Cybersecurity is a hot and fast growing field. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and Computing Research Association (CRA) predicted that three areas of computer science were primed for exponential growth where the number of jobs available would vastly outnumber the number of qualified people to fill them. One of those areas, cybersecurity, has already hit that point.

As the market for cloud computing services is growing at a rapid speed, so is the demand for cybersecurity. Not only are the government and large enterprises facing this problem, but small businesses are now also facing a cybersecurity threat that they are ill-prepared to meet. In fact, as noted [1], small businesses are especially unprepared for the growing cybersecurity issues faced by small and medium businesses (SMB).

Let me start off by saying that I am not a handyman. Before last spring break I had never touched a nail gun, used a saw, or had any reason to climb up a ladder. So why did I decide to apply to help build houses with Habitat for Humanity during my spring break? I probably couldn’t answer that question then, but I can tell you now that the trip changed my life.

We left on an early morning in March, most of us too excited to be tired. For months before, the team was preparing: bonding, fundraising like crazy, and it was finally happening. It seemed to take forever and a day to get down there, with our connecting flights and the long drive down to Laredo, Texas itself. But it was well worth it.

How did climate change affect the rise of the Homo Sapiens? Why did people start to farm? Why did the Vikings die out in Greenland? How are humans remaking climate change today? 

These questions, and many others, will be addressed in an upcoming course offered in our Fall 2016 semester. Today, we're excited to tell you a little more about it.