University of Northern Iowa to buy secure computer technology with grant funding

The University of Northern Iowa will soon offer students access to secure virtual environments with the goal of allowing them to explore hands-on tools and projects simply and safely.

The Cedar Falls university announced in a news release Monday it has received a $294,000 grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust — an amount matched by the university to purchase a “modern virtual machine teaching cluster.”

“I’m thankful to the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust and to UNI for providing the matching funds to buy this cluster,” said principal investigator and computer science professor Sarah Diesburg in the release. “It’s going to drastically expand learning opportunities for students through a wider variety of hands-on activities.”

The cluster creates computing environments disconnected from other university systems for safety, the release stated, while housing five virtualization servers, a dedicated storage server and backup server for students in the university’s computer science department.

Training that students will be able to complete will include building network infrastructure, practicing offensive and defensive virtual security measures, setting information technology services and more. The release stated students will also be able to access virtual desktops with software and tools curated by their instructors, simplifying the process to get students set up with important course resources.

As the cluster is browser-accessible, the release stated online learners will have the same opportunities for hands-on experiences as in-person students. According to the release, as many as 180 undergraduate students will benefit from the cluster, which will be piloted in spring 2027 and implemented across different courses in the next academic year.

“We think it’s important for students to practice what they learn in the most realistic way possible,” Diesburg said. “This cluster will allow them to do that.”