conference at UNC Charlotte in October

November Declared UNC Charlotte Cyber Security Awareness Month
Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx Signs Proclamation

CHARLOTTE, NC – October 6, 2010 – Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx has proclaimed November “UNC Charlotte Cyber Security Awareness Month.” The declaration comes as UNC Charlotte’s College of Computing and Informatics will play host to the 11th annual Cyber Security Symposium on Tuesday, November 2nd.

“We are quite honored that Mayor Foxx has proclaimed November as UNC Charlotte Cyber Security Awareness Month,” said Yi Deng, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Computing and Informatics. “In what has become the premiere conference of its type in the region, our 11th annual Cyber Security Symposium will again emphasize the urgency of dealing with cyber terrorism. Having the Mayor sign this proclamation just adds more validity to this growing global problem and the work being done at the College of Computing and Informatics to combat it.”

Nationally, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance declared October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

Rapid advancements in communication and information technology have increased interdependence among diverse groups, including businesses and government agencies. The spread of such technologies, and the consequential reliance on them, requires participants to understand and take action to minimize security threats.

The 2010 Cyber Security Symposium will focus on these issues and solutions as seen by some of the most prominent researchers and practitioners in the information-security field.

For more information or to register for this year’s symposium, visit: http://guest.cvent.com/d/2dqv2r or email Nancy Clarke at cci-events@uncc.edu.

This year’s sponsors include: The Charlotte Research Institute (CRI); Bank of America; Duke Energy; Trend Micro; Charlotte Chamber of Commerce; Consortium for Enterprise Systems Management; McAfee; SecurEdge Networks; Ernst & Young; ACM Business Solutions; TIAA-CREF; Symantec; Hewlett-Packard; BigFix an IBM Company; Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA); Poyner Spruill, LLP; Lancope; Peak 10; North Carolina A&T; and Deloitte.

The Department of Software and Information Systems’ Information Assurance program has become one of the first in the country to be designated by the National Security Agency (NSA) as a National Center of Academic Excellence (NCAE) in Information Assurance "Research" for academic years 2008-2013. The Information Assurance program has also been designated by the NSA as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance “Education” since 2001. A designation that has been extended through 2012. In 2006 a team of students from SIS won the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, which is sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security.

About The College of Computing and Informatics
The College of Computing and Informatics provides academic programs in computer science, software and information systems, information technology, and bioinformatics. It is also the home to leading research centers and institutes, including the Cyber Defense and Network Assurability (CyberDNA) Center, the Bioinformatics Research Center, the Charlotte Visualization Center, the Complex Systems Institute, the Diversity in Information Technology Institute, and the Software Solutions Lab. Research grant awards for 2009-2010 totaled nearly $16 million.

About the Charlotte Research Institute
The Charlotte Research Institute is the portal for business-university partnerships at UNC Charlotte. CRI includes a number of multidisciplinary research centers and The Ben Craig Center, a business incubator. CRI supports new research ventures, partnerships with regional and national enterprises, and spin-off companies created from UNC Charlotte research results. The centers focus on Precision Metrology, eBusiness Technology, Optoelectronics and Optical Communications, Nanoscale Science, Visualization, Motorsports and Automotive Research Engineering, Bioinformatics, Life Sciences, Energy Production and Infrastructure, Sustainable Design, and Biomedical Engineering Systems. Follow us on the Web at http://www.CharlotteResearchInstitute.org.

About UNC Charlotte
UNC Charlotte is North Carolina’s urban research institution. With an enrollment ranking it fourth among the 17 schools in the UNC system, it is the largest public university in the greater Charlotte metropolitan region. A doctoral institution, UNC Charlotte serves the region through applied research, knowledge transfer, and engaged community service. Fall 2010 enrollment exceeded 25,000, including 5,450 graduate students enrolled in one of the University’s comprehensive doctoral or master’s programs.

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Media Contact: Clark G. Curtis, 704-687-7983, clarkcurtis@uncc.edu