Hey, Bay Area! I’ve got some cool news to share from the world of cybersecurity. Do you remember those group projects we used to do in school? Well, three academic institutions are doing something similar, but it’s way cooler; they’re forming a research and training alliance to advance the field. No, they’re not making a model of the solar system or a volcano. They’re tackling serious issues related to cybersecurity—an area that’s expanding faster than a balloon at a birthday party!
These three schools are Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University in Ohio (who knew Ohio was this tech-savvy?), and Mercyhurst University in Pennsylvania. Each of them boasts nationally recognized programs in cybersecurity, and they’ve decided to pool their individual expertise to address cyber-related issues more efficiently. It’s like a superhero team of geeks and scholars, and I can’t wait to see what they can accomplish together!
This alliance will develop collaborative cybersecurity education, research, and training programs in Western Pennsylvania and Northeast Ohio. You know the saying, “two heads are better than one?” In this case, it’s three heads and each has its own specific strength:
Mercyhurst University’s Ridge College of Intelligence Studies & Applied Sciences shines in the areas of cyber intelligence threat analysis and analytics. Over at Case Western Reserve, their School of Engineering has a knack for cyber engineering and hardware solutions. And at Cleveland State, their Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection kills it with cyber regulatory and policy analysis.
Caleb Pifer, a vice president at Mercyhurst, is pretty pumped about this. He said this alliance could lead to awesome projects and fresh funding opportunities that will help students delve into real-life cyber challenges. It also aims to transform downtown Erie into an innovation hub centered around cybersecurity and data science. Sounds like Erie, Pennsylvania might just be the next Silicon Valley, eh?
Cleveland-Marshall’s Law Dean, Lee Fisher, is also stoked about contributing their expertise in legal tech and policy to this alliance. According to him, this collaboration will prepare students for a world where complex cyber problems require solutions at the intersection of various disciplines and sectors.
Pretty exciting, right? This kind of multidisciplinary effort is exactly what we need to address cybersecurity concerns across a variety of application areas. After all, cybersecurity is not just an IT problem—it’s a problem for everyone, and this alliance of schools is definitely taking a big step in the right direction by joining forces. Watch this space, Bay Area, because big things are brewing!
by Morgan Phisher | HEAL Security
