PULLMAN, WA – Department of Defense workers as well as Washington State University and partner university students from throughout the Pacific Northwest will come to the Pullman campus May 19–23 for the VICEROY Northwest Institute for Cybersecurity Education and Research’s (CySER) summer workshop.

During the event, participants will attend presentations and discussion sessions on cybersecurity and operations from a variety of CySER faculty, faculty from universities outside of CySER, cybersecurity professionals from national labs and industry, and VICEROY program representatives. The sessions are open to the public.

The workshop will also feature field trips to Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) campuses in Pullman and Moscow as well as a cybersecurity industry panel on May 23.

Some of the topics covered will include cybersecurity education in the U.S.; AI and cyber ethics; quantum computing; and protecting against digital repression. CJ Maciag, director for Cyber Science and Technology Research and Academic Outreach in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, will be keynote speaker.

The workshop will also feature field trips to Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) campuses in Pullman and Moscow as well as a cybersecurity industry panel on May 23. A research showcase and certificate ceremony will be held on May 19 to recognize CySER program participants.

The CySER Institute came about as a result of an initial $1.5 million award from the Department of Defense’s Virtual Institutes for Cyber and Electromagnetic Spectrum Research and Employ (VICEROY) Program in 2021 with additional funding in the past two years. The program established a cybersecurity research and teaching center at WSU, one of the first three funded in the United States.

The program trains ROTC and DOD-skilled civilian workers in computer science and other majors in cyber basics, operations, or defense, offering bachelor’s degrees as well as specialized certificates. Participating students receive training that integrates cybersecurity research and education with professional skills in teamwork, communication, leadership, and lifelong learning.

The CySER Institute is a WSU-led consortium including partners from Montana State University, the University of Idaho, and Central Washington University. The VICEROY project is managed by the Griffiss Institute in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory.