Assistant Professor of Information Technology and Cybersecurity Andrew Hurd: From the Field to the Classroom

This excerpt is taken from “A Deep Dive with Andrew Hurd, Assistant Professor of Information Technology and Cybersecurity.” Read the full version.

Andrew James Hurd has been an assistant professor in the information technology (IT) and cybersecurity graduate programs at Empire State University since 2021. Hurd aims to be a support figure for anyone who needs it and to empower learners to take initiative in their pursuit of knowledge. For Cybersecurity Month, he discusses his trajectory in the field and shares insights on engaging with one’s passions, education, and internet safety.

Irigoyen: Can you tell me about your upbringing? What were some early interests and passions?

Hurd: One of my early passions and interests is playing “Dungeons & Dragons.” I’ve played since 1980.  I have a large group of friends that I have played with over the years … My other major passion is giving back to my community. I was a Scoutmaster for close to 18 years and now I joined the Lions Club in Ballston Spa. I do a lot of community service work.

The biggest thing with board games is problem-solving skills. At a very young age, I learned how to solve a Rubik’s Cube … If you’re not into problem-solving, you probably don’t get into IT.

When I went into the industry, I wanted to build things that millions of people would use—I didn’t want to do computer games, I wanted to do software.

I got my two bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and computer science, stayed in school and got my Master of Teaching in mathematics. My best friend and I had the thought that we would go back to our high school—he’d be the math teacher, I’d be the computer science teacher—and when we got down to graduation I said, ‘I can’t teach from just book knowledge, I really need some experience to teach.’ So, I decided to go into the industry for a while.

Achieving the title of software engineer was a big deal for me back then, it showed a level of dedication … it was a sign of prestige and hard work. I was part of the team that made the Palm Pilot 3.01, which is now the backbone for all smartphones—it’s the first touch screen, and I was part of the team that wrote that software. I see someone grab their iPad and stylus and start writing, and I just smile because … that technology goes all the way back to that team I worked on.

I lift up the stylus and tablet I was taking interview notes with, and Hurd gestures towards the screen, saying, “There you go!”

Irigoyen: Those are historic technological milestones. You see the world we live in today and wonder, when did it all start? To know that you were there for some of those things is very cool.

Hurd: When my daughter was really young … she asked, ‘Dad, what do you do?’ I say, ‘I work with computers, Abby.’ She goes, ‘Can you hack computers?’ I said, ‘Just know that your father has some unique skills, and yes, I can do some phenomenal things with computers. But I never do anything bad.’

There are things that students have to learn so that they can know how to defend. I use this phrase all the time: “with great power comes great responsibility.”

When you go into cybersecurity, the biggest issue is that hackers aren’t constrained. They have all the tools available to them, and most of them are free. The people trying to defend it—network administrators, cybersecurity specialists—are constrained by processes.

He explains the purpose of a course he teaches called “Ethical Hacking.”

Hurd: The concept is that students learn what they call the attack vectors—how people would first try to get into a company.

Irigoyen: You’ve talked a bit about your trajectory so far, can you tell me more?

Hurd: I went to a community college, then ended up going to SUNY Potsdam and graduated with a master’s degree. I went into the industry, worked for the federal government, wrote some radar software that is still on bomber aircrafts today, I’m excited to say. I was at Hudson Valley for 15 years and finished my doctorate. Education is something that can’t be taken away from you. I won the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2012, which is one of the highest honors you can win as a professor.

He describes hearing about SUNY Empire’s job opening and applying.

Hurd: Long story short, in 2021 I got hired. I proposed the Master of Science in IT program while interviewing … and it’s been one of the fastest-growing degrees at the university.

I love getting emails from former students that give me an update on what they’re doing in their career … I got an email from a student who wrote the controllers for the Mars Rover’s tires. He said, ‘I started in your programming class.’

I had another student email me saying he wrote the pressure control drivers for the San Francisco geothermal tunnel. Another said he wrote the mobile network communications for military flak jackets.

Irigoyen: Can you share what the most challenging thing about your work has been?

Hurd: Communication. Now, with everything dealing with artificial intelligence, I hear tons of my colleagues say, ‘I don’t know if this paper is written by AI.’ I say, ‘Have a conversation.’

What I’ve been mentoring faculty on is trying to get students to buy into their education. If I give you a valid reason why you shouldn’t be using AI, that there’s some technique or deep-down learning I need you to understand so that when you go into the field … you can be successful, I need you to buy into that.

Irigoyen: What is your proudest accomplishment?

Hurd: There are a lot of ways I could take this question. I’m proud to be a father of two successful adults. I’m proud to be a husband of 29 years. I’m proud to be the first member of a family of 160 grandkids to get their master’s and doctorate. I’ve been extremely proud to take one generation removed from poverty to upper-middle class.

I’m a cancer survivor. I’ve bowled a perfect game … but I guess my proudest accomplishment is to be that person in my friend group, in my community, that people look for if someone needs guidance, words of advice … being a good member of my community and family.

Irigoyen: In our technologically connected world, what is your best advice to stay safe on the internet?

Hurd: Awareness. Understand what’s happening around you. Microsoft will never call you and ask you for your password. Your bank’s never going to call you and ask for your account information. They have that. They know that.

Irigoyen: What’s something you wish more people knew?

Hurd: The ‘you don’t know what you don’t know philosophy’ that drives people to ask more questions and have the fortitude to follow up on them. So, if someone gives you an abrupt answer, that you have the fortitude to say: ‘I really don’t understand what you’re saying, can you please explain that?’

Cybersecurity didn’t exist when I got into IT. When criminals started hacking, people didn’t know how to defend themselves, so everybody was very easy to hack. If people become educated, it gives us a bigger defense.