All critical infrastructure asset owners need to implement basic cybersecurity measures, to include managing supply chain risk. But there are a lot of standards and guidelines out there, and different types of critical infrastructure are increasingly interconnected. The definition of Defense Critical Electric Infrastructure (DCEI) by congress in 2015 and the definition of the Energy Sector Industrial Base by the Department of Energy in 2022 offer an example of two critical infrastructure sectors intersecting. Energy Sector asset owners are familiar with NERC-CIP compliance. CMMC, founded in the Department of Defense and the Defense Industrial Base, is a cyber certification model that is maturing and expanding across federal agencies and into other countries. How do these different cyber compliance regimes intersect, and can they complement one another? This expert panel will compare both compliance regimes, discuss how they increasingly intersect, and provide insights into the future evolution of cybersecurity compliance.

As the fear associated with extreme weather intensifies, the electric grid faces mounting threats from wildfires, polar plunges, hurricanes and tornadoes, and shifting demand patterns. Yet, a growing debate questions whether current resilience planning is grounded in science or driven by regulatory and political pressure. This panel will explore the technical tensions surrounding grid adaptation—drawing from recent strategies of utility planning, DOE guidance, and industry responses.

This session highlights the best accepted papers from the IEEE, featuring significant research and innovative solutions. The event brought together experts from around the nation to discuss the latest advancements in technology and engineering.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in collaboration with the University of Georgia (UGA) and the University of Virginia (UVA), is advancing a toolset to evaluate watershed-level resilience across USACE operational projects. This features the characterization and management of infrastructure interdependencies within and beyond USACE operations in achieving regional and systems resilience. This special session will feature a panel that explores conceptual frameworks and practical tools for identifying and analyzing these interdependencies. Dr. Michael Deegan (USACE) will open by providing an overview of infrastructure interdependencies between USACE projects and other critical infrastructure systems. Negin Shamsi (UGA) will then discuss different classifications of infrastructure interdependencies and highlight available assessment tools. Dr. Davis C. Loose (UVA) will introduce a prototype screening tool alongside a case study to demonstrate mapping infrastructure interdependencies within a specific basin. The session will conclude with a moderated discussion aimed at fostering a bidirectional exchange of ideas between panelists and audience members. This interactive format is intended to encourage new ideas for assessing resilience and infrastructure interdependencies at the watershed scale.

This panel discussion will focus on the best practices for safely, reliably, and resiliently running AI/ML models in a critical production environment. Learn what questions you should be asking in order to best prepare yourself for operating your models on a live, continuous basis. From technical aspects such as understanding how to measure and detect model drift over time, to organizational challenges like integrating the model analysis results and awareness of key AI security and operational risks into your existing business processes, you will discover key strategies to successfully operationalize your AI/ML models.

Extreme weather poses significant risks to critical infrastructure operations. However, the uncertainties associated with these events pose even more challenges to energy planning activities that are looking out 5 to 50 years into the future. This session will feature insights from planners across academia, industry, and national laboratories. The discussion will cover the largest challenges observed from each distinct perspective and how extreme weather risk is currently being incorporated into integrated energy system planning efforts.

This panel presents a holistic cybersecurity approach to address the vulnerabilities arising from the rapid expansion of solar and other grid-connected resources. From an OT perspective, panelists will discuss different cybersecurity defense techniques that rely on analyzing grid behaviors (e.g., physics-based signal analysis, data signature analysis). Additionally, machine learning and artificial intelligence will be examined as key tools for real-time anomaly detection within the wide area network. From an IT perspective, the panel will discuss the use of cyber-physical co-simulations to realistically model grid operations while considering transmission-distribution-grid edge coordination and network artifacts. These simulations can help validate detection methods against simulated cyber-attack scenarios, ensuring robust, adaptable solutions. Finally, the panel will highlight the use of practical cybersecurity checklists that can be used by installers to secure grid devices. This checklists are based on regulatory standards, industry practices, and installer feedback. This systematic guidance enhances operational security through the adoption of best practices (firmware updates, credential management, and network segmentation). An interactive discussion with the audience will follow, highlighting the need to improve upon existing practices, and how collaboration is key for success.

As the energy sector becomes increasingly digitized, the explosion of machine-to-machine connections—now vastly outnumbering human ones—has introduced a new frontier of cybersecurity challenges. This session dives into the convergence of cloud, wireless, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-agent technologies in modern grid security, unpacking how Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) and AI technologies can be used both to secure critical infrastructure and to defend against the very AI systems being deployed within it. Experts from national laboratories, utilities, and industry will present cutting-edge research and field deployments that integrate Zero Trust principles—such as continuous authentication, least privilege access, and micro-segmentation—with AI/ML techniques for real-time anomaly detection, behavior modeling, and autonomous threat response in operational technology (OT) environments. A special focus will be placed on the unique challenges of securing non-human machine identities and communications, where traditional access control methods fall short. The session will also feature a case study from a DOE-funded collaboration with Constellation, showcasing how a Zero Trust framework for machines has been successfully deployed across the largest fleet of nuclear plants in the U.S. Attendees will gain insight into the evolving regulatory landscape, risk management frameworks, and public-private R&D initiatives that aim to future-proof the grid against sophisticated cyber threats.

This session highlights the best accepted papers from the IEEE, featuring significant research and innovative solutions. The event brought together experts from around the nation to discuss the latest advancements in technology and engineering.

View the posters and raise a glass to the poster presenters! Complimentary drink tickets will be available.