Hi everyone! As the summer comes to an end and we present our final outcomes to the Idaho National Lab, I want to reflect on the SHURE-Grid program which I had the honor of participating in this summer. I was part of Group One, The Operators, and worked on the policy and culture aspect of our case studies. Each of the four teams in the program studies two case studies on cyber-attacks on the energy grid, mine being the Ukraine Power Grid Cyber Attack of 2015 and the German Wind Farm Attack of 2022, in addition to applying Cyber Informed Engineering (CIE) Principles to them. 

In our first case study, my group and I focused on how the attack was perpetrated and was to mitigate a cyber attack like the one that occurred in the future. We studied the causes of the attack and the vulnerabilities and risks associated with it, created possible solutions, considered policy and culture, and produced educational material. In my role, I also considered how national policy and organizational culture can influence cybersecurity implementation. I considered how a tier system that works top-down and bottom-up will create a positive loop of policy influencing organization management which influences implementing technology for risk strategy and the reverse for risk evaluation. The national policy I considered consisted of current regulations, such as Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards, and possible new baselines that will be implemented such as baselines for distributed energy resources and electric distribution systems. I also considered how the legal system can be used, which I discussed in interviews with experts in the field. Continuing down I also looked at how organization management can be used to create consistent practices among organizations, such as dual-factor authentication, and how employees can test the system for possible vulnerabilities and have a clear way to report possible issues. In the German Wind Farm case study, I considered how the emerging cyber security regulations for wind energy can be used as we build wind turbines. Off-shore wind turbines are especially relevant, and general investment in cyber security as turbines are built is extremely important. 

I truly valued this experience. policy research was a novel experience for me, where I also worked in interdisciplinary fields such as computer science and engineering. Working with other fields opened my eyes to how my role in a team, and generally as a Political Science major, may fit in across multiple fields and sectors. This experience helped me grow as a student and professional. I believe that SHURE-Grid has provided me with skills and experiences that will be incredibly applicable to my future career. I’m so thankful to the mentorship and support that the faculty provided us this summer. I found honing in on specific policies based on the lab and simulation my teammates were creating to be some of the most valuable experiences this summer.

As I continue in my undergraduate career, I am excited to graduate with the Class of 2025 and work towards going to medical school. I am hopeful to apply in a few years, after gaining valuable experience in a hospital setting and working in my local community. I’m grateful for my time here at Pitt and with the Honors College, which has shaped my life in an invaluable way.