Booz Allen Hamilton, Purdue collaborate to stop cyber criminals, address other national defense challenges

Purdue University and Booz Allen Hamilton are collaborating to develop solutions to stop cyber criminals and address other national security challenges. (Stock photo) Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the largest management and technology consulting companies in the U.S., has established space in Purdue@WestGate and is collaborating with Purdue University’s Discovery Park to develop solutions to address some of the country’s key national security challenges.

Booz Allen, which has served the U.S. government for more than 100 years and supported some of the nation’s most critical missions, opened its Indiana office at Purdue@WestGate, an economic development accelerator in the southwestern part of the state, on Jan. 1, 2018.

“The Booz Allen Hamilton collaboration with Purdue creates a unique opportunity to jointly serve our country’s security and protect our citizens and our allies across the globe,” said Dan DeLaurentis, a professor of aeronautics and astronautics in Purdue’s College of Engineering and director of Purdue’s Institute for Global Security and Defense Innovation in Discovery Park.

Booz Allen is teaming with Purdue professors, students and researchers to look initially at novel approaches to solving some of today’s most complex cybersecurity challenges ...working with faculty in the Center for Education and Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS), another unit of Discovery Park.

“Booz Allen is committed to helping tackle the toughest security issues of today and tomorrow,” Booz Allen Principal Adam Weiner said. “We are proud to grow our collaboration with Purdue, and look forward to teaming with the educator and students pursuing important research as part of the Purdue@WestGate initiative.”

DeLaurentis said future projects might touch on other Booz Allen and Purdue strengths in microelectronics; hardware solutions; anomaly in video and other data streams; and testing and evaluating anti-tamper systems.

“Purdue@WestGate and its location by the Crane naval base is fast becoming a strong bridge for companies serving the defense of our country,” said Jason Salstrom, director of the Purdue Foundry at WestGate.

The work and research aligns with Purdue's Giant Leaps celebration, recognizing the university’s global advancements made in health, space, artificial intelligence and sustainability as part of Purdue’s 150th anniversary. Those are the four themes of the yearlong celebration’s Ideas Festival, designed to showcase Purdue as an intellectual center solving real-world issues. 

About Purdue@WestGate

Purdue@WestGate is an economic development accelerator formed by the partnership between WestGate Authority, Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (NSWC Crane), Purdue University and Purdue Research Foundation. The Indiana-based collaboration combines strengths to advance educational, research and development, and technology commercialization across Indiana and elsewhere. Purdue@WestGate offers tools for startups, entrepreneurial experts, programs, educational opportunities and workforce development to help southern Indiana businesses grow and thrive. For more information about the resources available to businesses, visit Purdue@WestGate. 

About Purdue’s Discovery Park

Purdue's Discovery Park solves global challenge issues through interdisciplinary research and innovation, enabled by collaborations developed in its Centers and Institutes. Two of these are featured in this article. 

The Institute for Global Security and Defense Innovation (iGSDI) converge Purdue's interdisciplinary resources to bring timely, responsive and transformative solutions to the most pressing security and defense challenges facing the nation and the world. The Center for Education and Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS) is currently viewed as one of the world’s leading centers for research and education in areas of information security that are crucial to the protection of critical computing and communication infrastructure. CERIAS is unique among such national centers in its multidisciplinary approach to the problems, ranging from purely technical issues to ethical, legal, educational, communicational, linguistic, and economic issues, and the subtle interactions and dependencies among them.

Writer: Chris Adam, 765-588-3341, cladam@prf.org

Sources: Dan DeLaurentis, ddelaure@purdue.edu

Jason Salstrom, jdsalstrom@prf.org