This morning Rhode Island College celebrated the launch of the Institute for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies, which will be chaired by former RI Congressman Jim Langevin, a RIC alum.
The Keynote Speaker was Jen Easterly, Director of CISA, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Other speakers included Gov. Dan McKee, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman Seth Magaziner, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, Postsecondary Education Commissioner Shannon Gilkey, and RIC President Jack Warner.
As Governor McKee and Director Easterly observed, this cyber career pathway is uniquely housed in the Business School and should prove transformational in providing Rhode Islanders the highly-paid, skilled workforce needed to face the challenges ahead.
Everyone talks about the pressing problem of the cyber talent pipeline. In my strong and unchanged opinion, the Amateur Radio community has work to do to better explain how we are already contributing.
From our proven hands-on and free experiential learning community model open to every age. Our ability to communicate around the world with no internet or commercial power. Our commitment to Public Service. Our deep bench of technical experts willing to jump in and contribute to problems around spectrum, sensors, satellites, emergency communication, situational awareness, software/hardware, drones, electronics old and emerging, … the list goes on and on.
And yet at the gathering this morning, everyone I did a post-pandemic catch-up with was interested in my pivot to ham radio – but really had limited understanding of what amateur radio is, why it might be relevant in 2023, and how the ham community has already been a welcoming, mentoring high-tech career pathway pipeline for over a century. Cybersecurity is about more than IT. Radio literacy matters. This is a huge opportunity for amateur radio to paint a different portrait of itself.
As the Institute for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies takes off, with the support of so many influential stakeholders across Rhode Island dedicated to its success, I encourage every RI radio amateur to continue being that positive ambassador in their own networks. Take the time to explain, again, what it is we do, why it matters, and what about this resonates with their audience? Rhode Island’s motivated radio amateurs are team players ready to participate. Let’s tune up and talk.
73, Nancy Austin KC1NEK
ARRL Rhode Island Section Manager