Utica College receives $214K grant from DOJ for cybersecurity program

UTICA — Utica College announced it has been awarded a grant for more than $214,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice to “develop an educational opportunities program in cybersecurity.”

The two-year grant totals $450,000, and will be split between Utica College and a research team from Boston University, according to a March 6 news release from Utica College.

“We’re developing a template to train future law enforcement officers as computer forensic examiners,” Joseph Giordano, professor and director of cybersecurity programs at Utica College, said of the initiative.

The program will provide in-depth computer forensics and cybercrime investigation training. Emphasis will be on “practical labs and hands-on exercises,” as well as helping students locate internships, co-operative work opportunities, and jobs in the computer forensics and digital-evidence fields.

Utica College’s program is also expected to serve as a “facilitator and guide to enhance current capacities of other institutions,” both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

“Nearly all crimes can be traced digitally. Law-enforcement agencies need personnel with these investigative skills,” Giordano said.

Utica College noted that it has received research grants from the Bureau of Justice Assistance in the past, but this is the first grant specifically for program development.

The college’s undergraduate computer forensics program is designated by the U.S. Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center as one of 15 National Centers for Digital Forensics Academic Excellence.