<strong>USC Beaufort, other affiliates receive federal grant for South Coast Cyber Center</strong>

The University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) and other partners affiliated with the South Coast Cyber Center have received a $1.3 million federal grant.

Awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the grant will go toward the development of programs at the center which aims to help recent graduates, exiting military personnel and others interested in attaining high-paying jobs through affordable and relevant cybersecurity education and training.

A relatively new nonprofit, the South Coast Cyber Center is a partnership between USCB, Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL), Beaufort Digital Corridor, City of Beaufort, Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation and various business leaders.

A key goal for the grant is to establish both TCL and USCB as Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense through certification of these respective institutions’ two-year and four-year cybersecurity programs by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

The Beaufort Digital Corridor, a technology incubator in downtown Beaufort, plans to offer cybersecurity mentoring for startups and community boot camps to teach related skills.

<strong>Dickman named library director</strong>

Amanda Brewer Dickman has been named director for the Beaufort County Library.

Dickman has been with the library system since 2007, most recently serving as Deputy Director and as interim library director after former director, Ray McBride, retired in 2020.

She graduated summa cum laude from Charleston Southern University, where she was also valedictorian, and holds a Master’s Degree of Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina.

Dickman was awarded Beaufort County Librarian of the Year in 2016 and was selected by the Public Library Association to participate in American Library Association’s Emerging Leaders mentorship program.

<strong>City of Beaufort has board openings</strong>

The City of Beaufort has openings on several of its boards, and is seeking welcome involvement from its residents and business owners.

The following boards have openings:

Cultural District Advisory Board: Seeking an at-large member who lives or works in the Cultural District. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3dkup9n.

Tourism Development Advisory Committee: Seeking a member who is in the hospitality industry. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3wSgDCu.

Park &amp; Tree Advisory Commission: Seeking a volunteer arborist. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/32aNJz8.

Design Review Board: Seeking a skilled landscape architect. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3thmtuY.

Zoning Board of Appeals: Seeking an at-large member who is a resident of the city, or owns property in the city, or operates a business in the city limits. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3wQEMJv.

If you are interested in applying for any of these boards, please complete the Boards and Commissions Application at https://bit.ly/3dbUWp8. If you have questions, contact City Clerk Traci Guldner at 843-525-7024 or tguldner@cityofbeaufort.org.

<strong>New Coastline is airing</strong>

A new episode of The County Channel's series Coastline invites an active volunteer to the studio. Dean Moss, former General Manager of the Beaufort-Jasper Water &amp; Sewer Authority, joins Host Rick Forschner to talk about the Spanish Moss Trail and its future.

Moss acts as the Volunteer Executive Director of the Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail and Chair of the Port Royal Sound Foundation, as well as Chair of Beaufort County Open Land Trust. The series Coastline is an educational news and information show brought to you by Beaufort County.

Coastline airs on The County Channel at 9:30 a.m. Sundays; 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays; and 9 a.m. Fridays. Coastline is a monthly news show filmed in-studio and produced by The County Channel.

Watch all programming for The County Channel on Comcast Ch. 2, Hargray Chs. 9 and 113, and Spectrum Ch. 1304. Viewers can also watch programming live and on-demand at The County Channel’s website at www.beaufortcountysc.gov.