Kent State University has been designated as a Regional Programming Center by the Ohio Cyber Range Institute, joining a statewide collaboration to strengthen cybersecurity education and workforce development.
The designation aligns with Kent State's commitment to excellence in cybersecurity engineering education. As a designated Regional Programming Center, the university will contribute to the development, facilitation, support and delivery of programming activities related to the institute's education, workforce and economic development missions.
Deniz Gurkan, a professor in the College of Aeronautics and Engineering, leads the college’s cybersecurity programs and directs the Regional Programming Center initiative for the university. Gurkan stated, "Kent State will continue to serve the Northeast Ohio region with excellent learning opportunities in cybersecurity. We are working with our partners in the state of Ohio as a new Regional Programming Center in the Ohio Cyber Range ecosystem as well as federal partners to develop a strong workforce pipeline that is essential to defend our nation, local communities and economy against cyberattacks."
Gurkan also is the point of contact for the existing designation of Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency.
The College of Aeronautics and Engineering 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 U.S. Department of Energy Idaho National Laboratory's Cyber-Informed Engineering initiative.
As a Regional Programming Center, 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 student chapter activities on cyber careers.
- Cyber Club activities with students.
- Regional and state-wide cyber competitions.
Kent State joins 18 other Regional Programming Centers, 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.