Dr. Sara Sutton was recently awarded a prestigious research grant from NASA through the Michigan Space Grant Consortium to conduct research involving cybersecurity threats towards drone operations. The grant will support research aligned with NASA’s mission, conducted by Dr. Sutton and students at Grand Valley State University. 

This research will focus on potential threats that exist within the communication between the drone and ground control, an area critical to safe and secure drone operations. As reliance on drones increases in government and commercial sectors, understanding and solving these threats are becoming more important than ever. Throughout this collaboration, students will gain valuable experience in cybersecurity research, preparing them for future careers in cyber defense and aerospace security.

These collaborative efforts between faculty, students, and industry are integral to the College of Computing and its strategic plan. The experience students gain through a project like this will help drive their careers forward and provide them with a valuable understanding of industry needs while giving them expert, technical skills. Research conducted by Dr. Sutton and Grand Valley students will help experts understand how to protect their drone operations.

Participation in this project is limited to students who are U.S. citizens, and interested computer science, information technology, and cybersecurity students are encouraged to reach out directly to Dr. Sutton at [email protected] to learn about how they can get involved in this cutting-edge research project.