CIKR Research Project 

CIKR Research Project 

The purpose of this research project is to provide you the opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of the course materials and information presented throughout the semester. The requirement for the project is to produce a research paper on one of the 16 critical infrastructure and key resource (CIKR) sectors. The paper is in two parts.

Part I (15 points): Provide a thorough understanding of the sector that you have chosen. At a minimum, this understanding must include:

• the policies that direct and guide the sector
• the structure and function of the sector
• the regulatory instruments that determine the      standards and procedures; changes to sector regulation in the post-9/11      era should also be described
• your understanding of the vulnerabilities of the      sector and the potential threats against it

Part II (15 points): The second part of the paper is to research a historical incident that affected the sector. At a minimum, this research should describe the incident and its impact on the sector. It should also identify lessons from the incident that have implications for infrastructure protection and resiliency. Finally, based upon all of the analysis, data, and information resulting from your research, discussions, and conclusions, make thoughtful recommendations about how you would propose changes within the sector to increase protection and security. These recommendations could take the form of new policies, regulations, organizations, and strategies. Be creative and bold.

The finished product must be a minimum of ten (10) double-spaced pages, and adhere to the stated policies for assignments. It is suggested you have a balance between both sections, so that each section is about 5 pages, followed by a conclusion that ties both parts of the paper together.  Again, it might be prudent to do more than the minimum. It is costly when a paper comes up short.

The 16 Critical Infrastructure Sectors can be found at https://www.dhs.gov/critical-infrastructure-sectors