Homeland Security role of CMU scientist questioned

[canichelouis]

Strange news on the front page today.
Don't know if the story went national.


Friday, June 30, 2006

By Bill Schackner and Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Carnegie Mellon University yesterday refused to describe the duties of a visiting scientist in its software engineering institute who also is acting cybersecurity director for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Since October 2004, Donald A. Purdy Jr. has headed the department's National Cybersecurity Division. His federal employment contract covering two years, a copy of which was provided to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette yesterday, says Carnegie Mellon pays $43,320 of his $288,801 in yearly earnings.

But the school declined to specify what he does for the university in return for that compensation.

Mr. Purdy "is not doing any business here at the institute" but rather serves in his Homeland Security role under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act, said Kelly Kimberland, a spokeswoman for the institute.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06181/702313-84.stm

[brainy]

1. from MSNBC Tech pages

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13593439/

linked to an article about cybercrime I was reading.