Security Research Collaborative Supports Homeland Security Efforts

By Amy Biderman

A new umbrella group at George Mason University is serving as the focal point for the university’s capabilities in homeland security and national defense. The Security Research Collaborative (SRC) integrates various interdisciplinary research projects and offers them in a coordinated fashion to government and industry.

Chartered in July by Provost Peter Stearns, the initiative involves nearly every academic unit within George Mason. SRC activities augment the work of the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Project, part of the Law School’s National Center for Technology and Law.

“George Mason has an exceptional range of activities under the general heading of security research, including the important initiatives deriving from the Law School’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Project,” says Stearns. “We will continue to encourage all sorts of particular initiatives, but this new umbrella group gives us a chance to present our collective strengths to the outside world.”

According to John McCarthy, CIP Project executive director and SRC director, the initiative will allow academic units to work collaboratively to support a broad homeland security agenda. “We saw opportunities beyond the scope of the CIP Project and wanted to capitalize on them,” he says. “The SRC will provide a one-stop point of entry to the university for our homeland security efforts.”

Kip Thomas, deputy director for the SRC, notes, “We’re attuned to the needs of business and government decision makers and can align them with discrete researchers or a multidisciplinary team that can provide comprehensive solutions to national defense issues.”