Education

The coalition has enabled the availability of educational material to be made available.

University partners have collaborated to translate, curate and offer the results of ongoing foundational and applied research, tools, and commercial capabilities that provide practical solutions, fill identified gaps in workforce development and educational curricula, and serve as a platform by which our nation’s critical security needs can be more fully addressed.

Iowa State University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are among the leading universities in cyber-physical systems security for critical infrastructures, with documented achievements in R&D, cybersecurity education, and industry and stakeholder engagements.

Today, there is a mixture of academic, professional training, and hands-on job education and training programs, as well as a small number of professional certifications.

To accomplish coalition objectives emphasis was placed on cultivating an ecosystem where participants can apply their knowledge and skills to the defense of CPSCI. The two primary components of this ecosystem are: 1) the defense of the CPSCI; and, 2) the education and training necessary to carry out the first component. As a result, the coalition will aid in the development of a trained and capable workforce.

Based on feedback learned from coalition member engagement, ongoing discussions, event participation and surveys collected, the universities leading the coalition were able to develop and curate educational material, design and facilitate experiential-focused learning opportunities and cultivate an environment that supports the energy infrastructure domain within critical cyber-physical infrastructure.

Modular educational materials are available that facilitate broad adoption, adaptation, and reuse within other cyber-physical system and ICS domains.