The University of North Texas (UNT) and the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) are collaborating to improve the quality and capacity of existing IA programs at the UNT and UTA, and to bring together regional academic institutions and local industry to increase the number of practical applications for IA professionals in North Texas. Bringing regional academic institutions together with companies that have a local presence is helping to ensure that IA education meets the needs of industry and to create opportunities for students to learn about jobs and the desired IA-related skill sets they will need. Project goals include:

• Implementing the standards-based curricula used at UNT at UTA.
• Developing laboratories and laboratory exercises that give students at both universities direct hands-on experiences with IA concepts. Through the application of virtualization technologies to IA laboratory development, the investigators are producing and disseminating new and innovative techniques for extending the reach of IA laboratory exercises to new audiences.
• Developing and coordinating joint exercises involving students from both UNT and UTA.
• Exploring innovative uses of modern systems and virtualization technologies to extend the availability of laboratory exercises to new audiences.

To meet these goals, the investigators are:

• Creating an academic/industrial partnership in IA education and training in North Texas.
• Initiating an annual regional industry expo and job fair for companies and government organizations with specific interest in IA graduates.
• Creating a university-hosted seminar series for IA that includes both academic and industry speakers on topics of research and current trends in the field.