Florida Tech Opens Harris Center to Explore Cyber Research
MELBOURNE, FLA.—Supported by leadership from Harris Corporation as well as members of the community, Florida Institute of Technology officially dedicated the new 27,723-square-foot Harris Center for Science and Engineering Oct. 23. The Center, made possible by a unique partnership between Florida Tech and Harris, houses the Harris Institute for Assured Information which is designed to research innovative solutions to global information security problems.
“Today’s dedication marks a milestone in this ever-changing field,” said Florida Tech President Anthony J. Catanese. “Partnering with our colleagues at Harris is an excellent strategy to solve these difficult challenges. Florida Tech intends to be at the forefront of this research.”
The Harris Institute for Assured Information was made possible by a $5 million gift from Harris Corporation through the Community Foundation of Brevard. An additional $2 million in corporate dollars is earmarked for research.
“Our work here at the Harris Institute for Assured Information is as practical as it is visionary. This institute is dedicated to developing advanced solutions to solve global information problems for businesses, governments and individuals,” said Howard L. Lance, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Harris Corporation.
Unlike other information research efforts that target classified government applications, the new Institute’s mission is to develop solutions for a wide range of real-world commercial and government applications. These include banking and finance, retail, healthcare, education, civil agencies and others.
The vision for the Institute is to create a national center of excellence for cyber research in Melbourne, leveraging high-tech partners locally and nationally. The Institute will strive to become the local center for ongoing workforce development in information assurance, and a thought leader in looking at the problems that users, companies and governments face with respect to using and storing information safely.
The three-story facility also includes space for biological sciences and computer sciences.
About Florida Institute of Technology
Founded at the dawn of the Space Race 51 years ago, Florida Tech is the only independent, technological university in the Southeast. With more than 8,000 students enrolled on main campus, extended campuses and online, Florida Tech has been named a Barron’s Guide “Best Buy” in College Education, listed among America’s best colleges in U.S. News & World Report, and ranked in 2009 as one of the nation’s top 18 engineering technical institutes by the Fiske Guide to Colleges. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. Fields of study include science, engineering, aeronautics, business, humanities, mathematics, psychology, communication and education. Additional information is available online at www.fit.edu.
About Harris Corporation
Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $5 billion of annual revenue and 15,000 employees — including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications® products, systems, and services. Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at www.harris.com.
