Workshops funded by the National Science Foundation Cyberinfrastructure Center of Excellence Demonstration Pilot

WASHINGTON, June 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Minority Serving - Cyberinfrastructure Consortium (MS-CC) and Internet2 today announced a series of ransomware security and cyberinfrastructure workshops beginning in June 2022 to be held on the campuses of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). 

In a recent stakeholder survey administered by the MS-CC and Internet2 between December 2021 and January 2022, cybersecurity was the highest-ranked immediate priority with regard to cyberinfrastructure needs for respondents from HBCUs, TCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), and other minority serving institutions (MSIs).

"We've heard our community of HBCUs and minority serving institutions loud and clear – cybersecurity threats are a major barrier to implementing robust and reliable cyberinfrastructure on their campuses," said Lawrence Williams, MS-CC program director. "With support from the National Science Foundation, we are coordinating this series of workshops focused on ransomware to ensure campuses have the tools and support needed to bolster their institution's cybersecurity posture."

The cybersecurity workshops will provide hands-on learning experiences for information technology leadership and staff from HBCUs and TCUs focused on strategies and tactics to improve their institution's cybersecurity posture, as well as defend against and effectively respond to the growing threat of ransomware attacks. 

"This workshop series also reflects the MS-CC's commitment to creating new opportunities for community-building and networking," Williams added. "We want to facilitate new connections and expand collective expertise to help campuses increase their competitiveness, grow capabilities, and participate in the global cyberinfrastructure ecosystem." 

The first workshop will take place June 22-23 on the North Carolina A&T State University campus in Greensboro, NC. Subsequent workshops will take place at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, AL; Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC; Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, MT; and Jackson State University in Jackson, MS. The workshop at Salish Kootenai College is presented in collaboration with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). Additional workshops at HBCUs are under consideration.

Workshop registration is free and funded by the National Science Foundation's Cyberinfrastructure Center of Excellence Demonstration Pilot grant (# 2137123) awarded to the MS-CC and Internet2. 

For more information about the upcoming cybersecurity workshop series, please visit the MS-CC events page.

MS-CC envisions a transformational partnership to promote advanced cyberinfrastructure (CI) capabilities on HBCU, HSI, TCU, and MSI campuses, with data; research computing; teaching; curriculum development and implementation; collaboration; and capacity-building connections among institutions. The consortium emerged from a National Science Foundation-funded pilot project that was awarded through Clemson University: NSF OAC #1659297 "CC* Cyber Team: Cyberinfrastructure Empowerment for Diverse Research, Scholarship, and Workforce Development (CI Empower)." 

In September 2021, the MS-CC and Internet2 were awarded nearly $3 million by the National Science Foundation over two years to fund a Center of Excellence to advance the research cyberinfrastructure capabilities and support systems for HBCUs and TCUs (NSF Award # 2137123). While the initial focus of this grant is to advance cyberinfrastructure on campuses with definite needs through a partnership model, possibilities exist for additional opportunities to further expand the collaborations and support among other MSIs.

Internet2® is a non-profit, member-driven advanced technology community founded by the nation's leading higher education institutions in 1996. Internet2 delivers a diverse portfolio of technology solutions that leverages, integrates, and amplifies the strengths of its members and helps support their educational, research, and community service missions. 

Working in close collaboration with the MS-CC is driven by Internet2's desire to ensure the equal participation of historically underserved institutions within the U.S. and global research and education communities. The participation of HBCUs, TCUs, HSIs, and other MSIs in our shared cyberinfrastructure is critical to our collective success in enabling access to the brightest minds, wherever they may be located.

Internet2 offices are located in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Denver, Colo.; Washington, D.C.; and West Hartford, Conn. For more information, visit https://internet2.edu/ or follow @Internet2 on Twitter.

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SOURCE Internet2