U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales visited Sul Ross State University in Alpine Aug. 20 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Texas Center for Energy Security (TXCES).

SRSU and Lamar University in Beaumont announced last fall that they would collaborate on this three-year initiative with a total budget of nearly $3.4 million from a Department of Energy grant submitted by Rep. Gonzales, and contributions from SRSU.

TXCES is a state-of-the-art facility focused on innovative research and education in Midstream Industry Cybersecurity. Researchers from both universities have engaged with industry focus groups—including stakeholders from the Permian Basin—to assess needs and provide insights into security and forensic challenges. The teams have also presented findings at multiple academic conferences and published two peer-reviewed articles.

A virtual testbed has been created, and the physical testbed is currently under construction at Lamar while two computer labs have been established at Sul Ross – one focused on cybersecurity and one on cybercrime investigations and digital forensics.

“These testbeds will enable cutting-edge research and serve as platforms for generating data on cyber threats targeting the operational technology of the midstream industry,” said Dr. Oguzhan Basibuyuk, chair of the Department of Homeland Security and Criminal Justice at SRSU. “This real-time data will be used to develop threat detection and response techniques for midstream systems technologies through machine learning and data analytics.”

In addition to research, the project will develop comprehensive training modules for formal and continued education in engineering, computer science, cybersecurity, cyber-forensics and criminal justice aimed at workforce development and educational outreach.

As of Summer 2025, six graduate-level and two undergraduate-level courses have been developed, serving a total of 102 students.

Photo: Dr. Oguzhan Basibuyuk, chair of the Department of Homeland Security and Criminal Justice. U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales and Dr. Carlos Hernandez, president of SRSU cut the ribbon for the official open of the Texas Center for Energy Security.