Huntington Times

Marshall University and U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito recently hosted Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), at the university's new National Center of Excellence for Cybersecurity in Critical Infrastructure/Institute for Cyber Security. The visit aimed to showcase efforts to enhance cybersecurity and train future cyber experts. The event included a series of meetings with officials from Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network, West Virginia Air National Guard, CISA, and other educational and government partners.

Easterly, who leads CISA’s initiatives to mitigate risks to national cyber and physical infrastructure, has a distinguished background including service in the U.S. Army and roles at the White House under two administrations.

“This center is emblematic of the innovation we need to inspire our next generation of cyber professionals and advance the cutting-edge research necessary to keep our nation secure and resilient,” Easterly stated.

Marshall University President Brad D. Smith emphasized West Virginians' commitment to national service, highlighting the importance of defending against cyber threats.

“We understand the importance of this mission,” Smith remarked. “We are proud that we have the opportunity to be designated a center of academic access for cybersecurity. We’ve been designated to protect the East Coast of the United States, and we are doing that in partnership with our local community, as well as our education and federal partners.”

A panel discussion on women in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence featured Easterly alongside Capito; Marshall First Lady Alys Smith; Alexandria Royal, senior technical advisor at U.S. Cyber Command-JFHQ-DODIN; and Amy Cyphert, an associate professor at West Virginia University School of Law.

Construction began in May on the new institute located at Fourth Avenue and Hal Greer Boulevard. The 78,000-square-foot facility will include a state-of-the-art operations center modeled after JFHQ-DODIN Headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland, as well as a similar operation at the University of Texas-San Antonio. It will also feature 13 labs dedicated to various aspects of cybersecurity training including industrial control systems, internet of things (IoT), open-source intelligence labs among others.

For more information on the Institute for Cyber Security, visit Home – Institute for Cyber Security (marshall.edu).