OU-Tulsa receives $1 million Google grant to launch cybersecurity clinic
OU-Tulsa receives $1 million Google grant to launch cybersecurity clinic
Publish Date: 2026-06-15 19:37:00
Source Domain: www.newson6.com
TULSA, Okla. –
OU-Tulsa is launching a new cybersecurity clinic after receiving a $1 million grant from Google that will be distributed over the next six years.
The clinic will give students the opportunity to work on real cybersecurity challenges while providing free risk assessments to small manufacturers, tribal businesses, and nonprofit organizations across the region.
Instead of working from a traditional office, students and faculty will travel to organizations and evaluate whether they are following best practices to protect their systems and data.
“Being able to bring in problems that our partners and manufacturers and industry are facing, we want to be able to do that so we can help show them how to actually do this in a real work environment,” said Dr. Christopher Freeze, assistant professor of cybersecurity at OU-Tulsa.
Growing interest in cybersecurity careers
Freeze, who previously worked for the FBI conducting cyber investigations, said enrollment in cybersecurity programs has grown as technology becomes a bigger part of everyday life.
He said high-profile ransomware attacks and other online threats have sparked interest in careers focused on protecting people and businesses from cybercrime.
“We have seen definitely an increase in our enrollment,” Freeze said. “I think across the board, more people are getting into the domain of cybersecurity.”
He said nearly anyone who uses an internet-connected device could become the victim of a cybercrime.
“If your phone or laptop or tablet is connected to the internet in any shape, form, or fashion, you are potentially at risk of being a victim of a cybercrime,” Freeze said. “So having good cyber hygiene, good cyber awareness, knowing even the basic fundamentals will increase the chances of being able to protect yourself from a crime on the internet.”
Preparing students for the workforce
OU-Tulsa leaders say the clinic is designed to give students practical experience…
