The U.S. Department of Defense has given Kansas State University professor Hongyu Wu a $300,000 grant for research related to the Navy.
Hongyu Wu, associate professor of engineering and his team have applied for this grant three times.
He told The Mercury in a Zoom call his project will be the first of its kind in Kansas.
This grant is to build a high-fidelity, cyber-physical test bed for all-electric ships in the Navy.
“Naval transportation is a key component for maintaining the economic integrity of various regions across the world, as it is estimated to account for 90% of the shipping of all goods,” Wu said in his project summary.
“While all-electric ships (AESs) are a promising solution to relieve this economic burden and close the gap for reaching zero-emission levels by using a common electric source across the entire system, they are also susceptible to the growing cyber threats.
“History shows that a variety of cyberattacks have been more feasible and easier to execute because of a lack of cyber-security consideration when designing ship and port systems.”
“It will provide Kansas State University, in a larger sense, Kansas, with new research capabilities to test various hypotheses and research ideas on advanced AES controls, simulation software, communications and security protocols and standards under all possible envisioned operating conditions,” Wu said in his project summary.
The project began on Aug. 14 and will continue over the next year.
Wu said his team hopes to receive further grant funding to bring on students.
Currently the project team consists of Wu and two other K-State professors: Don Gruenbacher, department head and associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and Caterina Scoglio, university distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering.
“The team is very excited and we want to make some impactful research,” Wu said.
“We want to really transform the cyber security and Department of Defense landscape.”
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