2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Importance of Cyber-Physical Security Training in Electrical Engineering Education

Presented at Modern Teaching Strategies in Engineering

In today's rapidly evolving technology, the integration of emerging topics and the addition of new skills such as cyber-physical systems (CPS), have become increasingly prevalent. These systems, ranging from smart grids to control systems, are foundational to the next wave of innovation in industries worldwide. As such, the inclusion of a cyber-physical security course module within an electrical engineering program is not just beneficial, but essential. This module would equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to design, analyze, and secure CPS against potential cyber threats. By understanding the vulnerabilities inherent to these systems and the techniques to counteract them, future electrical engineers will be better prepared to tackle real-world challenges, ensuring the resilience and safety of integrated systems in an interconnected world.
Incorporating a module related to cyber-physical systems into electrical engineering courses requires a multidimensional approach, considering the convergence of hardware and software in such systems. Firstly, foundational knowledge in both control/embedded systems and cybersecurity should be established. The module can begin with an introduction to the principles and architectures of CPS, followed by an exploration of real-world applications like smart grids, control systems such as Programmable Logic controllers (PLC), and power systems such as motor controls. Next, practical labs can be introduced, allowing students to work with hardware platforms, like Raspberry Pi or Arduino, alongside software tools to simulate and test CPS interactions. Emphasizing the significance of security, a portion of the course can be dedicated to understanding vulnerabilities, threat modeling, and mitigation techniques specific to CPS. Finally, integrating case studies and guest lectures from industry experts can provide students with insights into real-world challenges and solutions, ensuring a holistic and applied learning experience. Collaboration with needs knowers in application security systems can also facilitate cross-disciplinary learning, further enriching the educational experience.

Authors

Sangshin Park University of Utah [biography]

Since 2022, he has been with University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, where he is currently pursuing an Ph.D at the Computer Science Department. His research interests include Cyber-Physical System, Edge/Cloud Computing and ML/DL for Communication Networks / CyberSecurity ensuring Power System Resilience.
Dr. Reza Kamali-Sarvestani California State University, San Marcos [biography]

Dr. Reza Kamali-Sarvestani is the Founding Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at California State University San Marcos. He earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Shiraz University in Iran, and his M.S.E. and Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. As an active participant in IEEE and ASEE, his research has received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and various industry partners.
Prof. Jairo Giraldo University of Utah [biography]

Dr. Jairo Giraldo received a B.Sc. degree in Electronic Engineering from the National University of Colombia in 2010 and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree from the University of the Andes, Colombia in 2012 and 2015, respectively.
Dr. Giraldo is currently a Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Utah and he is an Associate Editor at the ACM Transactions on Privacy and Security.
His research is centered around the security and privacy of cyber-physical systems using tools from control theory, optimization, and machine learning, with applications in power systems resilience.
Dr. Hamed Nademi California State University, San Marcos [biography]

Dr. Hamed Nademi is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at California State University-San Marcos (CSUSM). He worked as PI/Co-PI with industry-sponsored projects granted by New York State together with utility companies focusing on control solutions, autonomous digital power grids and transportation electrification. Dr. Nademi has been a PI on the DOE Marine Energy and Wind Energy competitions and CO-PI of the NSF-funded AI-driven Wind Farm Control and ONR-sponsored Marine Energy project over the last three years. He worked with SIEMENS AG, and ABB Inc. as a R&D scientist. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE.
Dr. Masood Parvania http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8891-7010 University of Utah [biography]

Dr. Masood Parvania is currently the Roger P. Webb Endowed Professor and an Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Utah. His research interests include the operation, economics and resilience of power and energy systems, modeling and integration of distributed energy resources, and modeling and operation of interdependent critical infrastructures. Dr. Parvania serves as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, and the IEEE Power Engineering Letters. He is the Chair of the IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) Utah Chapter, and previously served as the Chair of the IEEE PES Bulk Power System Operation Subcommittee, and the IEEE PES Reliability, Risk and Probability Application (RRPA) Subcommittee.

Download paper (4 MB)

Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.

» Download paper

« View session

For those interested in:

1st Generation
engineering
Graduate
undergraduate