A&M-Texarkana

A&M-Texarkana Faculty on Award-Winning Research Team

TEXARKANA, Texas – Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Assistant Professor of MIS Dr. Vikram Bhadauria and Assistant Professor of Math Dr. Ram Neupane, teamed up with professors from A&M-Central Texas, A&M-Commerce, and Prairie View A&M to work on a winning research project in the Cybersecurity category at the recent Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Annual Research Conference.

Under the team name “Cyber Warriors” the group set out to enhance cybersecurity awareness through education to build and impart essential and interactive cybersecurity training to a diverse and dispersed population in law enforcement and the Department of Defense. According to Dr. Bhadauria, there is a “lack of cybersecurity awareness and availability of limited instruction for the workforce regarding the fast-changing field of cybersecurity. There is a need for personnel to continuously build awareness and knowledge about cybersecurity in the fields of law enforcement, healthcare, and in the military.”

The project built online course modules that incorporated simulators to help facilitate better training in cybersecurity. “Simulators have the potential for high value and high-impact training,” said Bhadauria. “Simulations can give learners experience in the scenarios that a person in the field may experience, plus simulations are interactive and adaptive.”

Team Cyber Warriors included members Abhijit Nag (Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems, Texas A&M University-Central Texas), Camille Gibson (Professor of Justice Studies, Prairie View A&M University), Vikram Bhadauria (Assistant Professor of MIS, Texas A&M University – Texarkana), Ram Neupane (Assistant Professor of Math, Texas A&M University Texarkana), Daniel Creider (Associate Professor of Computer Science and Information Systems, Texas A&M University-Commerce). The team was awarded a prize of $20,000 for their winning research.

The TEES Annual Research Conference gives stakeholders a unique platform to advance their research portfolios. Each year, representatives from TEES regional divisions come together to expand the research capacity in the State of Texas by tapping into the talent of the TEES network. This innovative and collaborative conference develops research projects in the hopes of increasing the funding coming to the state. Participants have the opportunity to network with funding agencies and work with colleagues to create action plans to pursue extramural funding within the TEES thematic workgroups: Cybersecurity, Energy Systems & Services, Healthcare, Information Systems & Sensors, Infrastructure, and Materials & Manufacturing.