Research NewsletterIssue: ORN-2024-07

Philip Marx Joins NJIT as Manager, Center for Translational Research

It is my pleasure to announce that Philip Marx has joined NJIT as the Manager for the Center for Translational Research (CTR) effective February 5, 2024.

Philip Marx graduated with Magna Cum Laude from the University of New Haven in 2021 with double major degrees in Finance and Sport Management. He was inducted into 3 national honor societies - Alpha Lambda Delta (First-year honors society), Beta Gamma Sigma (International Business honors society), and Chi Sigma Mu (Sport Management honors society) in recognition of his dedication and outstanding academic credentials. Philip was the lead on numerous projects while at the University of New Haven. Working with a team, he successfully promoted and executed the Special Olympics event on the University of New Haven’s campus. After graduation, he worked for Bloomberg for a year then transitioned to the Shared Services Department at Princeton University. At Princeton, he assisted with financial processes including journal entries, purchase requisitions, reimbursements, and prepared expense reports.

In his role as the manager, CTR, Philip will be responsible for administration and coordination of CTR programs, workshops, networking and training events promoting translational research and innovation partnerships. He will provide administrative support to help develop collaborative synergies with NJIT faculty, staff and students, and external stakeholders. His can be reached via email phillip.marx@njit.edu.

Please join me to welcome Philip Marx to the Office of Research family at NJIT.  

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Reminder: Call for Proposals

2024 Provost Undergraduate Research and Innovation (URI) Summer Fellowship Program

Online Submission Deadline: February 19, 2024

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Tp2FTt7zq3tdlq77vVkD_cVvXCzSkNuW/view?usp=sharing

Student Summer Stipend: $5,000

Undergraduate research provides students a unique opportunity to learn necessary and important skills to research and innovate towards taking a leadership role in the society. As a student-centered research institution, NJIT is committed to providing opportunities for research participation beginning at the undergraduate level.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM: The NJIT Provost Undergraduate Research and Innovation (URI) Summer Fellowship Program is a 10-week program that provides summer stipend support ($5,000 each) to undergraduate student awardees from all disciplines to pursue research under the guidance of a faculty advisor on a competitive basis. Eligible undergraduate students should apply online with their proposals following the instructions provided below. The program concludes with presentations at the NJIT International Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium on July 24-25, 2024. 

Program Period: This 10-week program begins on May 20, 2024 and ends on July 25, 2024.

Application Deadlines: Application Deadlines: All application material, including the online application form, research proposal excluding the faculty letter of support are to be submitted online via supplied links (please see below) by 4:30 p.m. EST on February 19, 2024.

The faculty letters of support must be submitted for using the online link (please see below) by 4:30 PM EST on February 22, 2024.

For complete Call For Proposal announcement and submission requirements, please click here.

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NSF research security training modules now available

The U.S. National Science Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of four interactive online research security training modules, now available to researchers and institutions across the U.S. These modules are designed to facilitate principled international collaboration in an open, transparent and secure environment that safeguards the nation's research ecosystem.

Fueled by the "CHIPS and Science Act of 2022," these training modules signify a major first step in reconciling the needs of the research, law enforcement and intelligence communities to pursue trusted relationships in the global research community while minimizing economic and security risks. They provide researchers with clear guidelines and effective strategies to protect against existing and emerging research security threats. The modules also reinforce NSF's commitment to President Biden's priorities to strengthen protections of U.S. government-supported research as outlined in the National Security Presidential Memorandum – 33.

The following list identifies and summarizes the four training modules:

Module 1: Introduction to Research Security

This training module covers the key concepts of research security and how to recognize situations that may indicate undue foreign influence. By understanding the regulatory landscape that shapes research security, researchers will be empowered with the tools to protect their own work and safeguard the core values that underpin U.S. academic research.

Module 2: The Importance of Disclosure

This training module explains federal funding agency disclosure requirements, including types of information that must be disclosed, how that information is used and why such disclosures are fundamental to safeguarding the U.S. research enterprise from foreign government interference and exploitation.

Module 3: Manage and Mitigate Risk

This training module identifies types of international collaborative research and professional activities, associated potential risks, and strategies and best practices for managing and mitigating such risk. Learner experience will be customized based on their role as either a researcher or administrator.

Module 4: The Importance of International Collaboration

This training module emphasizes the role of principled international collaboration in U.S. science, innovation and economic competitiveness. The training will provide strategies on how to balance principled international collaboration with research security concerns, as well as how to foster an open, welcoming research environment that fulfills research security needs.

These training modules can be taken online, and users can download a completion certificate. The modules are also free to download for institutions to integrate into their learning management systems.

More information about Research Security at NSF can be found at nsf.gov.

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GOOGLE CYBERSECURITY CLINICS FUND

Investing in America's cybersecurity workforce

At Google, security has always been at the core of our products. We’ve worked to protect people, businesses and governments by sharing our expertise and advancing cybersecurity tools and resources.

This fund will grow and support existing members of the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics, while searching for new higher education institutions to help students build a career in cybersecurity. We want to support these institutions in building a workforce with the real-world experience needed to protect critical U.S. infrastructure - in hospitals, nonprofits, schools and utilities - from cyber attacks.

Selected organizations will receive up to $1 million each in funding, along with access to Google’s technical expertise and certificates. Additionally, they will be extended membership into the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics where they will have access to public interest cybersecurity curriculum and mentorship from existing clinics.

Goggle is accepting applications from colleges, universities, and community colleges interested in establishing a Cybersecurity Clinic on their campus through March 1st, 2024.

This is a limited submission funding opportunity. If you like to submit an application, please contact Shawn Chester at shawn.chester@njit.edu with the title, list of key participants, and summary of your proposal as soon as possible but no later than February 19, 2024 for an institutional review as needed.   

NSF: Computer and Information Science and Engineering Research Expansion Program; Partnerships for Innovation (PFI); Research Collaboration Opportunity in Europe for NSF Recipients Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC); Sustainable Regional Systems Research Networks (SRS RNs)

Department of Energy: Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): Methane Emissions Reduction Program Oil and Gas Methane Monitoring and Mitigation; Accelerated Research in Quantum Computing;  Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office FOA to Advance the National Clean Hydrogen Strategy; Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC)

DHS inventory of AI systems for cybersecurity is ‘not accurate’, oversight report says: The Department of Homeland Security’s inventory of artificial intelligence systems listed two use cases linked to cybersecurity, but one such use case in reality “did not have the characteristics of AI,” an oversight report found Wednesday. The agency's Automated Scoring and Feedback tool that models cybersecurity threats was incorrectly characterized as an AI system, the Government Accountability Office analysis said, stressing that labeling it in that way “raises questions about the overall reliability of DHS’s AI Use Case Inventory.” The DHS inventory was born out of a Trump-era mandate that directed federal agencies to take stock of their AI use cases and share them with the public.

GAO found inaccuracies in the DHS inventory of AI use cases, according to the report. “Although DHS has a review process for the inventory," the report reads, "the agency acknowledges that it does not confirm whether use cases identified by components are correctly characterized as AI as a part of this process.” The GAO analysis also said that DHS “doesn't verify whether each case is correctly characterized as AI” and later mentions that it also “hasn't ensured that the data used to develop the AI use case we assessed is reliable — which is an accountability practice in our AI framework.” Out of 11 total key practices recommended by GAO in its accountability framework, the watchdog identified four that DHS and its component — the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — have implemented fully: human supervision, specifications, compliance and stakeholder involvement. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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Defense innovation Unit looks to scale up in new phase: The Pentagon’s hub for accelerating the adoption of commercial technologies for battlefield use is entering “a new phase” of work that will focus on quickly addressing gaps in the U.S. military’s capabilities, according to the head of the unit. In a report released on Wednesday by the Center for a New American Security, Doug Beck — director of the Defense Innovation Unit, or DIU — outlined a new strategy that, he wrote, will better position the Department of Defense to meet the pacing challenge posed by China and other global adversaries in fielding critical emerging technologies that are “proceeding at a much faster rate in the private sector than in the traditional defense sector.” 

To better tap into the private sector’s advancements in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and biotechnology, Beck said the new strategy — dubbed DIU 3.0 — will build upon the organization’s previous work helping the Pentagon “achieve critical objectives in cooperation with allies and partners, and across all warfighting domains.” The new plan, approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, will focus on ensuring the Pentagon “can leverage the best of commercial technology and innovation at speed and scale to deter major conflict or win if forced to fight.” The DIU 3.0 strategy outlines “eight mutually reinforcing lines-of-effort,” with the leading action directing the unit to “focus on the most critical capability gaps and embed with the warfighter to do so.” More information is posted on the NextGov website.