Cybersecurity is Focus of Workshops for Teens

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo School of Management and Time Warner Cable today announced a new partnership to expand the Western New York Cybersecurity Workshop Outreach program that educates students on careers in cybersecurity.

Approximately 1,000 middle and high school students are expected to take part in the program, which features live demonstrations of cybersecurity equipment, hands-on activities and basic lessons on a range of topics, including data encryption, wireless security, digital forensics, firewalls, anti-virus tools and intrusion detection systems.

The workshops are designed to teach students about the growing field of information assurance, with emphasis on how they might pursue it as a field of study and a career path, as well as highlighting the importance of cybersecurity to corporate and homeland security.

Cyber threats are on the rise, creating an urgent need for professionals with the technical and managerial skills to protect national and business interests, according to the organizers of the program, H.R. Rao, professor, and David Murray, assistant professor, both in the UB School of Management's Department of Management Science and Systems.

Rao and Murray hope to help meet this escalating demand by encouraging bright, young students, including women and minorities, to pursue degrees and careers in information assurance and related fields.

"Time Warner Cable is dedicated to increasing awareness and education on how to achieve cybersecurity," said Robin Wolfgang, vice president of public and government affairs at Time Warner Cable. "As a provider of Road Runner High-Speed Internet, our company develops state-of-the-art tools for blocking, reporting and identifying dangerous entities on the Web. Working with the University at Buffalo ensures these workshops will be providing the best information with top-tier instructors. We look forward to growing the program."

The workshops draw upon the expertise in the School of Management's MBA option in information assurance, its Sleiman Information Assurance Laboratory and the UB Center of Excellence in Information Systems Assurance Research and Education, which is recognized as a national center of excellence by the National Security Agency.

The Cybersecurity Workshop Outreach program has served more than 600 students over the past two years and was piloted with a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded to Rao, as well as UB faculty Sharmistha Bagchi-Sen, professor of geography, and Shambhu Upadhyaya, professor of computer science and engineering.

The partnership with Time Warner Cable will run through 2012 and will help expand the program throughout local, city and suburban schools with the hope of reaching 1,000 students this year.

Workshops may be conducted at participating schools or through student field trips to UB. For more information, contact David Murray at djmurray@buffalo.edu.

Time Warner Cable utilizes innovative technology, a fully upgraded fiber-based network and a commitment to increased choice to create value for our customers. Presently, Time Warner Cable owns and manages cable systems passing approximately 26 million homes in 33 states with 14.6 million customers who subscribed to one or more of its video, high-speed data and voice services. Time Warner Cable delivers customers the choice of such advanced products as FREE HD channels, Start Over, Caller ID on TV, video-on-demand, digital video recorders, Road Runner high-speed Internet service and digital home phone. For more information, please visit http://www.timewarnercable.com/wny or call 866-771-6249.

The Wall Street Journal ranks the UB School of Management No. 9 in the nation among schools with strong regional recruiting bases. In addition, BusinessWeek ranks the school as one of the country's top 5 business schools for the fastest return on MBA investment, and Forbes cites it as one of the best business schools in the U.S. for the return on investment it provides MBA graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit http://mgt.buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system that is its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.