USF receives $2 million to create Florida’s first university AI and Cyber Makerspace

A $2 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology will fund the creation of an Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Makerspace within USF's Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing.

The facility will be the first of its kind at a Florida university and will provide students and faculty the access to advanced equipment to build, test and refine emerging technologies while also supporting education and research that focuses on secure and trustworthy AI.

The makerspace will provide capabilities for advanced computing, hardware experimentation and secure data research. Its equipment will support laboratory instruction in networking, embedded systems, microcontroller design, hardware and software reverse engineering, and vulnerability analysis.

"The new makerspace will give our students, faculty and staff a way to safely bridge the physical and digital worlds using edge AI devices, including sensors and processors," said Richard Rauscher, an associate professor of instruction and assistant dean of computing. "Ideally, this will provide a controlled environment to experiment with the latest AI tools and technologies."

U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee selected the makerspace from among numerous district proposals as a priority for federal community project funding and championed it through committee review and the congressional appropriations process until the funding was signed into law.

More than 800 USF students each academic year are enrolled in undergraduate courses that could use the facility. Bellini College faculty members are already planning how to incorporate the equipment into instruction and develop courses around its capabilities.

"We are known for our hands-on approach to teaching AI and cybersecurity, and the makerspace will add tremendous value in prototyping and experimenting new ideas, expanding our capabilities beyond the classrooms and labs," said Marbin Pazos Revilla, an associate professor of instruction at the Bellini College. "We envision courses like Penetration Testing, Hands-on Cybersecurity, Edge-AI, Malware Analysis and Reverse Engineering, Capture the Flag, and many others to come, particularly those in the AI and cyber-physical space, to take advantage of this one-of-a-kind state-of-the-art facility."

For researchers, the facility will support work at the convergence of AI and cybersecurity on a scale and at a depth not currently available through USF's shared computing cluster or cloud agreements. Faculty also will be able to investigate how AI can strengthen cybersecurity while also examining how AI-enabled systems can be designed, tested and protected against emerging threats.

The project aligns with NIST priorities for managing AI risks and advancing the development of trustworthy AI, including guidance addressing cybersecurity and the use of AI in critical infrastructure. Research and instruction within the makerspace will emphasize systems that are secure, reliable and capable of being evaluated before deployment in high-stakes settings.

The makerspace will also support interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty and students across USF and provide a space for industry and academia to work together.

Regional businesses and public sector organizations will be able to engage with the makerspace to explore AI applications and address the security risks associated with adopting the technology. The facility will also support the development of microcourses and credentials to help employees build new skills, with practical demonstrations of security risks, vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies.

That connection between academic research and regional industry is expected to help accelerate innovation, prepare graduates for careers in rapidly evolving fields and strengthen the Tampa Bay region's technology economy.

"The development of trustworthy AI will require people who understand both what the technology can accomplish and how to make it secure," said Bellini College Launch Dean Sudeep Sarkar. "By bringing those disciplines together in one dedicated facility, USF can help educate that workforce while producing research and technologies that benefit the region and the nation."