Designing Cyberbiosecurity Case Studies for the Food and Agricultural System for Integrating Education, Workforce Development, and BioEconomy
January through March 2020 update:
Cyberbiosecurity focuses on the intersection of cybersecurity, biosecurity, and physical security and the understanding of security for life science data. In this project, we are focusing on developing examples of life science data that is shared and on which different sectors across a system rely on data sharing and integrity for their agronomic and economic decisions. Our team is working with an agricultural research team who are developing vegetable soybeans (edamame), from the original genetics and breeding, through agricultural production, insect and weed management, innovations in mechanical harvesting, processing, consumer acceptance and economic value. Dr. Susan Duncan (PI), Dr. Bo Zhang (Co-PI), and Ms. Renata Carneiro (PhD student) are members of both the ICAT team project and the edamame project.
Activities:
In November, the ICAT Cyberbiosecurity project team met with the transdisciplinary agricultural research team (2 hrs) to gather data using this agriculture and food system project as an illustration of life sciences data generation, management, sharing, and training needs. Theundergraduate students transcribed the focusgroup recordings, coded, and analyzed the datafrom the discussion.
From October through December 2019, undergraduates Zoie McMillan and Noah Magerkorth evaluated and summarized 47 articles of relevance for life science/ag+food cyberbiosecurity relevance for case studies.
In December 2019 and January 2020, Margaret Ellis with assistance from Sue Duncan, Tiffany Drape drafted concepts for 8 case studies of relevance to cyberbiosecurity for precision agriculture, life sciences, and other relevant topics.
On January 31, 2020, a 5x5 presentation on the case study project was provided by our undergraduate students and Dr. Drape to approximately 25 faculty and graduate students at the annual Cyberbiosecurity and SmartFarm Innovation Network meeting. Representatives from CALS departments and administration, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and VT Library participated. Wade Thomason, a Co-PI on this ICAT project, also presented briefly on the importance of protecting the US Food and Agriculture system through cyberbiosecurity. Michael Stamper contributed to the discussion by sharing about his role at the VT Library and assistance with developing appropriate figures to illustrate the system interactions.
In February, a group of CALS faculty, including Duncan, (Co-PI), Zhang (scientific contributor), Drape (Assessment) from this ICAT project developed and submitted a proposal to USDA NIFA Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields Program (WAMS).
In March, undergraduate students Noah Magerkorth and Margaret Ellis, mentored by Tiffany Drape, Margaret Ellis, and Susan Duncan, developed an abstract based on the literature review and edamame focus group discussion for the undergraduate research conference at Virginia Tech.
Outcomes and Products
Three major themes were identified from the edamame focus group discussion: (1) capacity building in human knowledge; (2) intellectual property issues; and (3) issues with data collection and techniques to protect it. The goal is to utilize end product consumer knowledge and economic projections to try to guide economic decisions. Unique data was used to breed edamame varieties and determine which ones will be most profitable and easy to use for a producer. Recommendations included offering standardized data security training to every individual that will have access to any nonpublic information as cybersecurity is only as strong as its weakest link. Increasing encryption of valuable information will also reduce cyberbiosecurity risks. Increasing capacity in humans ability to protect sensitive data and train early on was deemed the most effective intervention.
Proposal Submitted
Initiating the rural cyberbiosecurity workforce pipeline through empowering agricultural educators and supporting middle school girls. Scherer HH (PI; CALS ALCE); Co-PIs: Bonnett (ED; VCE); Duncan SE (CALS VAES/FST); Westfall-Rudd DM (CALS ALCE); Vines KA (CALS ALCE); Simpson JJ (CoB; Mgmt; ISERC). Submitted to USDA NIFA WAMS; Budget: $100K.
Efforts in Progress:
To be submitted: Abstract for undergraduate research conference
To be submitted: Abstract and manuscript for peer-reviewed journal, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, special issue Everything Edamame: Biology, Production, Nutrition, Sensory, and Economics; Abstract due April 30.
Revision: Eight cyberbiosecurity case studies for precision ag, life sciences, and other related topics
Past updates
Cyberbiosecurity focuses on the intersection of cybersecurity, biosecurity, and physical security and the understanding of security for life science data. In this project, we are focusing on developing examples of life science data that is shared and on which different sectors across a system rely on data sharing and integrity for their agronomic and economic decisions. Our team is working with an agricultural research team who are developing vegetable soybeans (edamame), from the original genetics and breeding, through agricultural production, insect and weed management, innovations in mechanical harvesting, processing, consumer acceptance and economic value. Dr. Susan Duncan (PI), Dr. Bo Zhang (Co-PI), and Ms. Renata Carneiro (PhD student) are members of both the ICAT team project and the edamame project.
In preparation for the development of case studies, a portion of the project team reviewed related life science and agriculture literature and identified terminology associated with cyberbiosecurity (Figure 1). Several magazine and news articles, providing illustrations of cyberbiosecurity threats pertaining to life science (food, ag, health), were also located. This information will serve as content for case studies for education and discussion materials for classroom and training programs.
Defining cyberbiosecurity for protecting life sciences data is challenging. Drs. Susan Duncan (PI), Margaret Ellis (co-PI) and Tiffany Drape (co-PI) spoke with 3 undergraduate students assisting with the project. Students were seeking an understanding so they could scout literature for examples of threats, risks, and benefits of cyberbiosecurity in mitigating these challenges.
Cyberbiosecurity focuses on the intersection of cybersecurity, biosecurity, and physical security and the understanding of security for life science data. In this project, we are focusing on developing examples of life science data that is shared and on which different sectors across a system rely on data sharing and integrity for their agronomic and economic decisions. Our team is working with an agricultural research team who are developing vegetable soybeans, from the original genetics and breeding, through agricultural production, insect and weed management, innovations in mechanical harvesting, processing, consumer acceptance and economic value. Dr. Susan Duncan (PI), Dr. Bo Zhang (Co-PI), and Ms. Renata Carneiro (PhD student) are members of both the ICAT team project and the edamame project.
The ICAT team will be interviewing the edamame team about data collection, sharing, cyberbiosecurity, and risks, threats, and challenges that may illustrate industry practices and life science data that would affect success in the development of a domestic edamame industry.
The ICAT Cyberbiosecurity project team met with the transdisciplinary agricultural research team (2 hrs) to gather data using this agriculture and food system project as an illustration of life sciences data generation, management, sharing, and training needs. In this discussion session, the agricultural research team provided their responses to a series of questions relating to value of data generated within different sectors of the agriculture and food system, data management practices, threats to data security, risks occurring if threats were realized, data and cyberphysical system security actions, and external stakeholders (non-academic) that represent that sector of the system. In preparation, participants reviewed one peer-reviewed publication on cyberbiosecurity for the agriculture and food system and select (from a list) another publication of relevance to cyberbiosecurity for life sciences. The facilitated discussion was recorded and will be transcribed with a goal of identifying information of relevance to case study development, terminology of importance, and other relevant outcomes (IRB 19-692). Figure 2 illustrates a draft of the summary table that will be completed.
