- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Cybersecurity Leader Earns Master’s Degree from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

John Hill — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 13:38:11 +0000

A ��Vlog��ý Little Rock student has earned his master’s degree after advancing cybersecurity education for hundreds of students and teachers throughout Arkansas. Andrew Bomberger, of Hot Springs, will graduate with a master’s degree in computer science on Dec. 17. While he’s grown into one of the department’s leading students, Bomberger was originally on a very different career path before discovering his passion for cybersecurity. “I used to live in Pennsylvania, and my uncles owned a dairy farm,” he said. “I grew up thinking that I would do that for a living. I got to help on the farm and figured out it was something I wasn’t interested in. Around 2016, I saw a conference talk on cybersecurity and social engineering and thought it was really fascinating. I would love to be on the side that helps people configure devices, monitor networks, and help protect people from the bad people trying to break into their networks.” Bomberger joined ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2017 after seeing the many awards the university’s Cybersecurity Club had won. He joined the Cyber Arena project, a cloud-based cybersecurity education initiative, in 2019. The Cyber Arena provides free cybersecurity education, training, and exercises to Arkansas students and teachers. So far, more than 2,000 students have benefited from the Cyber Arena nationwide. “I’ve really enjoyed working on the Cyber Arena for the past four years,” he said. “When I started, I only knew bits and pieces about programming. This has been a great learning and networking experience, meeting a lot of professionals in the field. I’ve grown a lot as a person and a programmer from this project. I’ve enjoyed helping others learn more about cybersecurity, and I hope I’ve inspired other kids to go into the field.”

Photos of Andrew Bomberger by Ben Krain.

Although his professors have tried to get him to enroll in a doctorate program, Bomberger said he is finished with his education for now and has been interviewing for cybersecurity positions. His graduate project has taken his work in the Cyber Arena to the next level. He is building a cloud-based emulated red team network to provide advanced cybersecurity training for teachers and students. In cybersecurity, red teams consist of hackers who evaluate system security by acting as adversaries to overcome cybersecurity controls. Companies often hire hackers to test their network protections. “My project was focused on seeing if we could automate the attack process,” Bomberger said. “It was taking specific machines that have various attack scripts and injecting them into different controlled student networks. The idea behind all of it is that it would help emulate a more realistic environment for cybersecurity training. If we can place more weaknesses and attacks into the system, we can hopefully enhance learning as a long-term goal and make the experience more dynamic for students.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Celebrates Computer Science Educators

John Hill — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 15:23:59 +0000

It’s Computer Science Education Week, an annual call to celebrate the contributions of students, teachers, and partners in the field. We are highlighting our innovative Department of Computer Science with an in-depth interview with Dr. Albert Baker, chair and professor since 2018. What is the current state of the department? We currently have 210 undergraduate majors, of which 46 are pursuing our new cybersecurity degree program. We also have 35 students in the MS in Computer Science program. When I started, we only had nine. We also have 15 doctoral students. With this growth in our graduate programs, we’ll see more of our graduate students moving on to academic as well as industry careers. With the initiatives we are undertaking to develop and promote our interactive immersive technologies (AR/VR) programs, I think we will begin to see solid growth in that area as well. What kind of opportunities are available in the department? Our programs open opportunities on two career paths. One is software developer, which is a pretty broad area that includes programming, software design, performance testing, quality assurance, etc. We also have a game option. The game industry is very competitive, but the skills our students get are applicable in interactive immersive technologies (AR/VR) applications in education and training, medical applications, and industrial design. There are an increasing number of opportunities for our students in this emerging area. We have much to highlight in this emerging area of interactive immersive technologies. The Emerging Analytics Center has fabulous facilities for hands-on development and research in that area. Drs. Ivan Conde, Arya Basu, and Jan Springer all have expertise in this area. This is an area of strength for the department, and I am happy about the opportunities that we provide students. I tell prospective students and their parents that we have good opportunities in interactive immersive technologies, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and machine learning, mobile applications, user interface and user experience, and computer graphics/data visualization. If a student has an interest in any of these areas, this is a great place to study. The opportunities for undergraduate students are particularly noteworthy because we have funded positions for students to work on grant funded research as well as industry projects. Those kinds of opportunities for undergraduate students are rare at other universities. How has the department changed since you started? Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira, former director of the Emerging Analytics Center and former chair of the Department of Computer Science, asked me to develop a stronger sense of community in the department, particularly with undergraduate students. We restored the charter for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Student Chapter of the Association of Computing Machinery. The ACM is the largest professional society for computing professionals. The dhapter is very active. One of their impactful service projects has been the program to refurbish donated computers and make them available at no cost to students through the COVID pandemic. They have placed over 90 machines repairing hard drives, reinstalling operating systems, and handing out computers to students who needed them. We have continued to innovate the department’s curriculum. In computer science, things are constantly changing. We’ve added courses accessible by students outside our department. For example, we will now have in the catalog a sophomore-level course that is an introduction to machine learning using a no-code environment. This means students who have no coding experience can take the course. One of the most important changes in the department has been the new degree in cybersecurity and some very important industry partnerships. Why has your department taken a lead in promoting cybersecurity education? We’ve been very strategic in the way we’ve laid a foundation for cybersecurity. Huge credit goes to Drs. Philip Huff and Erin Finzer for the creation of CyberLearn. (��Vlog��ý Little Rock received a $1.96 million workforce development grant from the Arkansas Office of Skills Development in the spring to form the Cyber Learning Network, a consortium of seven University of Arkansas System campuses to expand and diversify workforce education in emergent cyber technologies.) With CyberLearn, we are implementing a resource and course sharing network between the partner campuses. For example, if a ��Vlog��ýPB student needs to take a cybersecurity course this summer that is not being offered on that campus, they can register for that ��Vlog��ýPB course, pay ��Vlog��ýPB tuition fees, and actually take the course offered here at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. In addition, with the addition of the National Cyber Teaching Academy funded, in part, by a grant from the NSA, we are training high school teachers so they can teach cybersecurity in Arkansas high schools. The State of Arkansas is requiring one credit in computer science as a graduation requirement for all students starting with the Fall 2023 freshman class. Cybersecurity is one of the ADE-approved computer science pathways meeting this requirement. We have a partnership with cyber industry leader and have really good outreach to the cyber industry in Arkansas. I’m excited about the holistic strategic approach we are taking with cybersecurity training and workforce development. What is coming up for the future of the computer science department? Certainly, cybersecurity will continue to grow and progress rapidly. We are also receiving tremendous feedback on our interactive immersive technologies initiatives. The Emerging Analytics Center (EAC) has been recognized as one of the top AR/VR research and development labs in the country. Between the EAC and the Cyber Arena, we are offering students opportunities unique in the State of Arkansas and beyond. What else would you like to add? I’m proud of the way the department office is running now. Chris Thompson (administrative assistant III) has been fantastic. I would also give a shoutout to Seth Cook who has worked as a GA in the office for the last three years and maintains our social media presence and department website. We are now much more organized and efficient through their efforts. Being in Arkansas has been a productive place to work in that I’ve had an opportunity to meet people at levels that I wouldn’t have had access to in larger states. Lee Watson, CEO, Forge Institute, and Bill Yoder, Executive Director of , are at the top of the list. They are doing tremendous work. Tina Moore and Kelly Griffith at the Arkansas Department of Education are also great to work with. These are just some of the talented Arkansans I’ve had opportunities to work with. The Industrial Advisory Board of the department is proving to be a tremendous asset as well and providing excellent guidance to me and the department. Brian Stack, Chief Scientist & Cofounder, LeapXL, chairs our advisory board. I appreciate the leadership he is providing. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and the State of Arkansas are proving to be fertile places to develop innovative, state-of-the-art programs and initiatives in the computing sciences that will help us develop a future-ready workforce. I genuinely appreciate the opportunity I’ve had to serve the Department, College, University, and State of Arkansas.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Receives $800K NSA Grant to Expand Cybersecurity Education, Standardize National Curriculum Guidelines

John Hill — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 13:55:30 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock, a leader in cybersecurity education, has received a nearly $800,000 grant from the National Security Agency (NSA) to expand a national cybersecurity education program for teachers, as well as develop a standardized curriculum to build pathways for cybersecurity education between high schools and colleges. Through the grant from the NSA National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, “Cyber 1 Inauguration,” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, as the lead institution, will help expand the (NCTA), create a free cybersecurity education course for teachers, and update guidelines used to accredit college cybersecurity programs. “NCTA is an integral component of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s evolving ecosystem for cybersecurity education,” said Dr. Albert Baker, chair of the Department of Computer Science. “By providing Arkansas high school teachers with the expertise and professional credits to allow them to teach courses in the Arkansas Department of Education cybersecurity pathways, the Department of Computer Science is preparing the upcoming generation of students to pursue higher education in cybersecurity and launch successful careers in this burgeoning field. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is leading, with cooperation from numerous partners, in the development of cybersecurity programs and curricula in Arkansas higher education.” ��Vlog��ý Little will work with academic partners DePaul University and the University of Louisville as well as Dark Enterprises, a women-led nonprofit dedicated to advancing cybersecurity education. Dr. Philip Huff, assistant professor of cybersecurity, and Sandra Leiterman, managing director of the Cyber Arena, will serve as principal investigators. The NCTA was established in 2021 with a grant from the NSA National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity. The NCTA is a collaboration of 10 institutions in nine states that offer the first credentialing program for high school cybersecurity education in the country. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is one of only three universities in the country who offer the NCTA Teaching Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate, along with the University of Louisville and DePaul University. The Teaching Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate prepares high school teachers to offer advanced placement courses in cybersecurity. Teachers receive instruction in a nationally recognized cybersecurity curriculum and foundational cybersecurity principles. The grant will allow the NCTA to provide multiple offerings of its gateway course, Teaching Cybersecurity, at no cost to qualified applicants. Teachers will be able to take the free course for professional development credit. They will also have the option to complete a certification exam for transfer credit to any NCTA institution if they later decide to complete the graduate certificate program. Additionally, the NCTA will expand its 12-hour graduate certificate to 18 hours to meet state requirements that allow educators to teach concurrent credit courses in high school. In addition, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and its partners will work with the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) to launch a joint task force that will issue an interim update to the Cyber Security Education Consortium (CSEC) guidelines. These guidelines are used to accredit undergraduate cybersecurity programs through ABET, a non-governmental organization that accredits post-secondary education programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. They will also work to have the introductory High School Cybersecurity Curriculum Guidelines officially recognized by state educators, which will create a standardized curriculum and pathway between high school and college cybersecurity education courses. The grant will help to fill the workforce gap of qualified cybersecurity professionals that are needed to fill hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country. “The current institutions involved in the NCTA, including ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, are dedicated and passionate in working collaboratively to help advance cybersecurity education in the U.S.,” said Jenny Daughtery, research and curriculum lead at DARK Enterprises. “There is a tremendous need for qualified individuals entering the cybersecurity workforce. Cyberseek.org reports the workforce shortage in cybersecurity at 715,000. It is critical that we prepare more students to enter this much needed field that helps make cyberspace more secure and trustworthy for everyone. The NCTA Cyber I project will provide the glue between high school, community college, and 4-year universities providing well-defined pathways for interested students. And by preparing more teachers to teach cybersecurity, the NCTA will have an exponential effect on the number of students who gain exposure to this exciting, in-demand career.” In coordination with the Education Pathway National Center, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and its partners will work to expand the number of institutions that offer the NCTA graduate certificate. They will develop program guidelines and curriculum standards for new and existing NCTA institutions as well as develop guidelines and recommendations for concurrent course transfer and inter-college articulation agreements for the broad acceptance of the Cyber I courses offered by NCTA certified teachers. “When the NCTA started, the state of Arkansas provided scholarships for 60 teachers to earn the Teaching Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate. This is really unprecedented across the nation,” Huff said. “By standardizing the NCTA, we make it easy for other states to develop the same successful model that Arkansas has created. This ensures that more states can take the same path to educating cybersecurity teachers and having more students coming out of high school with cybersecurity credit who are ready to enter a cybersecurity degree or workforce development program.” The initial two-year grant comes with an option for a third year with an additional nearly $400,000 in funding, which would bring the total grant amount to nearly $1.2 million.

Huff, Finzer to Speak at Annual Cybersecurity Summit

John Hill — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 17:43:41 +0000

Two University of Arkansas at Little Rock leaders are slated to share their cybersecurity expertise during the annual Oct. 5-6. Dr. Philip Huff, assistant professor of cybersecurity, and Dr. Erin Finzer, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, will both speak at the event along with important industry and government leaders, including Lee Watson, chairman and CEO of Forge Institute, U.S. Rep. French Hill, and Becky Passmore, a ��Vlog��ý Little Rock adjunct computer science professor and cyber investigator at Kroll Industries. This two-day VIP event will showcase the state’s unique approach to develop collective cyber defenses, statewide cyber programs, workforce initiatives, and amazing topics on global events and their effect on our national security. Huff will speak at 3 p.m. Oct. 5. in “Fireside Chat: Partnerships for Securing IOT Systems.” Huff will talk about innovative solutions to improve the security of our nation’s critical infrastructure. Finzer will join a panel discussion, “Scaling the Trusted Pipeline,” at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 6. She will join fellow panelists Anthony Owen of Code.org, Joe Rollins of Northwest Arkansas Council, Tina Moore of the Arkansas Department of Education, and Robert Baker, director of Starbase AR at Forge Institute, in a discussion of how Arkansas is uniquely positioned to grow its own trusted workforce in cybersecurity due to collaborative leadership among the Consortium for Cyber Innovation, the , , the Arkansas Cyber Teaching Academy, and Data Analytics that are Robust and Trusted () consortium. The summit is expected to draw nearly 200 cybersecurity professionals across Arkansas in professional communities such as industry, critical infrastructure, academic, military, agency, and local and state government. The event’s focus will be on developing Arkansas as the Cyber Defense State. Topics will include a series of insightful discussions from cyber risk management, to geo-political events’ effect on adversary targeting of our nation’s infrastructure, workforce, and beyond. The summit is held by Forge Institute. As the nation’s leader in advancing cyber capabilities, Forge Institute hosts the Arkansas Cyber Summit as a way to bring community members together to discuss global cyber threats, workforce needs, and opportunities for Arkansas to better its cyber defenses and increase economic prosperity. The Forge Institute is also a long-time partner with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock on cybersecurity education and workforce development initiatives. Their most recent project has ��Vlog��ý Little Rock cybersecurity faculty members and students partnering with the Forge Institute on a project funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration that will help small businesses fight cybersecurity threats. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock also received a $1.96 million workforce development grant from the in the spring to form the Cyber Learning Network, a consortium among seven University of Arkansas System campuses to expand and diversify workforce education in emergent cyber technologies throughout the state of Arkansas and beyond. “This year’s summit is going to be incredible,” said Lee Watson, founder & CEO of Forge Institute. “We have a full list of Arkansas cybersecurity leaders, collaborators, and defenders and several national experts joining in the conversation. Plus, we’ll learn how recent geo-political events are shaping the idea of collective cybersecurity defense.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Awarded $1.96 Million Workforce Development Grant to Support a Regional Cyber Learning Network

John Hill — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 14:26:38 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a $1.96 million workforce development grant to fund further development of the Cyber Learning Network (CyberLearN) – a regional cyber-learning partnership with six other schools in the University of Arkansas System to address Arkansas’s talent gap in cybersecurity. The CyberLearN partners include ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, ��Vlog��ý Pine Bluff, ��Vlog��ý – Pulaski Technical College, ��Vlog��ý Cossatot, ��Vlog��ý Hope-Texarkana, ��Vlog��ýCC Batesville, and ��Vlog��ýCC Morrilton. The Forge Institute, the Arkansas Center for Data Sciences, and SmartResume are also collaborating on the initiative. Gov. Asa Hutchinson awarded a total of $7.9 million in Large-Scale Workforce Development Grants to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and eight other organizations during a March 15 press conference at the Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce. The grants were funded by the , a division of the Arkansas Department of Commerce. “We don’t have an unlimited source of funds in Arkansas for workforce training, so we want to invest it wisely,” Gov. Hutchinson said. “And you do that by partnering with industry to guide our training, our funding, so that it results in jobs.” CyberLearN leverages shared resources for the purposes of expanding and diversifying cyber workforce education in Arkansas. The consortium will provide more equitable access to cybersecurity education for Arkansas learners, aligning freshman and sophomore cybersecurity curriculum with ABET, a national accreditation board, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology Standards. CyberLearN partners will share instruction and create a common learning experience through standardized, hybrid-flexible learning spaces that will utilize the cloud-based . “��Vlog��ý Little Rock is proud to lead in creating the Cyber Learning Network, which will put Arkansas on the map for cybersecurity workforce education,” said Dr. Erin Finzer, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. “This new consortium among academic and nonprofit partners will serve as a model to provide collaborative education and training opportunities across the state. We thank Gov. Hutchinson and the Office of Skills Development for this investment in Arkansas’s economic security and for providing our state with cyber talent for many years to come.” CyberLearN will drive economic development opportunities by providing robust talent pathways and creating opportunities to spur creative innovations. Arkansas currently has more than 3,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions listed on LinkedIn, and that number is expected to continue to grow. Now that Arkansas’s broadband initiatives have provided more internet access across the state, there are more opportunities for cybersecurity professionals to work remotely, which can provide a boost for rural communities. The workforce development grant builds on the commitment and spirit of last year’s ��Vlog��ý System announcement of a $900,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to boost the state’s statewide workforce recovery from the economic impact of COVID-19 growth through the creation of the ��Vlog��ý System Workforce Response and Training Center. That grant included nine ��Vlog��ý System institutions, led by the Arkansas Economic Development Institute (AEDI) at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, to collect and analyze statewide workforce data and use outcomes to provide existing and bolstered education and training efforts through all seven of the ��Vlog��ý System’s two-year colleges, along with two colleges of technology at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (��Vlog��ýM). “This is a shining example of the synergy that’s possible by harnessing ��Vlog��ý System resources in a collaborative and innovative fashion to continue bolstering the growth of a world-class, highly skilled workforce in Arkansas,” said Chris Thomason, vice president for planning and development for the ��Vlog��ý System. “When we’re able to pool the resources and talent within the ��Vlog��ý System close to Arkansas citizens and in our communities, the momentum that’s created can have a much larger impact on the state’s economic growth and within Arkansas families.” In order to support this economic and workforce development potential, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and its academic partners are providing stackable certificates, which are a set of professional credentials that can be stacked into more advanced certificate and degree programs or may be earned by Arkansas workers wishing to upskill or reskill. Stackable certificates are an innovative way for institutions of higher education to serve working students by providing them with distinct skill sets and manageable motivators on their way to a two-year or four-year degree. “COVID has changed a lot of how we operate in higher education, and this program shows a positive adaptation in meeting the needs of today’s learners,” said Dr. Philip Huff, assistant professor of cybersecurity at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “The workforce needed in cybersecurity is so great right now, and we can’t simply tell the industry to wait four more years for us to provide you with a pipeline of talent when they need it yesterday. These stackable certificates address the immediate need, and also open up new academic paths if a student chooses to continue their education.” The certificate programs, the first of which is pending approval for the Fall 2022 semester, include two certificates of proficiency in cybersecurity fundamentals that “stack” into a technical certificate and associate degree. By completing these foundational certificates, learners will be ready to enroll in upper-level specialized certificates in areas like data security, digital forensics, cybersecurity operations, and software security. These certificates are designed to provide college students and workers with a road to lifelong learning with personalized pathways to learn skills that meet both learner and employer needs. “Higher education should seize every viable opportunity to increase efficiency in the delivery of educational services contributing to workforce education. CyberLearN is exactly this kind of opportunity,” Dr. Albert Baker, chair of the Department of Computer Science at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “It has been, and continues to be, energizing to collaborate on this opportunity to build efficiencies in the development of the Arkansas workforce in the emerging and evermore critically important cybersecurity industry.” While ��Vlog��ý System campuses will provide space and construction and renovation costs for the training operation centers, the grant will provide computer equipment and supplies, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Cyber Arena cloud access for all students, curriculum and instructional design, and tuition and fees for 100 new learners. An additional eight more scholarships will go to instructors from two-year colleges to earn ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s new graduate certificate in cybersecurity education in an effort to expand the cybersecurity teacher workforce in the state. Dr. Steve Cole, chancellor of ��Vlog��ý Cossatot, said one of his biggest worries is how to combat the cyber-attacks that are happening all around the world. This new partnership with CyberLearN will bring education and training opportunities directly to ��Vlog��ý Cossatot and other two-year colleges across the state. Having a skilled workforce that can respond to cyber threats will ensure a resilient economy in Arkansas. “Cybercrime just doesn’t touch large corporations, it even touches the small business owner with one employee,” Cole said. “To combat cybercrime, we must build a workforce of cybersecurity experts, and CyberLearN seeks to address this huge skills gap. Community colleges like ours find it extremely difficult sometimes to start new, technology-rich programs due to the high costs involved and the lack of available instruction, but a collaborative effort like CyberLearN allows us to tap into the talent at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and the Forge Institute to offer cybersecurity programming in our rural area. I am confident that, without this effort it would be difficult to offer a world-class program like this to many rural parts of the state like ours.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Forge Institute, and ��Vlog��ýPB Announce Creation of Consortium for Cyber Innovation

John Hill — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 14:04:49 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has partnered with the Forge Institute and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff to establish the Consortium for Cyber Innovation (CCI) to meet the country’s growing need for skilled cybersecurity professionals. The consortium will develop and align cyber education and grow applied research capabilities throughout the state. The consortium partners will collaborate on workforce development, research, and innovation to create a strategic industry cluster in emerging technologies that will support national defense and enhance Arkansas as a Cyber Defense State and cybersecurity hub. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock is proud to join the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the Forge Institute in an effort to scale and leverage resources towards workforce development, research, and innovation in cyber technologies,” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Chancellor Christina Drale said. “Together, we are building the future of our state as we pursue the common goal of ensuring national security through strategic and collaborative workforce development, research, and innovation.” The Forge Institute develops capabilities to solve broad challenges in emerging technology, cybersecurity, and national security. Its experienced cyber operators and leadership team are leveraging their extensive national network to promote workforce training and research collaborations by joining forces with the academic resources at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and ��Vlog��ýPB. “The Consortium for Cyber Innovation is monumental to developing our high-tech workforce and developing new capabilities to prevent, detect, and mitigate emerging technology risks to businesses, including our nation’s critical infrastructure,” said Lee Watson, CEO of the Forge Institute. “Both campuses already have outstanding undergraduate and graduate computer science programs, cybersecurity resources, and world-class faculty. We’re excited to lend our expertise to this very important endeavor which will help fill the coming 3.4 million job gap.” Cybercrime is a growing threat that is expected to cost the world more than $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, according to Watson. This increase in cyberattacks is expected to open 3.4 cybersecurity positions in the next few years. There are already 1,400 open positions in Arkansas, and more than 467,000 open positions in cybersecurity in the U.S., Watson said. This collaboration expands an existing successful collaboration between ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and Forge Institute. Students who complete the Forge Institute’s IT/Cyber Fundamentals professional development course can apply to receive three credit hours in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s recently launched bachelor’s degree program in cybersecurity. This recognition of learning outside of higher education is a bold step towards how colleges and universities can modernize their curricula to meet the needs of today’s students and industry. “We’re extremely excited to build this collaboration with Forge Institute,” said Dr. Brian Berry, vice provost for research and dean of the Graduate School at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “We view cybersecurity as an important field of study for our students, and the expertise Forge Institute lends offers a real-world perspective that can’t be simulated in the classroom.” The CCI builds on existing partnerships among the Forge Institute, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (U of A) that have already resulted in National Security Agency (NSA)-funded academic training and research programs. This includes the GenCyber summer camp for 7-12 graders, the Healthcare Cybersecurity Certification research project, and a new graduate certificate in cybersecurity education. Congressman French Hill said the creation of the CCI is a giant step in making Arkansas more competitive in cyber innovation, and that he is looking forward to following the consortium’s continued growth and success.

Dr. Al Baker, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock computer science chair, discusses a collaboration with ��Vlog��ýPB and the Forge Institute to establish the Consortium for Cyber Innovation with the purpose of developing and aligning cyber education and growing applied research capabilities in the state. Photo by Ben Krain.

“The University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff have taken steps to create a nurturing environment to promote computer science and cyber innovation,” Congressman Hill said. “This collaboration will take their commitment one step further.” Future research projects will include developing next-generation artificial intelligence capabilities to manage cybersecurity threats to both critical infrastructure and military and national defense networks. Advanced machine learning technologies will increase efficiency and expand near-term industry use of readily-available quantum computing capabilities. The CCI also plans to create a Strategic Initiative Office that will allow the consortium to obtain and manage large-scale federal funding for creating a sustainable network of education and research efforts in emerging technology and national defense. “As our state’s land grant, Historically Black University, ��Vlog��ýPB looks to contribute to the CCI’s strategic initiatives in a number of ways,” ��Vlog��ýPB Chancellor Laurence Alexander said. “Our expectation is that our university’s priorities of expanding computer education and the cyber workforce will lead to a more diverse industry workforce, reaching many of our underrepresented population. As such, the consortium will help build regional capacity to support economic growth and development across various industry sectors as the state recovers from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Industry partners who join the CCI can help in a number of ways, Watson said. They can hire new talent, especially Arkansas graduates, mentor students, bring in interns, help fund student research, and advise educators who are developing classes. David McCoy, principal security analyst, incident response commander, and head of forensics and investigation at Acxiom, a data management, data science, and privacy technology company, represented Acxiom as a founding industry partner. “I’m extremely honored to represent Acxiom in this effort to join these different entities together,” McCoy said. “The industry has been growing, to say the least, and to the point where you need formal tracks to get into what I do. We are getting into more formal education programs, which is going to be amazing, not only to the state of Arkansas but to the United States. Acxiom is super excited to join into this collaboration across industry’s public and private sectors sharing information, which is something we all need to do because the threats are real.” Globally, cybersecurity has become a trillion dollar industry with career opportunities open to thousands of Arkansans. Because of the state’s deep experience with data management, logistics, fintech, and other data-driven industries, Arkansas is well positioned to become a rallying point for the nation’s cybersecurity efforts. These opportunities produce good paying jobs for Arkansans. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock is committed to growing a talented workforce of highly skilled cyber professionals in Central Arkansas,” Drale said. “Directly related to that effort is the applied research of our nationally recognized faculty in cybersecurity, including research on social media threats by our Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies. This collaboration sets the stage for additional partnerships and initiatives, and that will establish Arkansas as a national leader in cybersecurity and related emerging technologies.”

U.S. Sen. John Boozman Visits ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, NuShores Biosciences

John Hill — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 18:28:29 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock and its spinoff company, NuShores Biosciences, received a visit from Sen. John Boozman Oct. 29 to check out the ongoing research and scientific advancements at the institutions. Sen. Boozman first visited NuShores Biosciences to get a firsthand look at innovative labs and projects underway in central Arkansas. NuShores CEO Sharon Ballard and Dr. Alex Biris, director of the Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences, gave the senator a tour of the facility and reviewed the initiatives to commercialize the bone and tissue regeneration technologies. “I’m grateful for Sen. Boozman’s support of NuShores and our licensor ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” Ballard said. “He asked great questions and enjoyed discussing our science and manufacturing efforts with our team. It was quite the energy boost to have a sitting senator take such interest and encouragement in our work!” Sen. Boozman also learned about the manufacturing processes for the NuCress Bone Scaffold that has been developed at NuShores with funding from the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Army Medical Command. “NuShores is doing groundbreaking work to help improve bone regeneration technology, and I enjoyed getting to learn more about its operation and research, which could ultimately help prevent amputations,” Sen. Boozman said. At ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, the senator toured the Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS), the Emerging Analytics Center (EAC), and the Cyber Arena in the Donaghey College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics to see the amazing projects taking place in information science, computer science, cybersecurity, and augmented and virtual reality. “Sen. Boozman’s visits are always a delight,” said Dr. Lawrence Whitman, dean of the Donaghey College of STEM. “We appreciate his support of the vital research at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and the manner in which he engages us to ensure that we are providing impact for all Arkansans.” Sen. Boozman and his staff have worked with the university for the last several years in helping secure federal funding for many of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s research projects focused on national security. “The important research conducted at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is leading to breakthroughs and discoveries that enable us to better safeguard our country against emerging threats,” Sen. Boozman said. “I’m proud to support the development of innovative strategies advanced by ��Vlog��ý Little Rock researchers that offer solutions to enhance our national security and preparedness.” In , Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Jerry L. Maulden-Entergy endowed chair and distinguished professor of information science and director of COSMOS, shared how his research team is using social media analysis to defend against global disinformation threats. One example is COSMOS’ in partnership with the Arkansas Attorney General’s office. COSMOS’ research is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Defense and National Science Foundation. “We deeply appreciate Sen. Boozman for his unwavering support to the research conducted at COSMOS for strengthening the social and cognitive security apparatus that is furthering the U.S. Department of Defense’s mission, particularly enhancing force protection and operation security against adversarial information operations,” Agarwal said. “During the visit, Senator Boozman inspired and encouraged to keep up the groundbreaking research that is of national and strategic importance.” In the Cyber Arena, Sen. Boozman met several students enrolled in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s new cybersecurity degree program, which is working to fill the gap of qualified cybersecurity professionals needed to protect network security throughout the country. “We appreciate Sen. Boozman’s work to bring cybersecurity workforce development and research opportunities to Arkansas. Our students have tremendous talent and creativity in developing solutions to defend the nation, and the senator works hard to continue providing them with opportunities to make use of those talents.” said Philip Huff, assistant professor of cybersecurity. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has received numerous grants and created partnerships for workforce education and cybersecurity. These grants are helping ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to provide K-12 cybersecurity education to students in Arkansas, the country’s first graduate certificate in cybersecurity education, and a for first responders.

Sen. John Boozman visits with Dr. Alex Biris and other workers at NuShores Biosciences.

“The State of Arkansas is providing outstanding support for research and teaching in computer science and cybersecurity,” said Dr. Albert Baker, chair of the Department of Science. “The federal support Sen. Boozman has secured for productive research programs at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is producing actionable results for the state and the nation. We are genuinely appreciative that the senator took the time to review the funded research projects.” Dr. Jan Springer, director of the , discussed the work the center is doing to enhance the nation’s border security. “Our team in the Emerging Analytics Center showcased their work on automated detection of organic threats in x-ray scans for Sen. Boozman,” Springer said. “Throughout this project, the senator has emphasized the importance of innovating border security and has helped us tremendously in securing funding for developing tools and techniques to meet this national priority.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to Host Cybersecurity Panel Discussion Oct. 21

John Hill — Fri, 15 Oct 2021 13:17:46 +0000

In celebration of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will hold a panel discussion with the top cybersecurity experts at the university. The panel will be held from 2-3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, in Dickinson Hall Auditorium. Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security and National Cyber Security Alliance. It was created to ensure individuals stay safe and secure online. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s cybersecurity panel will focus on the 2021 theme, “Do Your Part #BeCyberSmart.” The panelists will give a timely and informative discussion on how people can improve online security and share recent cybersecurity events that have occurred at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. The panelists include Dr. Philip Huff, assistant professor of computer science, Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Jerry L. Maulden-Entergy endowed chair and distinguished professor of information science and director of the Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS), Dr. Thomas Bunton, chief information officer at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, and Dr. Veysel Erdag, chief information security office at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Dr. Erin Finzer, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, will serve as moderate.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Will Offer Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity Education Through National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy

John Hill — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 13:43:50 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a $750,000 grant from the , located within the National Security Agency, and will be one of the first universities in the country to offer a graduate certificate in cybersecurity education through the National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy. The National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy is a collaboration of 10 institutions in nine states that will offer the first credentialing program for high school cybersecurity education in the country. The inaugural program will prepare 90 high school teachers to teach an advanced cybersecurity course. “Providing these educational resources to our partners at the secondary level strengthens our fight against cyber crime while attracting more students into a reliable and exciting career pipeline,” said Chancellor Christina Drale. “The demand for cybersecurity professionals shows no sign of slowing down as more businesses become increasingly dependent on technology.” Teachers who are accepted into the National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy will receive funding covering tuition for the 12-credit hour virtual graduate certificate. Teachers who complete the academy will also have the option to complete six additional credit hours that will certify them to teach dual/concurrent enrollment cybersecurity courses. The National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy is an excellent fit with Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s and the Arkansas Department of Education’s efforts to make K-12 computer science education a priority. “With the increasingly complex cyberthreats our nation has endured and will continue to face, it is the responsibility of our state and schools to produce students prepared to defend our systems against those threats,” said Anthony Owen, state director of computer science education at the Arkansas Department of Education. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock has remained a great partner to the Arkansas Computer Science and Computing Initiative since it was started by Governor Hutchinson in 2015. The announcement of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock team seeking out and being awarded a federal grant which will provide cybersecurity training to Arkansas high school teachers is another example of their continued and innovative commitment to the initiative, our educators, and students of Arkansas.” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is one of only three universities in the country who will offer the National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy, along with the University of Louisville and DePaul University. Each university has a regional college and community college partner who will help with curriculum development and teacher recruitment. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s partners are California State University, Sacramento and Estrella Mountain Community College. “This is a great opportunity for high school teachers,” said Philip Huff, assistant professor of cybersecurity at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “They will get experience in a new subject where expert knowledge is required. Teachers who complete the academy will come back with real-world experience in teaching cybersecurity classes, an in-depth understanding of cybersecurity, and great materials for their future courses. The program will help teachers provide students with opportunities in one of the fastest growing careers in the country.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock students demonstrate the universitys cloud-based cybersecurity lab, the Cyber Arena. Photo by Ben Krain.

The academy’s partner institutions will also work with DARK Enterprises, a nonprofit that specializes in cybersecurity education at the secondary education level. The coalition will provide opportunities to build pathways toward dual/concurrent enrollment and 2+2 programs with high schools. The graduate certificate program is grounded in the High School Cybersecurity Curriculum Guidelines, the development of which was pioneered by DARK Enterprises and the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation. This will move high school cybersecurity education toward a more standardized body of knowledge to build courses and pathways. The first cohort of the National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy will begin with an Introduction to Cybersecurity Education course in the spring 2022 semester followed by six credit hours during summer 2022. In their second summer, teachers will study the working environment for cybersecurity professionals and complete a practicum with local industry partners to gain real-world experience. Cybersecurity remains one of the most in-demand careers in the country. This new graduate certificate will help fill the gap for cybersecurity professionals in the state. “Cybersecurity is a rapidly growing field, in which the need for qualified employees is far outpacing the number of available candidates,” said Sandra Leiterman, managing director of the Cyber Arena. “One way to address this shortage is by increasing awareness and interest in cybersecurity by providing high school students with the fundamental knowledge they need in order to pursue a career in cybersecurity. The National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy will help to bridge the gap between the job demand and the size of the workforce needed to fill the vacancies.” People may register to receive more information , or contact Jenny Daugherty at jenny.daugherty@darkenterprisesinc.com for questions about the program.

U.S. News and World Report Recognizes ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for Social Mobility

John Hill — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 13:05:38 +0000

Several academic programs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock have made the grade by earning a spot in U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 Best College Rankings. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s top ranking came for #143 in Social Mobility – National Universities. The university has risen 48 spots since last year. U.S. News and World Report also previously ranked ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as the top university in Arkansas for social mobility. The ranking measures a university’s success in graduating economically disadvantaged students who are less likely to finish college. “Helping our students advance involves offering more than excellent academic programming,” said Chancellor Christina Drale. “We have intentionally developed resources and expanded services to support students in the transition from classroom to career. Improving our ranking in social mobility reflects a concrete measure of our focused attention on student success.” The social mobility indicator measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants. Students receiving these grants typically come from households whose family incomes are less than $50,000 annually, though most Pell Grant money goes to students with a total family income below $20,000. The social mobility ranking was computed by assessing Pell Grant graduation rates and Pell Grant graduate rate performance. At ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, 39 percent of undergraduate students from the fall 2021 semester are Pell Grant recipients, and 55 percent of undergraduate students with known generation status are first-generation students. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s student body is the most diverse of any college or university in Arkansas. About 45 percent of the student population reports to be in a minority population, two or more races, or international. U.S. News rankings are widely recognized as symbols of excellence in higher education that are conferred by an unbiased trust agent. With more than 15 measures of academic quality, the U.S. News 2022 Best Colleges report provides data-driven information and guidance to help prospective students and their families understand their higher education options. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s in U.S. News and World Report 2022 Best College Rankings include:

Best Undergraduate Nursing #148
Best Undergraduate Business #212
Best Undergraduate Computer Science #252

The School of Nursing, the university’s largest undergraduate program, has a variety of well-respected undergraduate degree programs, including the Student to RN, Student to BSN, Online RN to BSN, and LPN/Paramedic to RN. The online RN to BSN program was ranked the best in the state this year for the second year in a row by RegisteredNursing.org.

Senior nursing students in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock School of Nursing prepare for transition to practice by participating in an Emergency Room simulation in the Center for Simulation Innovation. Photo by Ben Krain.

“We are very proud of our faculty, staff, and students at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock School of Nursing to gain recognition with U.S. News and World Report, a gold-standard in rankings,” said Dr. Sloan Davidson, director of the School of Nursing at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “Many innovative learning opportunities are happening in the School of Nursing.” The School of Business serves as a catalyst to advance education and economic development in the state of Arkansas. It is home to the Arkansas Economic Development Institute, the state’s lead Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, the State Farm Business Skills Lab, and the Kenneth Pat Wilson Center for Economic Education. “We are honored to be recognized as a top undergraduate program in business,” said Dr. Robert Mitchell, director of the School of Business at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “Our business graduates are well equipped to become excellent employees and help grow the Arkansas business industry to its potential.” The Department of Computer Science, initially accredited in 1990 and the first Computer Science program accredited in the state, offers a minor in information insurance, a bachelor’s degree in computer science with an option that focuses on games, a master’s degree in computer science, and a Ph.D. in computer and information science. The department also welcomed its first cybersecurity majors this fall in a new bachelor’s degree program that prepares students for one of the fastest growing careers in the world. “The department’s areas of opportunity for our students enable undergraduate students to participate in projects outside the classroom,” said Dr. Al Baker, chair of the Department of Computer Science. “These areas include cybersecurity, virtual and augmented reality, data visualization, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and mobile, smart systems, and software for IoT (Internet of Things). These opportunities in an ABET-accredited degree program make ��Vlog��ý Little Rock an outstanding place to study computer science.”

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Cybersecurity Leader Earns Master’s Degree from ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Celebrates Computer Science Educators

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Receives $800K NSA Grant to Expand Cybersecurity Education, Standardize National Curriculum Guidelines

Huff, Finzer to Speak at Annual Cybersecurity Summit

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Awarded $1.96 Million Workforce Development Grant to Support a Regional Cyber Learning Network

����Vlog��ý Little Rock, Forge Institute, and ����Vlog��ýPB Announce Creation of Consortium for Cyber Innovation

U.S. Sen. John Boozman Visits ����Vlog��ý Little Rock, NuShores Biosciences

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to Host Cybersecurity Panel Discussion Oct. 21

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Will Offer Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity Education Through National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy

U.S. News and World Report Recognizes ����Vlog��ý Little Rock for Social Mobility