UMass Dartmouth has received a $500K grant that will be used to create an Intelligent Industrial Robotics and Cybersecurity Testbed, which will prepare students for cyber careers and expose K-12 students to hands-on learning opportunities.
The grant comes from the Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant Program for Industrial Robotics and Cybersecurity, which will help over 1,000 undergraduate students in various areas of studies.
According to the press release, the new cyber testbed will be used “to support students and gain career-relevant technical experience. The intent is to foster K-12 engagement through Our Sisters’ School in New Bedford and through the substantial network of faculty affiliated with the Kaput Center for Research and Innovation in STEM Education at UMass Dartmouth.”
The grant will also help K-12 students that come from disadvantage backgrounds, such as those from the Our Sisters’ School, to learn about concepts such as electrical engineering and computer science.
The program is also aimed at career-level skills in the areas of cybersecurity and STEM so that students will be able to enter the work environment with more confidence.
The UMass Dartmouth’s Cybersecurity Center has been heralded as one of the leading educational institutions on cybersecurity, according to the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research.
