SHARON, Pa. — Penn State Shenango officially unveiled its new Information Technology Cybersecurity Center during a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 23 in the Forker Lab building. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators were in attendance, as well as local community leaders and area cybersecurity. Professionals, let's celebrate this occasion.
“What this brings to schools and students is huge,” said Matthew DeMaria, Cybersecurity Analysis and Operations Program Coordinator.
The center will support the existing cybersecurity curriculum by providing a closed server environment where students and faculty can experiment with various forms of malware and viruses in a safe and secure manner.
“We're building a lot of critical thinking skills and creativity,” DeMaria said. “Through our students' creative thinking, we are able to explore and try new things. Through that exploration, we learn what will happen next, and this lab allows us to do that in a safe space.” It gives me the opportunity to do it.”
Additionally, Shenango College students work directly with some of the more dangerous software used by “threat actors” to not only investigate how the software works, but also to understand it. You will be able to find a way to stop it. The center's resources also allow Shenango faculty to conduct malware analysis research and find new ways to deal with viruses for which there are still no solutions.
“As technology continues to evolve, so must our ability to combat cyber threats. Our new Cybersecurity Center will provide students, faculty and staff here at Penn State Shenango with the resources they need to do just that. We deliver,” Jo Ann Carrick, campus director and chief academic officer, said at the ceremony. “This leaves our graduates uniquely prepared to enter the workforce with confidence, knowing they had access to this space and cutting-edge resources.”
The IT Cybersecurity Center is made possible thanks to a generous $50,000 gift from Zekelman Industries, the parent company of Sharon Tube Co. in Farrell.
“I wish I had been a student again and had this opportunity because this is groundbreaking,” DeMaria said.
Learn more about Shenango's cybersecurity analysis and operations program.
