BIONIC

Program to Combat Misinformation and Disinformation Campaigns

(BOWIE, Md.) – Bowie State University (BSU) in partnership with The Maryland Center at Bowie State University announces the establishment of an innovation center to perform research  and development projects aimed at countering misinformation,  disinformation and associated negative consequences.

A Historically Black College and University (HBCU), Bowie State  University will serve as the lead on this initiative to combat counter  malign activity in collaboration with several partners;

• TDX International, a certified SBA Native Alaska small business defense intelligence company;

• Greer Institute for Leadership and Innovation, a minority-owned nonprofit leadership development firm focused on harnessing disruptive technologies,

• Forward Edge-AI, a minority owned small business innovator in artificial intelligence;

• NineTwelve, a nonprofit strategic management services firm focused on emergent technology solutions.

The new Bowie State University Influence Operations National  Innovation Center (BIONIC) is designed to leverage research in  artificial intelligence, publicly available information, and  cognitive/human behavioral sciences to combat adverse misinformation  campaigns. BIONIC will engage BSU student to help assess, analyze, and  deploy the benefits of an integrated approach to detect, deter, and  defeat dangerous malign/adversarial information campaigns that can  threaten our national security.

“With our partners, BIONIC will focus on advanced research &  development with, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and  cognitive human-machine interactions that can help reduce organizations’  information threat,” said Dr. Lethia S. Jackson, chair of  the  department of technology and security at Bowie State. “Misinformation  can be a mistake while disinformation is intentionally dishonest and a  security threat.  Both can cause irreparable harm to an organization,”  she said.

BIONIC will create new opportunities for the students and faculty of  BSU, and potentially other HBCUs, to participate in internships,  apprenticeships, and career opportunities in advanced technology and  science fields. The BIONIC initiative is expected to lead to research  funding that aids both continuing education and the application of  student ingenuity toward solving real-world problems related to  misinformation and disinformation.

BIONIC also provides BSU with the opportunity to open a gateway for  HBCU participation at the new Hawai’i Pacific Innovation Campus  (HI-PIC). The HI-PIC, a Oahu-based Independent Test Organization  dedicated to supporting the growth of a robust innovation district in  Hawai’i, will provide testing for BIONIC partner solutions. The HI-PIC’s  focus is on bringing leading-edge technology and innovation together to  solve hard problems and train the next generation of technologists for  high-tech jobs. The HI-PIC is currently supporting the Department of  Defense in the Indo-Pacific bringing together cutting-edge technologies  and partners to address strategic challenges.

Bowie State University’s collaboration with the HI-PIC provides new  strategic partnership opportunities for BSU with other university  partners and businesses in Hawai’i that can provide economic support to  both students and the local Hawaiian economy.

 Bowie State is already capable of executing and administering  advanced security programs sponsored for DOD as evidenced by the  university’s U.S. Army Cybersecurity program. In addition, the  university students finished third in a 2020 national academia  Adversarial AI/Deep Fake Challenge that was sponsored by the U.S. Army’s  Night Vision Labs.

The Maryland Center at Bowie State University is the only HBCU  affiliate that is a mentor for the Department of Defense (DOD)  Mentor-Protégé program and is supporting the U.S. Army’s Threat System  Management Office (TSMO) researching current threats, providing  solutions, and deciphering threat-relevance to new attacks that target  the Army.

“We are extremely excited about the BIONIC initiative in  collaboration with our strategic partners,” said Dr. Carl Goodman,  Provost at Bowie State.  “As an HBCU, we have firsthand experience with  the harms of misinformation/disinformation campaigns aimed at degrading  our disparate populations and the role it plays in undermining our  national security. The BIONIC initiative propels Bowie State University  to the front lines of new research and development in this critical area  of national need,” said Dr. Goodman.

Bowie State University, April 5, 2022, Bowie State University Announces the BIONIC initiative, Program to Combat Misinformation and Disinformation Campaigns. Retrieved from: https://bowiestate.edu/about/news/2022/bowie-state-university-announces-the-bionic-initiative.php