CWRU launches Institute for Smart, Secure and Connected Systems

Case Western Reserve University has launched a new institute dedicated to advancing research on the Internet of Things. The Institute for Smart, Secure and Connected Systems (ISSACS), will lead specific initiatives in data science, cyber security, networks, embedded systems and more. This new institute will help the university leverage its strengths in sensors and electronics, networks and communications, systems and control, data science and analytics - tapping into the Internet of Things (IoT). CWRU alumnus and former Microsoft COO Bob Herbold's $1.5 million pledge for graduate student scholarships is a key element within the new institute.

The seeds of ISSACS began to take root in 2013, when President Barbara Snyder became chair of the Business Higher Education Forum (BHEF), a national organization of more than 50 CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and academic institutions.

Later that same year, Duerk tapped Ken Loparo as the new leader for the school’s electrical engineering and computer science department, and tasked him to develop a new strategic plan that integrated degree programs in electrical, computer, and systems and control engineering and computer science for the area. The more Loparo and his colleagues spoke, the more promising synergies began to appear—not only within the department, but across the school and university. One critical element is Energy. 

This summer, Case Western Reserve is collaborating with a handful of companies and utilities on a $6.3 million federally funded demonstration project that focuses on ways to strengthen the nation’s electrical grid. Working at three sites—including one on campus—the team will test ways to integrate solar power and solar forecasting with more efficient system control and power load management. As part of the effort, researchers will use “smart” devices to assess and enhance the entire system’s performance. The award is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s SHINES (Sustainable and Holistic Integration of Energy Storage and Solar PV) program.

To find out more about this initiative, click here.