UC Davis experts: Computer security, Internet industry, technology management
The following UC Davis faculty members are available for comment on various topics related to computers.
- Computer security
- The Internet industry
- Inequality in cyberspace
- Technology and innovation
- Online education
- Technology management
Computer security
Matthew Bishop is one of the principals of the Computer Security Laboratory at the University of California, Davis. The lab is one of the nation's leading centers for research in network security and vulnerability, information integrity, cryptography and security policy. It is recognized by the National Security Agency as a center of excellence. Bishop is interested in network security and finding ways to detect and repel intruders. Part of his approach is to put himself in the "bad guy" role and study how a network can be attacked by viruses, worms or other malicious programs. Attacks on networks have three aspects, Bishop says. They can threaten the confidentiality of information such as customer records; undermine the integrity or trustworthiness of transactions, for example if an intruder makes unauthorized deductions from a bank account; they can block access to services. An example of a denial-of-service attack is last year's attack on the Yahoo Web site, when a relatively unsophisticated attack took the site out of action for several hours. Bishop can also discuss public policy issues such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Sklyarov case. Contact: Matt Bishop, Computer Science, (530) 752-8060, bishop@cs.ucdavis.edu.
The Internet industry
Business sociologist Martin Kenney writes about the Internet industry, Silicon Valley, venture capital, impacts of the Internet on the personal computer industry and the Internet's history. Kenney edited "Understanding Silicon Valley" in 2000 and is co-editing a book to be published by the Brookings Institute about the impacts of the Internet on various industries. Contact: Martin Kenney, Human and Community Development, (530) 752-0328, mfkenney@ucdavis.edu.
Inequality in cyberspace
Society should be concerned about increasing inequality in cyberspace, says Anupam Chander of UC Davis. An acting professor of law who specializes in cyber law, he is currently preparing a scholarly article critiquing the Internet domain name system for awarding valuable property without serving the public good. Chander says the Information Age will continue to create new artifacts -- some with great value. We should not let rights to the assets of this new age be determined haphazardly and so almost certainly guarantee them to people in the best position to take advantage. "We should try to analyze them thoughtfully, remembering our real world experience with inequality and exploitation and trying not to recreate it in new worlds," he says. Contact: Anupam Chander, School of Law, (530) 754-5304, achander@ucdavis.edu.
Technology and innovation
Andrew Hargadon, an assistant professor of management at UC Davis, studies creativity and innovation in engineering firms. He looks at issues involving knowledge management in the product development process and how firms can manage individuals, teams and firm strategies to be more innovative. He also researches the critical role of product design in shaping responses to technological innovation -- both as entrepreneurs introduce new technologies into the marketplace and as managers introduce new technologies into their organizations. Hargadon worked as an engineer and product designer before earning his doctorate in organizational behavior. Contact: Andrew Hargadon, Graduate School of Management, (530) 752-2277, abhargadon@ucdavis.edu.
Online education
Companies and other organizations are increasingly recognizing the cost savings and the convenience to their employees of part-time education delivered online, says Dean Dennis Pendleton of UC Davis University Extension. He says online education eliminates the need for travel, avoids scheduling problems and allows students to learn at their own pace. University Extension currently offers about 40 online courses and is adding about five such courses each quarter. Most courses are in the field of information technology, but the number of courses on other subjects is growing. Some are offered to companies on a contract basis, and others are open to individual enrollment. Contact: Dennis Pendleton, University Extension, (530) 757-8663, dfpendleton@ucdavis.edu.
Technology management
Technology companies can only compete by adding good management knowledge to their excellent technical knowledge, says Professor Emeritus Richard Dorf of UC Davis. "The success of those enterprises is equally decided by management strategies and skills," says Dorf of the Graduate School of Management and the department of electrical and computer engineering. "They have technological solutions, but they must be commercialized," he says. "That's what great business is about." Dorf is editor in chief of "The Technology Management Handbook," providing guidance for managers of technology or technology companies on topics from fostering innovation to dealing with currency problems in international business. He is the author of more than 20 other books on technology and management and consults with technology firms in the West. Contact: Richard Dorf, Graduate School of Management, (530) 752-7395, rcdorf@ucdavis.edu.
Media contacts:
- Andy Fell, News Service, (530) 752-4533, ahfell@ucdavis.edu
- Claudia Morain, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-9841, .
Last updated Nov. 29, 2007
