The Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS)

The Center for Education and Research in
Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS)
Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security

William Harris - U.S. Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office

Students: Spring 2025, unless noted otherwise, sessions will be virtual on Zoom.

Infrastructure Assurance - The Challenge of the Next Millennium

Sep 25, 1998

Abstract

In July, 1996, the President issued an Executive Order to establish a Presidential Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection. Infrastructures designated as critical included energy, oil and gas storage and distribution, transportation, banking and finance, telecommunications, water, emergency services, and continuity of government. Eighteen Commissioners working full time with a staff of 35 and many consultants issued a report in September, 1997, that defined the importance of infrastructures and described their vulnerabilities with emphasis on interdependencies between infrastructures and the growing dependence of all of them on information and communications. The talk will discuss actions that are being taken and others that should be taken to reduce the vulnerabilities of infrastructures - nationally and internationally.

About the Speaker

William Harris
Dr. Harris received BS and MS degrees in metallurgy from Purdue in 1940 and a ScD from MIT in 1948. During World War II he was on active duty in the Bureau of Aeronautics, US. Navy Department. He served as Division Head, Naval Research Laboratory, Executive Director, National Materials Advisory Board of the National Research Council, Assistant Director and Head of the Washington Office, Battelle Memorial Institute, Vice President, Research and Test Department, Association of American Railroads, Distinguished Professor and Snead Professor of Transportation Engineering, Texas A&M University, Associate Director of the Texas Transpiration Institute, Commissioner of the President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection, and member of the Board of Snead Research.
Among his professional posts has been service as President, the Metallurgical Society, President of Engineers Joint Council, Honorary Board Member of ITS America, and member of the Executive Committee of the TRB.

He has received the Mathewson Medal of AIME, the Carey and Crumm awards from TRB, and an honorary Doctorate of Engineering from Purdue. He was named Railroad Man of the Year by Modern Railroads and Research Man of the Year by the Transportation Research Board. In 1977 he was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering. In 1982 he was named an Honorary Research Professor of the China Academy of Railway Sciences.

He has served as a member of the Structures and Materials Panel of AGARD, advisory to NATO, US delegate to the International Union of Railways, Organizer and President from 1983 to 1989 of the International Heavy Haul Association, Organizer of the ITS World Congress, Sr. Technical Advisor of UNDP projects, Leader of World Bank Teams, etc. During his service with Battelle he was one of the organizers in Korea of the Korean Institute of Science and Technology. He has worked or lectured in many countries in Europe as well as in Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Australia, South Africa, Japan, China, Canada, Mexico, and Korea



Ways to Watch

YouTube

Watch Now!

Over 500 videos of our weekly seminar and symposia keynotes are available on our YouTube Channel. Also check out Spaf's YouTube Channel. Subscribe today!