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Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center

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Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center

Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC) Tennessee Technological University

Cybersecurity has become a global concern requiring utmost attention from all sectors in academia, government and industry. Despite the growing demand and tremendous job opportunities in Cybersecurity industry and government, there is significant shortage of skilled professionals regionally, nationally, and globally. One of the missions of the College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech is “To gradua

te innovative engineers who solve technological challenges to meet societal needs.” One of engineering's grand challenges is securing cyberspace. In this regard, Tennessee Tech Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC) was established in Summer 2015 with in an effort to integrate university wide existing activities and initiatives in cybersecurity education, research and outreach. In October 2015, we were designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CD) through academic year 2021. NSA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) jointly sponsor the National Centers of Academic Excellence in IA/CD programs. The goal of these programs is to reduce vulnerability in our national information infrastructure by promoting higher education and research in IA/CD and producing a growing number of professionals with IA/CD expertise in various disciplines. TTU CEROC is unique in the state of Tennessee by emphasizing integration of education, research and outreach. At CEROC, our mission is not only to produce security conscious students to enter the computing workforce but also to create a pipeline of cyber defenders and researchers by educating them with a standard cybersecurity curriculum that integrates original research of our faculty in this area. As a part of its commitment, TTU CEROC serves as one of the primary cybersecurity resources for different academic, government, and business institutions in the state and the region. CEROC goals are the following:

* To provide quality cybersecurity education - one of the essential skill sets for the 21st century;
* To supply adequately trained students in cybersecurity workforce pipeline;
* To facilitate and advance research in trending areas in cybersecurity;
* To increase public awareness of information assurance and cybersecurity;
* To promote and disseminate cybersecurity educational and research artifacts and experience in the academic community;
* To share expertise with partners in collaborative initiatives in cybersecurity workforce development and research.

06/03/2026

The Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC) welcomed a group of high school students from Cumberland County this semester where they were provided with an immersive, hands-on learning experience, introducing them to cutting-edge topics in quantum information science, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. Throughout the visit, CEROC student ambassadors led interactive activities designed to make advanced computing concepts engaging, accessible, and relevant.
The visit also included a collaborative artificial intelligence activity led in partnership with students from MInDS, giving participants the opportunity to experience interdisciplinary collaboration firsthand.
Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center
Machine Intelligence and Data Science Center at Tennessee Tech
College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech University

05/27/2026

The Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC) was proud to participate in the "From Lab to Market: Accelerating AI Innovation" conference hosted in Tennessee Tech's Ashraf Islam Engineering Building.

As part of the event, CEROC hosted a student research gallery featuring innovative projects in AI-assisted cyber-physical security of power systems, drone swarms and quantum networks. The gallery gave attendees the opportunity to engage directly with student researchers and learn how emerging ideas are being developed into practical solutions for tomorrow’s challenges.

College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech University

05/22/2026

Drone Swarm Security: Attack. Defend. Track.

Today, we highlight another one of CEROC's research areas. This research focuses on securing real-world drone swarms—not just in simulation!

▪️ Attack & Defense▪️
We design and launch real cyber-attacks on drone swarms (e.g., spoofing, replay, false data injection) and develop AI-driven cyber‑physical defenses that fuse network traffic with flight dynamics to detect intrusions in real time.

▪️Tracking & Critical Node Identification▪️
Using large vision and multimodal AI models, we study how to track drone swarms and identify critical drones within the swarm.

▪️Testbed▪️
All of this is done on physical drone swarm testbed, giving us realistic data, repeatable attacks, and deployable insights.

We’re excited to collaborate with students, faculty, and research teams interested in drone security, AI, cyber‑physical systems, and counter‑UAS technologies!

College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech University

05/20/2026

Secure quantum communications can’t be built on theory alone—you need real systems and real experimentation.

At the CEROC Cyber Innovation Lab, our researchers and students work hands-on with a quantum communication testbed that supports entanglement distribution and fidelity measurements, enabling realistic experiments in security applications. Our team investigates quantum protocols for secure communication, including quantum identity authentication and secure distributed computing, while exploring how AI techniques can enhance these systems. This work is powered by a growing group of undergraduate, MS, and PhD students, who gain practical, research-driven training under the direction of Dr. Muhammad Ismail and Dr. Mohamed Shaban. Several of these students are supported by the NSF EQUIS program, helping grow quantum information science expertise across the southeastern U.S.

College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech University

05/15/2026

Congratulations to Mr. Tyler Asher for receiving the External Partner Award for Academic Year 2025 – 2026 at the CEROC Cyber Excellence Awards!

Mr. Tyler Asher, Assistant Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, is recognized for his sustained partnership and meaningful engagement with CEROC. Through ongoing collaboration with CEROC leadership, Mr. Asher has played an important advisory role in advancing workforce‑aligned cybersecurity education, micro‑credential development, and apprenticeship planning. He serves as a member of the CEROC External Advisory Board, contributing valuable perspective from statewide workforce initiatives and helping align CEROC programs with regional and state employment priorities. Mr. Asher’s partnership has directly strengthened CEROC’s education and outreach efforts by facilitating connections between the university, state agencies, and external workforce partners. He has actively supported discussions and planning related to cybersecurity micro‑credentialing, apprenticeship opportunities, and state‑supported training initiatives, including on‑campus engagement and collaborative follow‑up with faculty and administrators. Through his accessibility, practical guidance, and continued commitment to collaboration, Mr. Asher has broadened CEROC’s impact and helped ensure that its programs remain responsive to workforce needs across the Upper Cumberland region and the State of Tennessee.
College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech University

05/14/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Amani Altarawneh for receiving the Faculty Research Award for Academic Year 2025 – 2026 at the CEROC Cyber Excellence Awards!
Dr. Amani Altarawneh has demonstrated outstanding research excellence during 2025-2026 through high research productivity, innovation, and mentorship. She produced 14 total research papers across the pipeline (5 published, 4 accepted, and 5 under review), with publications at leading venues including IEEE SOSE, IEEE ICBC, IEEE CCWC (×2) and the Energies journal, and received a Best Paper Presenter Award at IEEE CCWC 2025. She led or contributed to 6 external funding proposals, serving as PI on four NSF submissions, and secured $15K in awarded TTAC proof‑of‑concept funding, demonstrating both competitiveness and translational impact. Dr. Altarawneh established production‑scale blockchain research infrastructure, including a deployed Ethereum main‑net observability platform and an in‑progress Solana main‑net platform, and submitted one patent disclosure on anomaly detection for distributed ledger technologies. She actively mentored 8 graduate students (4 PhD, 4 MS), with national‑level outcomes including two women PhD students selected Top‑30 nationally for WiCyS and one student presenting at the National Homeland Security Conference, while also leading workshops and international research presentations. Collectively, these measurable achievements reflect exceptional research impact and leadership fully deserving of the CEROC Cyber Excellence Faculty Research Award.
College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech University

05/11/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Mir Pritom for receiving the Faculty Service Award for Academic Year 2025 – 2026 at the CEROC Cyber Excellence Awards!
Dr. Mir Pritom is recognized for his exceptional service and sustained commitment to supporting CEROC’s mission through mentorship, operational leadership, and collaborative engagement. As a faculty member closely involved in CEROC activities, Dr. Pritom consistently contributes to the center's NCAE-C designation activities. Dr. Pritom’s service is especially evident in his behind the scenes mentorship and support of CEROC’s education infrastructure. He assists with designation activities, including preparation of NCAE C submission materials for the AICyber pathway and reviews of program of study documentation. Through frequent, constructive collaboration with CEROC leadership and faculty colleagues, Dr. Pritom plays a vital role in sustaining the administrative, technical, and mentoring foundations that allow CEROC to operate effectively and serve students, faculty, and external partners.
College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech University

05/05/2026

Congratulations to Remek Botwright for receiving the SSOC Achievement Award for Academic Year 2025 – 2026 at the CEROC Cyber Excellence Awards!

Mr. Remek Botwright is the inaugural and 2026 recipient of the SSOC Achievement Award. His distinct accomplishments included the completion of two Target Packages, the creation of a test plan for a hacking tool test, the closed testing and open testing of the hacking tool, and the drafting of multiple other target packages. Additionally, he professionally engaged in the testing of a hacking tool with a partner, revealing a live vulnerability on a network, enabling the partner to secure their operational assets further. Remek did not accomplish any of these tasks by himself, and he was bolstered by all the incredible members of the SSOC. However, Remek set himself apart and became a “go-to” member of
SSOC leadership through his dedication and responsiveness. He went above and beyond his duties and often made himself available to respond to urgent SSOC and partner needs after his regular work hours.

College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech University

05/04/2026

Congratulations to Lela Gracy for receiving the Student Ambassador Award for Academic Year 2025 – 2026 at the CEROC Cyber Excellence Awards!

Lela Gracy is one of the founding student leaders of the CEROC Student Ambassador Program, having worked directly with program leadership to design and launch the initiative from its earliest stages. In those formative years, Lela helped establish the core structure, expectations, and culture that define the program today — contributing to everything from recruitment and training logistics to communication workflows and event coordination. Her leadership helped transform what began as a small pilot effort into a reliable, scalable student workforce of over twenty-five ambassadors supporting CEROC's education and outreach mission across the state of Tennessee.
Throughout her service, Lela has provided day-to-day operational leadership for dozens of student ambassadors — coordinating STEMobile trips, campus tours, field trips, college fairs, and training meetings, while managing ambassador communications, event staffing, travel coordination, and performance feedback. She conducted structured ambassador reviews focused on engagement, professionalism, and growth, and contributed to internal program development efforts, including application management, survey design, and training documentation. Lela's sustained leadership, accountability, and commitment to mentoring others have been foundational to the long-term credibility and success of this program.

College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech University

05/01/2026

Congratulations to Joey Milton for receiving the Student Service Award for Academic Year 2025 – 2026 at the CEROC Cyber Excellence Awards!

Joey Milton has been a part of the CEROC family for four years, and his contributions this past year have been nothing short of exceptional. When CEROC launched a major Cyber Range migration in Fall 2025, Joey stepped into a leadership role — building out the virtual machine automation engine, constructing the majority of the virtual environments, and developing and deploying a custom VM agent to support automated deployments. He serves as system administrator and help desk for Cyber Range users, and functions as the system's stand-in administrator whenever the Cyber Range Engineer is unavailable. His supervisor, Travis Lee, noted in his nomination that Joey's ownership of the automation work freed him to focus on the core infrastructure — which is precisely what exceptional service looks like.

College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech University

Address

Cookeville, TN
38501

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	8am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8am - 4:30pm
Friday	8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+19313723519

Website

http://www.tntech.edu/ceroc

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