North Dakota State University's Cyber Security Institute: A Hub for Education and Research

The Institute for Cyber Security Education and Research at the North Dakota State University (NDSU) is dedicated to advancing the field of cyber security through education, research, and outreach. Building upon the university's strengths and land-grant mission, the Institute addresses the growing need for expertise in cyber security software development and information technology practices.

Mission and Goals

The Institute's primary goals include:

Meeting the public need for leading-edge cyber security software development and information technology practices.
Serving the information technology and computing professionals, practitioners, and endpoint users who operate the public and private enterprises of the state.
Facilitating the development of new knowledge and methodologies in cyber security, advancing the state-of-the-art in the field.
Disseminating cyber security knowledge with a student-centered approach to training future cyber security practitioners, researchers, and educators.

Academic Programs and Certifications

NDSU offers a range of academic programs and certifications in cybersecurity:

Department Recognition in Cybersecurity: Available at the undergraduate level.
Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity: A specialized program for graduate students.
Cybersecurity Option: Part of the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in both Computer Science and Software Engineering.

NDSU’s cybersecurity courses are designed to align with industry-recognized professional certifications, allowing students to earn credentials such as:

EC Council Certified Ethical Hacker
EC Council Certified Hacking Forensic Investigator
CompTIA Security+
CompTIA PenTest+
CompTIA CySA+

These certifications enhance students' career prospects and demonstrate their expertise in specific areas of cybersecurity.

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Research Opportunities

NDSU places a strong emphasis on student-centered research in cybersecurity. Both graduate and undergraduate students have the opportunity to participate in faculty-mentored research across various areas, including:

Autonomous warfare and countermeasures
Secure software development
Intrusion detection methods

These research opportunities provide students with hands-on experience, allowing them to contribute to cutting-edge advancements in the field.

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program

Each summer, NDSU hosts a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). This program brings students from across the country to NDSU to engage in leading-edge cybersecurity research, particularly related to cyber-physical systems. The REU program offers students a unique opportunity to:

Participate in hands-on research projects
Work closely with faculty mentors
Collaborate with peers from diverse backgrounds
Gain valuable skills and knowledge in cybersecurity

NDSU's First Summer Undergraduate Research Program

NDSU has welcomed undergraduate students from a broad cross-section of the country to conduct research with faculty in their labs and the field. The NDSU Research and Creative Activity Office (RCA) has implemented its first summer undergraduate research program. Most of the 43 participants are not students at NDSU. As such, the program is often their first experience at the university.

RCA Program Details

In addition to the research each student conducts weekly, the RCA program features a schedule of workshops, seminars and trainings covering topics such as library use, mental and emotional health, science communication, technical writing, and applying to graduate school. Attendees have an opportunity to learn about NDSU facilities as well including the NDSU Core Labs and Electron Microscopy Center.

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The team knew it was important to rely on resources and knowledge among NDSU faculty who were already well-versed in running summer undergraduate research programs. REUs tend to be specialized in a particular STEM discipline and are organized as competitive programs for students. They typically have an over-arching theme. Students must apply and provide references and information about their research interests, and then organizers and faculty invite applicants to participate. Most participating faculty have one to three positions for their REUs and typically two to three times more students apply for each.

Impact of Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate research has been shown to promote the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills while providing important opportunities for networking and public speaking. It also gives students a powerful career development opportunity. Undergraduates who engage in research report significantly higher levels of satisfaction with their overall academic experience, a better connection to faculty, and an increased feeling of being valued on campus.

Additional Research Programs at NDSU

The Insect Cryobiology and Ecophysiology (ICE) Network

The Insect Cryobiology and Ecophysiology (ICE) NetworkBiological Sciences provides opportunities for students to take part in The Insect Cryobiology and Ecophysiology (ICE) Network. ICE brings together faculty in genomics, gene regulation, physiology, and ecological modeling with scientists from the USDA Agricultural Research Services in North Dakota, Wyoming, and New Mexico. The goal of the ICE Network is to understand how bees overcome harsh winter conditions to successfully emerge and reproduce in spring and long-term, the researchers hope to understand the genetic and physiological regulation of the overwintering phenotype in solitary and social bees.

This summer, three NDSU students and five from other universities are researching the alfalfa leafcutting bee. Their topics include temperature and metabolic rates, anoxia and bee performance; heat shock and circadian rhythms; factors influencing time of first flight in the morning; oxidative stress and development; the effect of diet and diapause on super cooling points; and macronutrients and temperature stress.

Coatings and Polymeric Materials Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE)

The Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) is a program for undergraduate students in chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, and related fields who are between their junior and senior years and intend to pursue graduate studies in polymers and coatings science.

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Managed by coatings and polymeric materials professor Andriy Voronov and supported through grants and departmental funds, the NDSU SURE program offers students an opportunity to learn firsthand about projects in synthesis of bio-based polymers; synthesis of high-performance polymers; polymers/polymeric materials for biomedical applications; polymeric nanomaterials; polymeric materials environmental applications and effects; and computational polymer science.

SURE has run annually for more than 15 years. All students received both a stipend and housing expenses allowance.

Research Opportunities for Engaging Students (ROPES)

The College of Science and Mathematics coordinates a long-standing Research Opportunities for Engaging Students (ROPES) program, providing an opportunity for students to work with science and mathematics faculty. ROPES differs from the other undergraduate research programs in that it’s a full-year program that includes classroom research time across all areas of science and mathematics.

ROPES targets honing problem-solving and critical-thinking skills for students and promotes a hands-on experience. Both make students more competitive for scholarships and fellowships and provide a good base for future graduate-level education.

There isn’t a formal application process as students apply directly to the faculty members based on their research interest.

The International Capstone Project Exchange

The International Capstone Project Exchange is a network of universities and companies that collaborate to give students real-world international experience without requiring travel. Using the telecommuting concept, teams of capstone students complete projects for industry partners in other countries. The exchange helps universities and companies from around the world connect. Current university and industry participants are located in North America, South American, Europe, and Australia.

Addressing the Illicit Economy

The illicit economy, encompassing economic activities that are illegal or operate outside the formal, regulated and legal framework of a given country, is estimated in the billions in the United States alone. The C3 REU aims to combat the cyber, physical, and social aspects of the illicit economy through an interdisciplinary research approach. This 10-week summer program offers students the opportunity to work on mentored, multi-level research projects, where they gain the skills, knowledge, and experience needed for graduate studies and future careers in security-focused fields. The program runs from June to August.

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