Sep 9, 2014 -- With the need to protect our nation’s structures from natural disasters, man-made catastrophes and cyber-attacks ever increasing, the building industry is continually concentrating on the safety and security of our buildings, infrastructure and occupants. September is National Preparedness Month. At the National Institute of Building Sciences, the September calendar of events includes several relevant courses for industry professionals to get educated on techniques and systems for increasing the safety and security of buildings, infrastructure and control systems.

Webinar: Tuesday, September 16

Advances in Portable Transformers and Electric Grid Technology is presented by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Infrastructure Protection. This is the first in a webinar series designed to address advances in resilience within the electric grid and educate partners on different approaches to critical infrastructure protection; provide strategies to mitigate risk; and address vulnerabilities across sectors, with the ultimate goal of improving cross sector collaboration and information sharing. This DHS webinar, to be delivered by Sarah Mahmood, DHS Science and Technology Directorate Program Manager, will present the gains made in increasing resiliency in the electricity subsector. Register to attend.

Workshops: Wednesday-Thursday, September 17-18, in Washington. D.C.

The Introduction to Cybersecuring Building Control Systems Workshop and the Advanced Cybersecuring Building Control Systems Workshop address critical information on protecting the Internet-enabled building control systems relied on by an increasing number of the nation’s buildings. Sponsored by the National Institute of Building Sciences, the workshops will be taught by Michael Chipley, The PMC Group LLC, and Eric Bodkin, root9b.

The Introductory Workshop is intended for those professionals new to the world of cybersecurity, including facility, engineering, physical security, information assurance and other professionals involved with the design, deployment and operation and cybersecuring of building control systems. It will provide a combination of classroom learning modules to teach control system basics, protocols, how to use the information assurance risk management framework and hands-on laboratory exercises using tools and methods to inventory, diagram, identify, attack, exploit, contain and eradicate a cyber event.

The Advanced Workshop is geared towards building and information assurance professionals who have experience in IT or control systems cybersecurity but need to learn how to apply those skills to building control systems. This Workshop will provide a more technical, in-depth training solution geared towards developing security professionals with the ability to approach security with an attacker mentality. This includes understanding and practicing techniques for footprinting, scanning and enumeration, exploitation, post exploitation, containment and eradication and reporting.

The Institute is offering these workshops at discount of 50% off the full rate by using the code CYBER50. Each Workshop is limited to 20 students. Register now for the Introductory Workshop and Advanced Workshop.

Webinar: Thursday, September 25

“Is My Building Earthquake-Safe? Obstacles to a Practical Earthquake Rating System” will be presented by the National Institute of Building Sciences Multihazard Mitigation Council (MMC) and delivered by David Bonowitz, S.E., chair of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) Existing Buildings Committee. The free, one-hour webinar is the third in the MMC series designed to address social considerations, governance (including building codes and zoning ordinances), the built environment, hazard and risk assessment and economics. Register to attend.

The National Institute of Building Sciences is involved in a number of councils, committees, projects and programs to improve the resilience and performance of the nation’s buildings. To learn more about the Institute’s other activities relating to hazard mitigation, integrated resilient design and high performance buildings, visit the website.

About the National Institute of Building Sciences

The National Institute of Building Sciences, authorized by public law 93-383 in 1974, is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that brings together representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor and consumer interests to identify and resolve building process and facility performance problems. The Institute serves as an authoritative source of advice for both the private and public sectors with respect to the use of building science and technology.

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