Ohio Cyber Range Institute Regional Programming Center
About
Kent State University has been designated as a Regional Programming Center (RPC) by the Ohio Cyber Range Institute (OCRI), joining a partnership with state government entities to strengthen cybersecurity education and workforce development. The OCRI facilitates and coordinates the creation and delivery of tailored scalable cybersecurity programming through an ecosystem of designated state RPCs. This model produces a significant return on investment, leveraging existing expertise across Ohio to reduce unnecessary duplication of effort while enhancing outcomes through strategic coordination.
The designation aligns with Kent State's commitment to excellence in cybersecurity engineering education. The university will contribute to the development, facilitation, support, and delivery of programming activities related to OCRI's education, workforce, and economic development missions.
The College of Aeronautics and Engineering (CAE) leads the development of innovative curriculum addressing cybersecurity in engineering systems. The Cybersecurity Engineering degree program focuses on cyber-informed engineering principles, as outlined by the Department of Energy Idaho National Laboratory's Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE) initiative.
Kent State plans to host various outreach activities in Northeast Ohio, including:
- Collaborative high school teacher and student summer camps
- Transfer agreements with existing community college cybersecurity programs
- Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) student chapter activities on cyber careers
- Cyber Club activities with students
- Regional and state-wide cyber competitions
Kent State joins 18 other RPCs, comprising a total of 26 institutions across Ohio, in this collaborative effort to educate Ohioans about the growing importance of cybersecurity and its role in driving workforce development and economic vitality.
People
Point of Contact: Deniz Gurkan