Shaping the future: IU leading the way in cybersecurity education, research, collaboration

Continued advancements in Indiana University's cybersecurity programs—including those addressing cybersecurity in space—exemplify our national leadership and dedication to student preparation in rapidly evolving sectors.

At the forefront is IU's Space Governance Lab, a collaboration between IU Bloomington's Ostrom Workshop, Laval University in Québec, and the Centre for International Governance Innovation think tank. The lab offers the nation's first space governance and space-cyber courses, which are taught through IU’s Maurer School of Law and Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

IU researchers in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences are leading two cybersecurity projects as part of the National Science Foundation’s Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace program. Their work is shaping a multi-institutional effort to understand how to protect data shared across distributed computing systems, such as cloud computing environments, and how to protect the security and privacy of marginalized and vulnerable populations.

These efforts are in addition to collaboration between the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and IU’s Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research, OmniSOC, Ostrom Workshop, and Kelley School of Business to develop a new cybersecurity and resilience content library. With a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, this partnership prepares military base commanders, local leaders, and first responders for potential cyberattacks.

Finally, IU—as a founding partner of the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics—participated in the announcement of a new $20 million investment from Google.org that will help expand existing clinics and create new ones across the nation. The IU Cybersecurity Clinic, which provides pro bono cybersecurity assistance to public infrastructure and community organizations, is also being supported by a new European Union grant, in collaboration with the Hamilton Lugar Monnet Centre of Excellence, to expand the clinic and include a new undergraduate course, which will further equip our students to become future leaders in cybersecurity.

These are just a few cybersecurity programs and initiatives that clearly demonstrate our service to the state, to the region, and beyond, as well as our sustained dedication to training top-quality talent to meet a growing critical need in this country and our world. I’m grateful to the faculty, staff, students, and partners responsible for making them a reality.

Pamela Whitten

President
Indiana University