Michigan Tech at Forefront of Federal Cybersecurity Research

A computer in Bo Chen's cybersecurity lab at Michigan Tech with a circuit board and mouse in the foreground as a researcher's hand is shown navigating the cursor.
A computer in Bo Chen's cybersecurity lab at Michigan Tech with a circuit board and mouse in the foreground as a researcher's hand is shown navigating the cursor.
Cybersecurity is a national priority. Michigan Tech plays an important role in addressing a growing array of current and future concerns.
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By Karen Johnson
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Category: Computing And Data Science, Honors And Awards
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Michigan Tech’s cybersecurity research program has been recognized nationally for its academic and research excellence.

Michigan Technological University has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research (CAE-R) by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). The CAE-R designation recognizes Michigan Tech as meeting rigorous requirements set forth by the NSA and extends through the 2029 academic year.

“CAE-R designation gives us access to many federal cybersecurity research grants, boosts our national recognition and elevates our position in the cybersecurity research field,” said Bo Chen, a cybersecurity expert in Michigan Tech’s College of Computing. Chen, an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science, chaired the CAE-R designation committee at Tech. 

A cybersecurity researcher at Tech introduces first-year Huskies to his lab.
Bo Chen introduces first-year Huskies to his Security and Privacy Lab, which was established at Michigan Tech in early 2018 to promote cybersecurity research and education. 

The CAE-R designation program was established to build, support and engage a cadre of experts who can address new challenges presented by an onslaught of ever-evolving cyberattacks. The program “addresses a critical shortage of professionals with cybersecurity skills and highlights the importance of higher education as a solution to defending America’s cyberspace,” said Renae Weathers, NSA National CAE program manager. The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research said a highly skilled cybersecurity workforce is a strategic national security advantage.

In February 2023, Michigan Tech was designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD), which is in effect through 2028. At MTU, the Institute of Computing and Cybersystems Center for Cybersecurityserves as the hub for the CAE-R and CAE-CD programs. 

Dennis Livesay, Dave House Dean of Computing, said the designations are a part of a University-wide effort to grow College of Computing cybersecurity research and degree programs, including the creation of an online Foundations of Cybersecurity graduate certificate.

"The CAE-R designation supports an environment in which students and researchers can share and collaborate and confirms Michigan Tech’s readiness to make meaningful contributions to the nation’s cyber defense."Dennis Livesay, Dave House Dean of Computing

Additional committee members and faculty involved in the designation application included members of Tech’s applied computing, computer science, and electrical and computer engineering departments.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.

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