NSF Award
1922270
Norfolk State University (NSU) is a Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity - the second Historical Black College and University to be so designated - and is proposing to continue its contribution to the Cybersecurity workforce through participation in the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS) program. Continued participation in this program will permit NSU to contribute to expanding the cybersecurity workforce, and bring cybersecurity awareness and education, not only to the NSU community, but to the general public at large. Current and past SFS scholars have worked with middle and high school cybersecurity summer camps, students in a high school cybersecurity club started by NSU and in other community cybersecurity awareness programs directed at the general public. The funding will permit NSU to continue these valuable cybersecurity awareness activities. Current SFS graduates are already contributing to the cybersecurity workforce in areas of cybercrime, digital forensics, cyber defense and in some very highly classified areas. The university is proposing to continue and expand this contribution. As a minority institution with a relatively high proportion of females pursuing Computer Science degrees, NSU will contribute substantially to addressing under-representation of minorities and females in the cybersecurity workforce. Apart from the required internship programs, SFS students are required to be a part of a cybersecurity seminar series where they are exposed to speakers from industry, current hands-on cybersecurity topics and techniques, cybersecurity certifications and preparation for cybersecurity competitions. This cybersecurity seminar enhances academic class preparation and makes these SFS graduates more competitive as they seek employment upon graduation. Through collaborations and interaction with cybersecurity employers in government agencies, NSU will continually update the academic curricula and seminar needs to ensure that graduates remain competitive not only now, but also in the future. <br/><br/>Norfolk State University's SFS program has contributed sixteen cybersecurity scholars to the cybersecurity workforce and this proposal aims to continue this work. The specific objectives are 1) recruit highly qualified and motivated individuals for workforce preparation; 2) Develop students for the cybersecurity workforce through exposure to a rigorous academic curriculum and a cybersecurity seminar series which provides additional hands-on-learning opportunities; 3) Enrich the SFS scholars and the external community by involving the SFS scholars in educating K-12 students and adults about the importance of cybersecurity and the career opportunities in the cybersecurity field. Over the course of development of the Cybersecurity program at Norfolk State University, it has developed strong relationships with the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration, The ARMY Research Laboratory, Mitre Corporation, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR). These institutions have helped to guide NSU in the preparation of students who are ready to contribute immediately upon graduation and as a result are highly sought after.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
