By Annika Sharlow
The Cardinal Academy of Digital Security and Education (or CADSE) is intentionally tucked away on the fourth floor of the Foundational Sciences building. This new initiative relies on the cutting-edge equipment available in the Foundational Sciences building, but also requires the privacy of a professional cybersecurity lab. CADSE serves as a dedicated space for students to get real internship experience in the cybersecurity sector. Ball State students are employed by local partners – currently the Delaware County High Tech Crimes Unit and the Anderson University Center for Security Studies and Cyber Defense – to work on real cases and gain hands-on experience while still working on Ball State’s campus with hardware and software provided by CADSE.
The What and Why of CADSE
CADSE’s lab space and top-of-the-line, modern equipment are funded by the Ball State University College of Sciences and Humanities and the Ball Brothers Foundation Project Sybertooth – a funding initiative focused on improving cybercrime investigations in the local area and increasing the talent pool of professionals within the cybersecurity space.
Qualified students aren’t always able to make off-campus internships work. They may lack transportation access, or the nature of being a full-time college student makes driving any real distance to intern at another location difficult. Being able to work on campus expands the pool of interns for these employers and expands the opportunities for professional growth for the students.
CADSE is occupying a unique space when it comes to student internships. Rather than employing interns through the center, student interns are paid by their external employer and then complete their work in the center under the supervision of computer science faculty who specialize in cybersecurity. Through this unique arrangement, partnered employers can feel more at ease with this system than they would with just traditional remote working interns. The employers do not need to provide equipment to the intern, for in CADSE, their interns are completing quality work on equipment that can handle the job’s needs.
Improving the Student Overall
Cybersecurity jobs are on the rise, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. From finance to municipal utility groups, every industry (at every level) needs the work of cybersecurity professionals in this digital age. Finding qualified and trained employees to fit all of these needs can often be very difficult. CADSE helps to prepare its students to be well-rounded and well-trained employees in a variety of cybersecurity jobs across industries.
CADSE students are not just traditional interns. This program offers professional development services in order to shape student’ skills beyond their specific job. Speakers from many different sectors – including Anderson University President John Pistole, who worked for the FBI and TSA, and LTC Sarah Frater of the Indiana National Guard, as well as other professionals from banking and utility backgrounds, will give talks to these student interns about the cybersecurity industry. This way, no matter where these students end up in terms of industry, they will be trained in the skills necessary to become qualified cybersecurity professionals.
The CADSE program has just started, and already it has begun the work of transforming students into ideal cybersecurity employees. The professional development, hands-on experience, and employer networking are creating an environment where students are empowered and poised for success. As CADSE continues to ramp up, there will be more employer partners and increased student participation. For more information on how you can become involved in CADSE, reach out to Vinayak Tanksale, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Data Science and Director of the Cardinal Academy for Digital Security and Education.
To learn more about new initiatives in the College of Sciences and Humanities, visit here.