University of Texas at San Antonio gets $5 million grant for research, education on cloud computing

Working barefoot and in beachwear from his home office on Australia’s Gold Coast, the amiable security researcher Troy Hunt set up his irreverent website, “Have I Been Pwned?” (POHND), in 2013. Millions of people have since used the free service to see if hackers have liberated their personal details from unwary companies and posted them online. less Working barefoot and in beachwear from his home office on Australia’s Gold Coast, the amiable security researcher Troy Hunt set up his irreverent website, “Have I Been Pwned?” (POHND), in 2013. Millions ... more Photo: Damian Dovarganes /Associated Press Photo: Damian Dovarganes /Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close University of Texas at San Antonio gets $5 million grant for research, education on cloud computing 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The University of Texas at San Antonio received a $5 million National Science Foundation grant to create a new research and education cloud computing center, the university announced.

UTSA, which first pointed to cybersecurity in 2001 “as an area of strategic importance,” is using the funds to create the Center for Security and Privacy Enhanced Cloud Computing, which will be concentrated around the intersection of cybersecurity and cloud computing, according to a news release. The colleges of science, engineering, education and business are participating in the multidisciplinary center, which UTSA hopes, “will act as a pipeline to create well-trained professionals in the industry and strengthen San Antonio as a cybersecurity hub,” according to the press release.

“Creating a place where UTSA can expand its cybersecurity focus and apply its vast expertise to cloud computing will enable the university to make meaningful contributions with a practical impact,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy in the announcement. “The center will also give UTSA students an unparalleled learning opportunity to conduct research alongside the university’s nationally recognized experts in cyber, cloud, computing and analytics.”

The center also is hoping to increase minority participation in tech, and to help educate high school students, according to the release. The center and Northside Independent School District are going to partner and offer certificate programs to teachers and students in the school district, according to the release.

“Research estimates that the world will have 1.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs by the year 2020,” said Ravi Sandhu in the release, who is leading the project. “In addition to leading research at the intersection of cloud computing and cybersecurity, C-SPECC will play a critical role in attracting more youth to the profession. If we want to fill 1.5 million jobs, we need to begin recruiting smart kids and giving them the opportunity to experience a security career first hand.”

Sandhu, a professor of computer science, is also the founding executive director of the UTSA Institute for Cyber Security. The Institute opened in 2008 the university’s first cloud computing research laboratory, according to the release.

UTSA’s College of Education and Human Development will offer the certificate programs through the center, according to the release, which will allow teachers to “expand their understanding of cybersecurity and cloud computing, and how to teach it to high school students,” according to the release. UTSA will offer each semester a new course for teachers to keep up with changes in cybersecurity and cloud computing.

High school students from the district will also be recruited to study at the center, according to the announcement.

“The outreach program will give the teens an opportunity to try on security-related careers, engaging them as they consider areas of study to pursue in college and embark on college preparedness paths,” according to the release.

UTSA will work with participating schools — the Business Careers High School, Earl Warren High School, William Howard Taft High School and John Marshall Harlan High School — to offer internships and foster mentorships, according to the announcement.

And students may end up interning for Rackspace, according to the announcement.

“Rackspace, a San Antonio-based managed cloud provider, will recruit students from C-SPECC for internships and part-time employment and participate in coding ‘hackathons’ to promote interest in the field,” the announcement says.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology and NSS Labs, an Austin-based security testing and analysis company, will also partner with the new center, according to the announcement.

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