Title: "Zenith: Intrusion Tolerant Secret Storage using Blockchain + Threshold Cryptography”


Abstract: In the modern landscape of nation-state cyber-espionage, malicious insiders, and other forms of advanced persistent threats, information systems responsible for securing highly-sensitive digital assets and critical infrastructure must be resilient enough to operate correctly and securely in environments where certain nodes/actors may be untrustworthy or outright malicious.
In this talk we introduce Zenith, a system for providing intrusion-tolerant, cryptographically-secure secret storage and escrow using Blockchain protocols and threshold cryptography.  We will provide a high-level intro to relevant concepts in Blockchain systems and threshold cryptography, and how they can be used in concert to provide security and resiliency for practical, decentralized applications.

Speaker: JR Charles graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor's of Science in Computer Engineering and a minor in Computer Science.  As an undergraduate, he worked as a researcher for the Johns Hopkins Distributed Systems and Networks Lab and (separately) as a technology consultant for the United States Department of Defense.  He co-founded Fractal Technology—a startup focused on enterprise mobile security—which was ultimately acquired by Sunayu in 2018.  At Sunayu, JR is an executive partner and has led numerous technological consulting and research projects, primarily in the domains of information security, distributed systems, and applied cryptography.  He is also the CEO of a new company, Curuvar, which was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2021 for research related to Distributed Ledger (DL) technology and cryptography.

Title:  Medical Systems and the New Era of Cybersecurity
Abstract: Clinical medical devices and healthcare IT systems have been profoundly affected by an evolving cybersecurity threat landscape. And as federal regulators and the healthcare industry have worked together to address these threats, a new category of cybersecurity science has emerged, one that combines cybersecurity disciplines, medical science, and regulatory science to create a new breed of cybersecurity professional. This presentation will examine the unique status of medical systems in the realm of cybersecurity, their common attack surfaces, and the challenges involved in safeguarding these systems. The future of the medical cybersecurity market will be discussed, along with the rapidly expanding career opportunities for cybersecurity professionals in this field.

Speaker: Nick Yuran served 11 years as an intelligence analyst before entering private industry, and applies his experiences in national security policy to the cyber disciplines he manages at Harbor Labs. As a serial entrepreneur, Nick has led several companies to successful exits, including companies in the satellite, enterprise networking, and cybersecurity markets. His most recent exit was the merger of medical IoT cybersecurity technology company, and he remains a strong industry advocate for medical security regulatory policies. Nick holds a BA in Slavic Languages from the University of Arizona, and a MA in Telecommunications from George Washington University.

Title:  Entrepreneurship at JHU

Abstract: Review of JHU resources for entrepreneurs, highlights of our programs and funds, including a few upcoming opportunities this academic year. Success stories of select Pava Center ventures, brainstorming exercise—identifying, launching, and iterating startup ideas!

Speaker: Paul Davidson supports student entrepreneurs as they seek to launch or expand their ventures. He manages pre-orientation programs, curricular integration, and experiential learning opportunities to create new opportunities for entrepreneurship at Johns Hopkins. He lives in Baltimore, and it excites him that student entrepreneurs will be future leaders and changemakers in the city, region, and beyond.