UTSA | Catalyst | Summer/Fall 2021
Building a Competitive Edge in a Data-Centered Society In #CyberCityUSA, construction is underway on a new home for the UTSA School of Data Science and the National Security Collaboration Center By Alex Roush December marked the beginning of construction of UTSA’s School of
collaborating on UTSA’s Main Campus with partners such as Dell
Data Science and the National Security Collaboration Center. The $90
Technologies, the Texas Department of Information Resources
million facility is located at the Downtown Campus, next to San Pedro
and the U.S. Secret Service. More than 30 additional partners have
Creek Culture Park, and includes 84,500 square feet for the School of
agreed to join the NSCC as soon as the new facility is open.
Data Science (SDS) and 72,000 square feet for the National Security Collaboration Center (NSCC). Each will contain laboratories, research
The NSCC also houses the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation
space and classrooms. Summer 2022 is the anticipated opening of
Institute (CyManII). CyManII combines the strengths of the
the facility.
Department of Energy National Laboratories with the advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity expertise of Oak Ridge National
UTSA has already demonstrated excellence in the cyber sciences.
Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory and Sandia National
The university received all three National Center of Excellence
Laboratory. CyManII also partners with industry leaders to promote
designations from the National Security Agency and the U.S.
collaborative research and competitive innovation. The institute aims
Department of Homeland Security, a feat accomplished by few
to address the cybersecurity challenges in U.S. manufacturing by
other schools in the U.S. UTSA’s cybersecurity program was named
detecting and mitigating virtual vulnerabilities and modernizing the
No. 1 in the nation according to a 2014 national survey of certified
industry for cyber and energy efficient manufacturing.
information technology security professionals conducted by the Ponemon Institute for Hewlett-Packard.
In order to meet the nationwide workforce demand, the School of
The SDS and the NSCC are both part of UTSA’s plan to maintain its
disciplines of cyber science. The SDS will also help maintain San
leadership in cyber science. The NSCC aims to advance government-
Antonio’s position as one of the largest cyber science hubs outside
university-industry partnerships in the interest of national security
of Washington, D.C. The school’s location in downtown San Antonio
and provides the opportunity for these partners to engage with
allows government, industry and community partners access to
scholars educated in multiple disciplines related to cybersecurity.
UTSA’s nationally recognized programs and expertise.
Data Science aims to cultivate students highly skilled in the many
Although the center won’t be built for another year, the SCC is already
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