Hans Van Dongen - US grants

Strategic decision-making for physical-world infrastructures is rapidly transitioning toward a pervasively cyber-enabled paradigm, in which human stakeholders and automation leverage the cyber-infrastructure at large (including on-line data sources, cloud computing, and handheld devices). This changing paradigm is leading to tight coupling of the cyber- infrastructure with multiple physical- world infrastructures, including air transportation and electric power systems. These management-coupled cyber- and physical- infrastructures (MCCPIs) are subject to complex threats from natural and sentient adversaries, which can enact complex propagative impacts across networked physical-, cyber-, and human elements.

We propose here to develop a modeling framework and tool suite for threat assessment for MCCPIs. The proposed modeling framework for MCCPIs has three aspects: 1) a tractable moment-linear modeling paradigm for the hybrid, stochastic, and multi-layer dynamics of MCCPIs; 2) models for sentient and natural adversaries, that capture their measurement and actuation capabilities in the cyber- and physical- worlds, intelligence, and trust-level; and 3) formal definitions for information security and vulnerability. The attendant tool suite will provide situational awareness of the propagative impacts of threats. Specifically, three functionalities termed Target, Feature, and Defend will be developed, which exploit topological characteristics of an MCCPI to evaluate and mitigate threat impacts. We will then pursue analyses that tie special infrastructure-network features to security/vulnerability. As a central case study, the framework and tools will be used for threat assessment and risk analysis of strategic air traffic management. Three canonical types of threats will be addressed: environmental-to-physical threats, cyber-physical co-threats, and human-in-the-loop threats. This case study will include development and deployment of software decision aids for managing man-made disturbances to the air traffic system.

The Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University seeks one-time funding to host the 2019 International Symposium on Shiftwork and Working Time (?Shiftwork2019?). This biennial event, held since 1969, attracts an international group of scientists, industry members, labor representatives, government officials, health and safety professionals and policy makers with a common interest in working time arrangements, implications thereof for workers and for society, and strategies to mitigate the adverse health and safety consequences of shiftwork. Shiftwork2019 will be a 5-day event held in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on September 9?13, 2019. The meeting theme, ?Innovations in Research and Practice Improving Shiftworker Health and Safety,? builds on the 50- year history of the event to improve workplace health and safety among those who work nonstandard schedules. This is the first time since 1995 that the event will be held in the US, generating much enthusiasm for the conference from US research institutions, industries, and government agencies. In the US, two in five workers are employed in shiftwork or other nonstandard work schedules. These schedules require workers to alter their sleep/wake cycles and cause circadian misalignment. This leads to well-documented, adverse consequences for performance, safety, health, and well- being. The Shiftwork2019 conference will provide a unique opportunity for working time experts from around the world to meet, exchange the most recent findings on work scheduling and health and safety consequences and countermeasure approaches, and explore collaborations and partnerships. Serving core elements of NIOSH's mission, the conference objectives are to discuss the latest developments in the science and practice of shiftwork, working time arrangements, and health and safety countermeasure approaches; foster international networking, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and early career researcher/practitioner development; and disseminate best practices to workers, employers, and regulators nationally and world-wide. As such, the conference will address multiple NIOSH intermediate goals across several sectors and cross sectors: Construction × Healthy Work Design 7.1; Health Care and Social Assistance × Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular and Other Chronic Disease Prevention 1.4, Healthy Work Design 7.2; Mining × Healthy Work Design 7.3; Oil and Gas Extraction × Traumatic Injury Prevention 6.10; Services × Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular and Other Chronic Disease Prevention 1.10; Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities × Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular and Other Chronic Disease Prevention 1.13, Traumatic Injury Prevention 6.14, Healthy Work Design 7.6, 7.7, 7.8.