Grant Funds Research Activities for IUP's Murtha Institute

Contact:  Office of Media Relations, Michelle Fryling, Director

February 8, 2007

The John P. Murtha Institute for Homeland Security at IUP has received a $100,000 grant from the Allegheny Foundation of Pittsburgh.

The grant award will be used to support the current and future research efforts of the Murtha Institute and the university.

“IUP’s John P. Murtha Institute continues its vital role as a national resource for homeland security research and applications,” said IUP President Tony Atwater. “We appreciate the support of the Allegheny Foundation for the Murtha Institute’s research initiatives.”

The institute’s focus areas are education, outreach, training and research in homeland security. This includes emergency management, public health preparedness, security and intelligence and homeland defense.

The Murtha Institute leads IUP’s unified effort to provide quality educational programs, conduct significant research, and provide effective community outreach in the areas of homeland security and homeland defense. The institute strives to prevent and deter future terrorist attacks, and reduce the threats and hazards to the United States, through educational and training programs, and research.

Research projects to be funded by the Allegheny Foundation grant include the Proactive Intelligence Project and the Protecting Public Spaces Project.

The Proactive Intelligence Project is designed to identify indicators and build a system that is able to dynamically predict terrorist attacks, explained Jeffrey Crane, executive director of the Murtha Institute.

“We will identify these indicators and build this system by combining all of the aspects of suspected persons of interest, their motives, behaviors, and tactics with potential targets within their capability,” Crane said.

The Protecting Public Spaces Project focuses on refining methods to proactively prevent terrorist attacks to public venues, Dr. Crane said. Part of the project will include work by graduate student researchers at IUP.

IUP’s Murtha Institute will work with the University of Pittsburgh’s Center of National Security on these projects.
The Murtha Institute supports programs geared to the Department of Defense, such as the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) training program and the CIMS (CST Information Management System) software development project, both developed for the National Guard Civil Support Teams (CSTs). The Murtha Institute also performs research and training in digital forensics and information assurance within the NSA Center of Excellence in Information Assurance.

The Murtha Institute recently funded an on-campus computer security workshop for IUP and high school students organized by IUP students in the Information Assurance major.

As a charter member of the Homeland Security Defense Education Consortium, the Murtha Institute is coordinating opportunities for IUP faculty and students for sponsored research funding opportunities, paid internships with the Department of Defense and the Department of Defense National Security Agency scholarship program for juniors and seniors interested in Information Assurance.

For more information about the Murtha Institute, call 724-357-3400 or visit www.murthainstitute.org.

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