"As Threats to the US Power Grid Surge, WVU Professor Develops Advanced Solutions for Human-Machine Coordination"
According to one West Virginia University (WVU) scientist, the electrical grid is facing multiple different threats, such as cyberattacks that could trigger a butterfly effect. Through two National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research projects, Anurag Srivastava, professor and chair of the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at WVU, plans to prevent and respond to potential power grid failures resulting from cyberattacks and more. One study focuses on "aDaptioN," a software that can work with non-centralized information from all over the grid to make its own decisions about the best response to a power network problem in some cases. The other study aims to develop a sophisticated tool to train human grid operators to deal with massive amounts of information and to monitor whether they are experiencing information overload. Srivastava's research will enable network infrastructures and human grid operators to respond to crisis situations in a flexible, precise, and timely manner. It all starts with his creation of the aDaptioN software, with the name referring to "data-driven secure holonic control and optimization for the networked cyber-physical system." When faced with a potential threat, the aDaptioN software will autonomously isolate and quarantine problematic areas of the grid, thus preventing damage from spreading. Furthermore, aDaptioN will use distributed intelligence sharing to defend against cyberattacks, closing a significant gap in national security preparedness. This article continues to discuss the WVU team's research projects aimed at preventing and responding to potential power grid failures stemming from threats, including cyberattacks.