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<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><div><br></div><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION"><div xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><div lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class="WordSection1"><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:dotted windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 31.0pt 0in;background:white"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;border:none;padding:0in"><span style="font-size:32.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#C8102E;letter-spacing:-.2pt"><a href="http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2016/July/07072016CyberCommissionatUH"><span style="color:#C8102E">President’s
Commission on Enhancing Cybersecurity to Meet at UH July 14</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;border:none;padding:0in"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333;background:white"><br><b>UH Expert Among Panelists to Discuss Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure<o:p></o:p></b></span></p></div><table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="background:white;border-collapse:collapse"><tbody><tr style="height:45.0pt"><td style="padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:45.0pt"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in;line-height:18.0pt"><strong><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333"><br>
WHAT:</span></strong><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333"> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td style="padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:45.0pt;box-sizing: border-box"><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing: border-box"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333">Open meeting of the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity at University of Houston featuring expert panelists from energy, utilities and technology sectors<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr style="box-sizing: border-box"><td style="padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;box-sizing: border-box"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt"><strong><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333">WHEN: </span></strong><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333"><o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td style="padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;box-sizing: border-box"><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing: border-box"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333"> July 14, 9a.m.- 5 p.m.<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr style="box-sizing: border-box"><td style="padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;box-sizing: border-box"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt"><strong><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333">WHERE: </span></strong><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333"><o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td style="padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;box-sizing: border-box"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333">University of Houston Hilton, Conrad room<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr style="box-sizing: border-box"><td style="padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;box-sizing: border-box"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt"><strong><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333">WHO:</span></strong><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333"> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td style="padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;box-sizing: border-box"><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing: border-box"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333">Meeting is open to the public; <a href="http://uhsystem.edu/chancellor/governmental-relations/cybersecurity/thanks.php" target="_blank"><span style="color:#C8102E">registration is requested</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:20.25pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:20.25pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333">The Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity will convene at the University of Houston on Thursday, July 14, to discuss the challenges and opportunities for securing critical infrastructure
— essential assets such as electric utilities, oil and gas production, drinking water supply, rail systems, pipelines and transportation. Representatives from the energy, utilities and technology sectors as well as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
are expected to discuss issues ranging from preventing cyber breaches, such as threats posed by hackers, foreign governments and terrorists, to keeping critical assets operating. Panelists will discuss the challenges and opportunities for private industry,
state and local governments to ensure the resiliency of critical assets. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:20.25pt;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: 1;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333">Houston’s energy economy and UH’s robust cybersecurity and cyber defense programs make the city a natural host site for the commission’s meeting. Among the panelists with expertise in this area is<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2016/July/07072016CyberExperts" target="_blank"><span style="color:#C8102E">Art
Conklin</span></a>, director of the UH<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.uh.edu/tech/cisre/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#C8102E">Center for Information Security Research and Education</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(CISRE)
and associate professor in the College of Technology. Conklin is principal investigator for a $1.1 million federal grant to improve security for critical energy infrastructure. He and his colleagues have expertise in security for critical infrastructure, with
previous work involving water, utilities, and oil and gas delivery. He testified before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in January. Conklin will discuss what he calls a critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals and the need for a public call
to action to help close the gap with securing critical infrastructure.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:20.25pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333">The University of Houston has responded to the need to educate and train more cybersecurity professionals. UH educational and research programs in cybersecurity and cyber defense have been recognized
nationally. UH is one of only three universities in Texas with dual designation by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. The Commission’s meeting at the University of Houston is hosted by the UH Center for Information Security
Research and Education, the UH Office of Governmental and Community Relations and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST is the Federal agency directed to support the Commission as it carries out its mission.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:20.25pt;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: 1;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333">The nonpartisan commission is part of President Obama’s Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP) announced earlier this year. The commission is tasked with making detailed short-term and long-term
recommendations to strengthen cybersecurity in the public and private sectors. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:20.25pt;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: 1;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333">The meeting will include opening remarks from the Sam Palmisano, vice chair of the Commission and former CEO of IBM, followed by a series of panels featuring industry leaders and cybersecurity experts
from federal and local government and private industry. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:20.25pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:dotted windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 31.0pt 0in;background:white"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;border:none;padding:0in"><span style="font-size:32.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;border:none;padding:0in"><span style="font-size:32.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;border:none;padding:0in"><span style="font-size:32.5pt;font-family:Milo;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></span><style><!--
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