Sarfo Dwomoh - Sam Houston State University, MS Information Assurance & Cybersecurity
“The 2024 NSF Cybersecurity Summit was a big, unforgettable platform for me as a Cybercorp  Scholar, where I presented my poster, "Defending Electoral Integrity in the Age of Cyber Warfare,"  which gave me the chance to share my research on how digital disinformation, botnets, and deepfakes are impacting elections.”

On Networking

Konstantin Metz - University of Central Florida, MS Cybersecurity and Privacy
“The event is unlike any other in the industry! It brings together industry professionals, faculty, and students from across the globe to learn, network, and collaborate on current and emerging cybersecurity issues. It gives students an unparalleled opportunity to learn and grow while showcasing some of their own work. I am honored to have been selected to present and cannot wait for next year!”

Abigail Whittle - Oregon State University, BS in Computer Science
“I had the opportunity to meet some incredibly interesting individuals. Overall, I would highly recommend this experience to other students in the future, as it was beneficial both professionally and educationally, and I took away a lot from it.”

On Capture the Flag

Dignora Castillo-Soto - Bay Path University, MS in Cyber Security
“The CTF session provided a hands-on experience that challenged my problem-solving skills. It was refreshing to participate in a group project, as collaboration helped me gain new insights that I wouldn’t have achieved working solo.”

On Summit Courses

Owen Seltzer - Northeastern University, MS Cybersecurity
“The talks and panel discussions were not only engaging but also thought-provoking, covering topics ranging from emerging threats to innovative protection strategies. As someone still exploring career paths in cybersecurity, I found the presentations particularly enlightening.”

Goals of the Program

The Trusted CI Student Program is committed to:

• Providing Foundational Knowledge: Selected students will gain practical insights into cybersecurity through workshops, mentorship, and participation in the annual NSF Cybersecurity Summit.
• Fostering Community: By actively recruiting students from a wide range of backgrounds, the program aims to create a supportive environment that values a variety of perspectives.
• Empowering Advocacy: Students will serve as cybersecurity ambassadors in their communities, equipping their peers with knowledge and connecting them with Trusted CI for more complex challenges.
• Building Long-Term Connections: Participants will join a growing network of Trusted CI alumni, opening doors to mentorship, networking, and career opportunities in the cybersecurity field.

What’s New in the Trusted CI Student Program for 2025?

The Trusted CI Student Program continues to evolve, and we are excited to share the enhancements coming in 2025! Designed to nurture the next generation of cybersecurity researchers, this program has been refined based on past participant feedback and our commitment to providing a more impactful experience. These changes reflect our goal to improve the program from what it has been and make it more valuable for the entire Trusted CI community, not just prospective students.

Larger Cohorts Over Time
While the program currently welcomes five students annually, our goal is to expand participation to 15 students in future cycles as resources allow. This growth ensures more students benefit from Trusted CI’s expertise.

Alumni Engagement
We recognize the value of long-term connections, which is why past participants will now retain access to valuable program resources and opportunities to attend the Trusted CI Summit. This fosters an ongoing learning community and professional network.

Focused Workshops and Mentorship
Students will gain deeper insights through tailored workshops and dedicated one-on-one mentorship sessions. These sessions will be led by Trusted CI staff and esteemed industry experts, ensuring a well-rounded educational experience.

Streamlined Application Process
To provide a holistic evaluation of applicants, the revised application process will require a personal statement, a professional biosketch, and letters of support. This approach ensures we select students who are not only qualified but also deeply passionate about cybersecurity.

These enhancements are part of our commitment to continually improving the program, ensuring that both new and returning members of the Trusted CI community benefit from its evolution. We look forward to welcoming the 2025 cohort and continuing to build a thriving community of cybersecurity professionals!

What Students Can Expect

The Trusted CI Student Program will run from May to November 2025, featuring webinars and workshops twice a month to foster growth and prepare students for careers in cybersecurity.

From their first day in the program, Students will:

• Attend workshops on cybersecurity fundamentals, career development, and emerging trends.

• Network with top professionals and researchers at the NSF Cybersecurity Summit, an annual conference dedicated to advancing cybersecurity in research and education. This event provides a unique opportunity to learn from experts, engage in discussions on emerging cybersecurity challenges, and build valuable connections within the field.

• Work closely with mentors who will guide their growth and help them navigate the cybersecurity landscape.

• Share their experiences through blog posts, presentations, and outreach activities, inspiring others to explore careers in cybersecurity.

Join a Community of Innovators: Apply for the Trusted CI Student Program

The Trusted CI Student  Program is not just about equipping students with technical skills; it’s about creating a community that values collaboration, and innovation. If you are a student passionate about cybersecurity or know someone who is, we encourage you to apply and join us in shaping a safer, more secure future for science and beyond.

Applications for the 2025 cohort open on February 3, 2025. For more information on how to apply, visit Trusted CI’s website or reach out to students@trustedci.org. Let’s build a stronger cybersecurity community together!