Roane State to develop cyber defense training for manufacturers

March 9, 2022 by Bob Fowler Roane State staff writer

Roane State will play a key role in an ambitious program to establish the Tennessee Valley as the national hub for machine tool research, development and training.

The community college’s nationally recognized cyber defense department has received a $250,000 grant to develop training for businesses that will help protect digital components of next-generation machine tools and manufacturing processes.

The funding is part of a $5 million grant awarded to the University of Tennessee – Knoxville to address machine tool vulnerabilities. It’s called the Southeastern Advanced Machine Tools Network, or SEAMTN.

Machine tools are used to make parts using discrete processes, such as milling, turning, drilling, and forming, and continuous processes.Professor George Meghabghab, head of Roane State’s computer science department, will develop training for businesses to learn how to protect digital manufacturing equipment.

This summer the online cyber defense training content will be developed for national distribution and various computer switches, servers and routers will be acquired to support this effort.

Then, manufacturing representatives selected to participate in the training will come to the college’s Oak Ridge Branch Campus where they will complete intensive educational modules over the course of five days, leading to specialized certifications