Donald Puffer, program project manager at the Mind Research Network will speak on “Neurosystems for National Security” on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 11:45 a.m. in MRN’s Large Conference Room. NeuroSystems for National Security is a new research and development program at the Mind Research Network (MRN). This is a brown bag lunch event.
NeuroSystems for National Security is a new research and development program at the Mind Research Network (MRN). The goal of this program is to combine neuroscience and systems engineering (neurosystems engineering) to provide people-dependent solutions for critical national security problems.
MRN possesses the unique ability to utilize and combine functional imaging and brain scanning techniques (fMRI, MEG, EEG), computer modeling and simulation, cortical brain stimulation and genetics to investigate how the brain functions and how it can be made to function better for the safety, security, and reliability of our military and national security interests.
One potential benefit involves helping military and national security personnel make better decisions under stress. Biological changes occur in the brain and body in response to stress. These stress responses are intended to serve adaptive functions, but can also have a negative influence on cognition and behavior. One of our goals is to develop methods and techniques to leverage and modulate stress to optimize decision making. The ability to better modulate stress in times of crisis would be invaluable to both the foot soldier under fire and the general commander making critical national security decisions.
Securing cyberspace is another example. In collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories, the Mind Research Network would like to transform cybersecurity by creating optimized teams of human cyber-defenders to augment existing computer security algorithms. Our goal is to develop a human-team-optimizing system that will monitor and optimize the interaction and effectiveness of human cyber-defender teams within cyberspace.