SAN ANTONIO – Severe weather, cyberthreats and physical intrusions pose significant challenges to organizations that rely on the nation’s critical energy infrastructure such as the electric power grid, oil and natural gas refineries and water treatment facilities. As sophisticated threats and concerns continue to emerge, the nation’s leading experts responsible for the safety, security and reliability of energy delivery will gather in Texas to discuss the latest industry challenges and research advances in infrastructure resiliency.
More than 300 people are expected to attend the 12th annual Resilience Week Conference in San Antonio Nov. 4-8, 2019. Hosted by Idaho National Laboratory and The University of Texas at San Antonio, the event is dedicated to improving the resilience of critical cyber-physical systems from unexpected and malicious threats. In recent years, resilience has emerged as a national topic of conversation as utilities, local, state and federal governments, and the military seek ways to quickly restore vital services following an accident or deliberate shutdown.
This year, the event will focus on topics such as developing agile response capabilities for industrial control systems (ICS), improvements to advanced sensors and data analysis, wireless communication and embedded technology, and workforce development. A student-led poster session and job fair will also be held in conjunction with this year’s activities.
Keynoting the conference will be U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro from the 20th Texas congressional district, which includes the city of San Antonio. Attendees will also hear from the Department of Energy’s Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Dr. Rita Baranwal, and Patricia Hoffman, the principal deputy assistant secretary for the DOE’s Office of Electricity. Additional speakers and panelists from national laboratories, universities and private industry will fill the event’s four-day agenda.
“This conference represents the best and brightest research and emerging ideas in the field of critical infrastructure security and resiliency coming from the nation’s universities, national laboratories and private industry,” said Zach Tudor, INL’s associate laboratory director for National and Homeland Security. “We are excited to host this year’s conference with The University of Texas at San Antonio as they continue to demonstrate a strong understanding and technical ability in key areas of resiliency, education and workforce development.”
For more information on this year’s conference or to register, please visit https://resilience.inl.gov. Follow Resilience Week highlights on social media using hashtag #ResWeek19.
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a public urban serving university specializing in health, cybersecurity, energy, sustainability, and human and social development. With more than 32,000 students, it is the largest university in the San Antonio metropolitan region. UTSA advances knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. The university embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property—for Texas, the nation and the world.
