Our research program is our institutional way of advancing knowledge. With its unique focus on national security, our research program contributes to the larger goals of combat effectiveness and security for the US and its allies. It also maintains our awareness of technology advancement; each year we update about 10% of our curriculum materials based on what we learn.

Our research program pays for itself several times over by bringing direct value to military commands and DoD agencies. At least 50 of our 60 annual masters theses are studies, prototypes, or field experiments of direct value to national defense. If a command or agency were to commission private consultants to perform the same work, they would pay anywhere from $200K to $500K apiece. That is an equivalent market value of $10M to $25M annually from this aspect of our research program.

We collaborate extensively with others at NPS and with external agencies, universities, and industries.

Computer Science Laboratories

There are currently 12 laboratories:

Computer Science Learning Resource Center

This laboratory provides a general purpose, networked, PC desktop environment for a variety of programming languages and software packages. It is used both as a teaching lab for a number of courses and as an open lab for NPS-wide coursework.

Introductory Computer Security Laboratory

This lab is primarily used by the Center for Information Systems Security Studies and Research (CISR). It is an “air-gapped” lab dedicated to studies of network vulnerabilities, intrusion detection, secure system management, and computer forensics; where tools used by administrators and hackers can be freely researched and studied. It is also used in certifying students with NSTISSI 4000 series certifications in Security Professionalism by the Committee of National Security Systems (CNSS), via the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Computer Information Security Research (CISR) Laboratory

This teaching and research computer lab is primarily used by the Center for Information Systems Security Studies and Research (CISR) and is dedicated to studies of information assurance, computer security, high assurance system architecture, and authentication. This lab facility introduces students to studies in high assurance systems, steganography, public key infrastructure, mandatory access control, viruses, covert channels, and the reference monitor concept.

Public Key Infrastructure Laboratory

This teaching and research computer lab is primarily used by the Center for Information Systems Security Studies and Research (CISR) and is dedicated to studies of network security; secure computer systems; and security policies, modeling, and formal methods. In addition, through the use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN), it is utilized for the Inter-Service Academy Cyber Defense Exercise (CDX). This annual exercise involves NPS, AFIT, and all four U.S. Service Academies acting as network defenders (Blue teams) against network attackers (Red teams) from NSA and DoD information warfare agencies. This lab also directly supports DoD-funded research on DoD Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

Network Research and Experimentation Laboratories

Introductory PC Network Laboratory

Intermediate Local Area Network Laboratory

These two labs support the Networks Track and provide students the opportunity to apply network theory in concrete applications. The Introductory PC Network Laboratory enables students to install network hardware and software, learning firsthand the advantages, limitations, and intricacies of various components and operating systems. The Intermediate Local Area Network Laboratory allows students to participate in ongoing Next Generation INTERNET research, advanced protocol development, future high-speed digital switching systems experimentation, network management, and control design and analysis. These labs also directly support DoD-funded research for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Wireless and Mobile Computing Laboratory

The Wireless and Mobile Computing Lab provides the majority of academic computing needs to support the wireless and mobile computing track within the Department of Computer Science. This lab provides students with the opportunity to program and examine security aspects of mobile computing devices ranging from personal digital assistants (PDAs) through cellular phones.

Autonomous Robotics Coordination Laboratory

This teaching and research computer lab supports graduate students and faculty work on sponsored classes/research projects regarding the coordination between multiple autonomous robots to achieve a coordinated result. The lab is equipped with several types of programmable robots and a wide range of intelligent software tools, including programming languages, planners, language processors, image processors, and neural-computing.

Software Engineering Laboratory

This laboratory provides a state-of-the-art engineering systems environment to support graduate students and faculty work on sponsored classes and projects in software automation. The laboratory provides a test bed for DoD software-intensive systems and software for embedded/safety-critical systems can be precisely tested in the lab. Evaluation and assessment on network-based system integration and interoperability, and the risk assessment on systems of systems can be conducted effectively in the lab. The lab also provides support for requirements analysis, prototyping, specification, and computer-aided system architecture design.

Forensics Exploitation Lab

This laboratory provides a state-of-the-art forensics exploitation environment to support graduate students and faculty work on sponsored classes and projects in basic and applied forensics exploitation research projects. Primary work is done with new techniques for automatically processing data recovered from disk drives and other types of storage devices. Using forensic techniques, the data on a hard drive can reveal who used or broke into a computer system, what it was used for or what was done during a break-in, and the identities of those in question.

Biometrics Research Lab

This new laboratory is intended to provide a state-of-the-art biometrics identity management systems environment to support graduate students and faculty work on sponsored classes and projects in identity management. The lab will conduct both basic and applied research in identity management techniques, hardware, and software.

SCIF Security Lab

This laboratory provides a state-of-the-art engineering systems environment to support graduate students and faculty work on sponsored classes and projects in security areas that are required to be conducted in high-security, compartmented classifications and dedicated air-gapped hardware/networks.