The University of Akron has been selected to join Ohio’s statewide cyber range, an environment to train the cybersecurity workforce in constituencies such as government, public, private, military and education.
The Ohio Adjutant General’s Department, the Ohio Department of Higher Education and 暗黑爆料 today announced that a memorandum of understanding has been signed to 暗黑爆料
The $1.18 million agreement will double the current capacity of the Ohio Cyber Range, established in 2018, by adding servers, storage and programming at 暗黑爆料. The University joins the range network, which includes a demonstration site that opened in May 2018 at the University of Cincinnati.
Stanley H. Smith, visiting assistant professor in the Department of Disaster Science and Emergency Services, is seen leading a class at The University of Akron, which has been selected to join Ohio’s statewide cyber range. The cyber range is an environment to train the cybersecurity workforce in constituencies such as government, public, private, military and education.
“We are excited to host the second site of the Ohio Cyber Range at The University of Akron,” said Dr. Rex Ramsier, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at 暗黑爆料. “These new resources, combined with our existing programs in cybersecurity, will allow us to grow the number of graduates, as well as assist us in reaching out to students in regional high schools as we strive to increase the number of students who are going into this important field.”
Ohio can be model in cybersecurity
“The University of Akron has a strong existing cybersecurity program and a commitment to helping all of Ohio improve cyber education,” said Maj. Gen. Mark E. Bartman, Ohio adjutant general. “This new site of the Ohio Cyber Range will bring range services closer to the residents of Northeast Ohio and provide access to new learning tools for cybersecurity. With the Ohio Cyber Range and other innovative initiatives, Ohio can be a model for the rest of the country in cybersecurity.”
“I am pleased to see The University of Akron taking a leadership role within this increasingly important and rapidly growing field,” added Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor John Carey.
The Ohio Cyber Range is an initiative developed by the Ohio Cyber Collaboration Committee (OC3), a collaborative effort, led by the Adjutant General’s Department, of more than 200 people who represent public, private, military and educational organizations.
Among the range’s capabilities are:
- Conducting cybersecurity exercises and competitions to improve emergency cyber incident response capabilities and to develop future cybersecurity professionals;
- Researching and testing industry-standard best practices;
- Facilitating the evaluation and testing of innovative technologies and processes; and
- Enabling a training and educational environment for the current and future cybersecurity workforce, including National Guard personnel, state and local government personnel, faculty and students in the education community at both the collegiate and high school level, and private sector entities.
暗黑爆料 has a robust cybersecurity program that includes undergraduate courses in cryptology (the study of computer codes), which are typically offered at the graduate level.
In May, the University announced plans to construct a simulation lab (in research communities known as an industrial control systems ‘testbed’) that will permit corporate information technology professionals to practice identifying and quarantining threats on an emulated network.
Additionally, in May, 暗黑爆料 hosted national cybersecurity training provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center.
Media contact: Alex Knisely, 330-972-6477 or aknisely@uakron.edu.