Center to Train Students for Careers in Cybersecurity
Image by Tory Wesnofske for UMass Lowell
11/01/2019
Contacts for media: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell today unveiled its new Cyber Range, a center for cybersecurity education, research and workforce development.
The center uses real-world scenarios to prepare people for careers in the growing field, which is expected to produce more than 3 million job openings by 2021.
UMass Lowell is designated as a National Security Agency/Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence in Cyber Defense Research and is home to the UMass Lowell Center for Internet Security and Forensic Education, which is working to advance information assurance and digital forensics. Faculty from computer science and engineering to business and criminal justice are engaged in research in all aspects of cybersecurity.
The university is also a leader in cybersecurity education and training, offering a range of in-person and online programs in the subject.
“So much of our daily life unfolds online, which has greatly increased the need for highly skilled cybersecurity workers. We are proud to provide UMass Lowell students with the very best training to prepare them for careers in this important field,” UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney said at the opening event. “This new Cyber Range supports students’ education, while also helping employers secure the skilled workforce to address a critical issue.”
“We must rise to the challenge and stop cybercriminals in their tracks,” said U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan. “The new Cyber Range allows UMass Lowell to expand the pipeline of skilled and hard-working graduates that companies throughout our region have come to rely on in developing the talented workforce necessary to take on such challenges.”
UMass Lowell students provided demonstrations of the Cyber Range’s capabilities and how they are used to teach students to combat cyberattacks and more.
Speakers at the opening also included Tim Burke, vice president of infrastructure engineering at Red Hat Inc.; Margie Zuk, MITRE Corp. senior principal cybersecurity engineer; Michael Brown, retired U.S. Navy rear admiral and president of Spinnaker Security LLC; Stephanie Helm, director of the MassCyberCenter at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative; Katie Stebbins, UMass system vice president for economic development; state Rep. Tom Golden; Lowell Mayor William Samaras; and Noureddine Melikechi, dean of UMass Lowell’s Kennedy College of Sciences.
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu