NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee State University is joining a consortium of 11 universities and national laboratories to improve the nation's cyber security.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the five-year, $28.1 million initiative seeks to improve the resilience and security of cyber networks.

These networks serve as the backbone of the infrastructure that delivers energy to the nation for the electric power, oil and gas industries.

TSU will receive $930,000 to conduct studies in security risk assessment, software-defined networking, and robust control systems.

Dr. Sachin Shetty will lead the effort as project director. Shetty is associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at TSU, and a cyber-security and networking systems expert.

He will be assisted by Dr. L.H. Keel, professor of electrical and computer engineering at TSU.