On April 15, 2019, the School of Information was awarded a grant totaling $37,861.00 by the Student Technology Fee Advisory Committee. As a result of this grant, students enrolled in Information Technology (IT) programs at the Bachelor and Master level at the School of Information will have sufficient computing/processing power for remote and secure access to cloud-based lab exercises.

The next generation of “Cyber ProfessioNoles” will require advanced skills, knowledge, and abilities for organizational policy, management, technologies, and practices that are designed to protect organizational information assets, systems, and networks against unauthorized access, damage, and attacks. Cyber ProfessioNOLES is a brand that School of Information Associate Professor, Dr. Shuyuan Mary Ho, is building for FSU graduates that have taken cybersecurity classes can benefit from this brand – which does not yet exist.  This grant will help to build that brand.

“The process of securing cyberspace is an ongoing chess game between security professionals and cybercriminals,” Dr. Ho explains. “The current technological infrastructure at CCI provides students with a sandbox environment for hands-on lab exercises; however, this infrastructure is insufficient to provide computing power for the 700+ students at the College. As an institution of higher education—we need to provide a technical skillset that is accompanied by a mindset encouraging critical thinking and creativity.”

The proposed project will provide a jump-start environment for students to prepare for cyber defense competitions and will provide students with thin-client accessibility to the remote exercise servers. Overall, this project will enhance students’ learning experience regarding complex cyber defense topics with hands-on exercises that will enable students to accomplish what they cannot and should not do in traditional on-campus instructional lab exercises.

“This is the educational experience we must provide,” says Dr. Ho. “This project will enhance students’ learning experience regarding complex cyber defense topics with hands-on exercises that will enable students to accomplish what they cannot and should not do in our traditional on-campus instructional lab exercises.”

You can read more about the Student Technology Fee program and find the full list of 2018-2019 project proposal winners here.