The Madison Cyber Labs building is ready to rise to the challenge of cyber research.
A grand opening for the MadLabs, as the facility is called, took place on October 2, in conjunction with the Board of Regents’ meeting. It was attended by invited guests, members of the Board of Regents, and area media.
The 37,500 sq. ft. facility has the capacity to house 250-300 researchers, including faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and staff from all four of DSU’s colleges, working in several labs and institutes. Public and private partners are also involved with many of the research projects. The goal of these research projects is to explore and advance technology application, workforce development, business expansion, economic growth, and policy improvement across multiple disciplines and fields.
“Dakota State University is pleased to announce the opening of the Madison Cyber Labs,” said President José-Marie Griffiths, Ph.D. “Through research, collaboration, and leadership, we will achieve success in technology, cyber, innovation, and economic growth. We will redefine what it means to be a forward-thinking university, with the promise of a transformational future.”
Griffiths spoke with faculty about an R&D facility shortly after she came to DSU in 2015. With this support, faculty began to develop their research concepts into R&D clusters and institutes, which were initially located in existing campus buildings.
In 2017, a donation from DSU alumnus Miles Beacom and his wife Lisa and businessman and philanthropist Denny Sanford made it possible for the dedicated research facility to become a reality. With additional support from former Governor Dennis Daugaard, Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), the South Dakota Board of Regents and South Dakota Legislature, construction began in 2018.
MadLabs consists of two portions, including a glass-fronted area which will house various research and development projects. The open floor design allows for flexibility and collaboration between researchers. Examples of these projects include: the AdapT Lab, researching assistive technologies; DigForCE Lab, a regional resource for law enforcement training and research on cybercrime; PATRIOT Lab, researching the protection and threats of Internet of Things devices. Other institutes, CybHER and CLASSICS, concentrate on outreach, advocacy, and policy framing.
The second portion of the building houses the Cyclops Lab, a secure environment for DSU faculty, students, and researchers to conduct research and development for public and private partners.
“By embracing research and collaboration, the Madison Cyber labs will inspire, educate, and lead the future of technology and cyber,” said Griffiths. “We are dedicated to discovering and implementing ground-breaking solutions for issues in cyber. We look forward to the future of our research initiatives and the significant opportunities for our students, faculty, and collaborators.”
