Mission

The Institute for Cyber Security is an interdisciplinary institute that promotes and encourages cybersecurity awareness and practice, both on campus and off, through teaching, research, and service activities to enhance people’s knowledge of and skills in this important field.

Cybersecurity is broadly defined to include information security, cyber forensics, data quality, data completeness, data accuracy, privacy, and other issues related to storing, transmitting, and sharing data and other information. The Institute involves faculty and students from the colleges of Business; Education and Human Services; Health Sciences; Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs; and Natural Sciences and Mathematics in the dissemination of knowledge, research, and service projects in the general area of cybersecurity.

The Institute will affiliate itself with faculty and students at other institutions, such as community and other four-year colleges, to share resources and information in this field and promote the concept and practice of ensuring the security and integrity of information.

The Institute for Cyber Security annually secures hundreds of thousands of dollars of federally funded grants to support all of its activities. Moreover, ICS strives to establish leadership in cybersecurity by contributing to various national initiatives intended to improve the nation’s security posture through:

  • Producing qualified graduates in cybersecurity.
  • Securing and executing major federally funded projects.
  • Conducting state-of-the-art research in various security topics to contribute to the body of knowledge in this important area.
  • Offering cybersecurity camps to K-12 students and teachers to foster interest in the field at various school districts throughout Pennsylvania and beyond.
  • Providing “Training the Trainer” faculty professional development workshops in cybersecurity.
  • Partnering with other Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Security to bolster the national program in cybersecurity.
  • Collaborating with companies in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and surrounding areas engaged in security research.
  • Providing internship opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience in cybersecurity as they work with faculty research or community projects.
  • Increasing awareness of security and encouraging local companies to participate in security by arranging distinguished visitor seminars and sponsoring colloquia, conferences, and workshops in the area of cybersecurity.

News

Careers Preparation National Center Funds Six NCAE Learning Certificates

The Careers Preparation National Center is pleased to announce funding for six National Centers of Academic Excellence Cooperative Learning Certificates. These funded certificates are available to students from NCAE-designated schools who wish to participate in the eight-month NCAE Co-Op Cybersecurity Program, running from January to August 2025.

CAE Lecture Series - December 6, 2024

Mark your calendars and come join your colleagues in the CAE community for the CAE Lecture Series. CAE Lecture Series are free and conducted live in real-time over MS Teams so no travel is required. NSA’s CAE PMO office hosts the presentations via MS Teams which employs slides, VOIP, and chat for live interaction.

CAE Federal Careers Information Session, Dec. 4

Mark your calendars and come join our CAE federal partners for a federal career's information session open to CAE students and faculty. These sessions are free and conducted live in real-time over MS Teams so no travel is required. NSA’s CAE program management office will host the presentations via MS Teams which employs slides, VOIP, and chat for live interaction.

CAE Lecture Series, Nov. 22

Mark your calendars and come join your colleagues in the CAE community for the CAE Lecture Series. CAE Lecture Series are free and conducted live in real-time over MS Teams so no travel is required. NSA’s CAE PMO office hosts the presentations via MS Teams, which employs slides, VOIP, and chat for live interaction. Just click on the link and enjoy the presentation(s).

Institute for Cyber Security Hosts NAVSUP Business Systems Center Representative

On November 13, the IUP Institute for Cyber Security hosted Kevin Davis, division supervisor of the Naval Supply Systems Command Business Systems Center.

Programs of Study

IUP offers a BS in computer science/cybersecurity track and a minor in cybersecurity. The IUP cybersecurity curriculum is an NSA-validated Program of Study (PoS), and IUP is designated as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE). Scholarships and other unique opportunities are available to our students.

Activities

The Institute for Cyber Security, in collaboration with IT Services and other departments, actively promotes cybersecurity awareness throughout the year. Representative activities include Cyber Security Day, Cyber Security Club, National Cyber Security Awareness Month, Outreach to Community Colleges, and interdisciplinary roundtable discussions on issues of national cybersecurity.

Research and Student Work

Faculty affiliated with the Institute are actively involved in research in various cybersecurity, including IoT security, national cybersecurity strategy, intrusion detection, multimedia security, and cloud computing. Students in their studies complete several research papers and presentations on numerous cybersecurity topics.

Resources

The Institute for Cyber Security, together with the IUP Library and IT Support Services, provides links to numerous resources on cybersecurity and related fields.