Building a Competitive Edge in a Data-Centered Society

In #CyberCityUSA, construction is underway on a new home for the UTSA School of Data Science and the National Security Collaboration Center

By Alex Roush

December marked the beginning of construction of UTSA’s School of Data Science and the National Security Collaboration Center. The $90 million facility is located at the Downtown Campus, next to San Pedro Creek Culture Park, and includes 84,500 square feet for the School of Data Science (SDS) and 72,000 square feet for the National Security Collaboration Center (NSCC). Each will contain laboratories, research space and classrooms. Summer 2022 is the anticipated opening of the facility.

UTSA has already demonstrated excellence in the cyber sciences. The university received all three National Center of Excellence designations from the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a feat accomplished by few other schools in the U.S. UTSA’s cybersecurity program was named No. 1 in the nation according to a 2014 national survey of certified information technology security professionals conducted by the Ponemon Institute for Hewlett-Packard.

The SDS and the NSCC are both part of UTSA’s plan to maintain its leadership in cyber science. The NSCC aims to advance governmentuniversity-industry partnerships in the interest of national security and provides the opportunity for these partners to engage with scholars educated in multiple disciplines related to cybersecurity. Although the center won’t be built for another year, the SCC is already collaborating on UTSA’s Main Campus with partners such as Dell Technologies, the Texas Department of Information Resources and the U.S. Secret Service. More than 30 additional partners have agreed to join the NSCC as soon as the new facility is open.

The NSCC also houses the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII). CyManII combines the strengths of the Department of Energy National Laboratories with the advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity expertise of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory. CyManII also partners with industry leaders to promote collaborative research and competitive innovation. The institute aims to address the cybersecurity challenges in U.S. manufacturing by detecting and mitigating virtual vulnerabilities and modernizing the industry for cyber and energy efficient manufacturing.

In order to meet the nationwide workforce demand, the School of Data Science aims to cultivate students highly skilled in the many disciplines of cyber science. The SDS will also help maintain San Antonio’s position as one of the largest cyber science hubs outside of Washington, D.C. The school’s location in downtown San Antonio allows government, industry and community partners access to UTSA’s nationally recognized programs and expertise.

The SDS is a transdisciplinary school that will include more than 70 faculty members from UTSA’s departments of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Statistics and Data Sciences, and Information Systems and Cyber Security. It will offer eight certificate programs, seven undergraduate degrees and 13 graduate degrees.

This collaborative initiative is jointly supported by the College of Sciences, the Carlos Alvarez College of Business and the College of Engineering. The College of Sciences Department of Computer Science and the Department of Mathematics are represented in the School of Data Science with degrees and certificates in mathematics, computer science, cybersecurity, data science and neuroscience.

“Everything in the 21st century is centered around data, and everything that has to do with data involves mathematics,” said Dr. Juan B. Gutiérrez, chair of the Department of Mathematics. “It is not possible to do sophisticated data analysis, or even trivial data analysis, without a good grasp of the mathematics behind it.”

The Department of Mathematics recently created the Bachelor of Science in Mathematics of Data and Computing in order to help meet the need in the workplace for professionals with advanced quantitative data skills. Gutiérrez stressed the importance of mathematics in understanding data. “In the end, everything is an equation, and students need to learn how to read the questions,” he said. “They need to learn what it says when they see an equation, know what to do with it and how to put it in a computer.”

Gutiérrez thinks a deeper understanding of the mathematics related to data analysis will put the students in an ideal position in the workplace and will provide professionals with the opportunity to lead teams, advance up the corporate ladder and command higher salaries.

“We live in a society of knowledge,” he said. “Knowledge, nowadays, is data, and data requires mathematics. So there is no escape; the only way out of it is through.” As a response to this data-centered society, the Department of Mathematics is adapting instruction techniques to focus on a more hands-on approach. In contrast to traditional instruction, the adapted techniques will allow students opportunities to use research projects to gain a full understanding of course concepts.

To students who may be intimidated by the topics of cyber science and data analysis, Gutiérrez says this: “The bottom line is, don’t be afraid. It’s a lot easier than what it looks like. It’s like coming close to a monster just to realize that it’s a friendly pet, that it actually can be your best friend if you lose the fear and get close to it.”

The university’s new School of Data Science, expected to open in 2022, will further set UTSA and San Antonio apart as pioneers in big data, cybersecurity, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Construction at the building’s downtown San Antonio site, where Dolorosa Street meets San Pedro Creek, officially started in December.