As a part of UM-Flint’s College of Innovation and Technology (CIT), the Cybersecurity Center is a dynamic hub that fully embraces the polytechnic model of the CIT to drive innovation in the field through interdisciplinary scholarly and research activity, experiential learning opportunities through dynamic project-based instruction and internships that empower students to begin applying their skills to deliver innovative solutions to community and industry collaborators, and opportunities to develop the soft skills and ethical understanding required to advocate for cybersecurity tools that may promote long-range human flourishing, even in the midst of uncertain times.

Through flipped classroom experiences and other active learning methods, the center aims to make cybersecurity education accessible and engaging. The center utilizes a broad range of expertise from its faculty team, ranging from AI, computer science and information systems, software development, sociology, philosophy, economics, human-centered design and both general and automotive cybersecurity to ensure it is poised to respond to needs presented: 1) from a wider range of fields and 2) with a more holistic understanding and approach. This approach will help the center with intrinsic broader impacts research goals, but its inclusion in classroom experiences will also inspire the next generation of cybersecurity students to recognize that the most innovative solutions in rapid change often come from places we least expect. The Cybersecurity Center fosters an environment that encourages and supports this collaboration on campus and beyond.