TTU receives grant to focus on cybersecurity workforce | KLBK | KAMC

LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas Tech University was among 18 recipients from across 15 states to receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology. A press release said the funds are targeted to enhance and strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity workforce.

Texas Tech said the project will involve public-private partnerships and focus on a handful of objectives as it is built out over the next two years as a result of the $199,349 grant.

“This program will train K-12s, undergraduates, graduates and professionals in the West Texas region on real-world cyber-physical security applications for critical infrastructure facilities,” said Manohar Chamana, assistant professor and graduate adviser in the renewable energy program, part of the National Wind Institute at Texas Tech.

The Texas Tech program is expected to address several goals, including personal cybersecurity standards validation, research and development and more.

“Many critical infrastructure industries need to ensure cyber-physical security, which includes information technology (IT) and operation technology (OT) security,” Chamana said. “We will seek to establish partnerships with academia, utilities, national labs and private companies involved in critical infrastructure cybersecurity.”

Chamana said Tech already has trained more than 200 individuals from local industries and educational institutes as part of a program overseen by the Texas Workforce Commission since 2020.

“We have established relationships with several local rural cooperatives, wind farm operators and educational institutions,” he said. “Those relationships will be leveraged to conduct workshops for workforce development and address the current cybersecurity skills gap required for local industries.”