EAGER: Network Training Internship Program: Collaborative Research

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This collaborative EAGER activity addresses an important and long term problem in the nation's cyber infrastructure (CI) -- the breadth and depth of network engineering talent engaged in research and education networking at the operational and engineering levels, and the associated education and training opportunities made possible through direct engagement by network operations experts. This activity focuses on undergraduate training for network engineering and operations, structured around a training and internship program centered at Indiana University, with a strong partnership established with the University of Montana. The primary element in the internship program is a Networking Fundamentals course over a 10-week period using inquiry-based learning techniques. The program also includes weekly seminars and working internships in operational environments at Indiana University leveraging their roles in campus, national and global network operations and monitoring. Student recruitment will emphasize EPSCoR jurisdictions. Student surveys will be used to evaluate the program?s effectiveness. The activities leverage an existing network engineering relationship between Indiana University and the University of Montana in which 2 students from Montana interned with Indiana?s GlobalNOC. The University of Montana will expand their student involvement under this funding and improve the course material. Intellectual merit is found in the effort?s exploration into the effectiveness of inquiry based learning approaches in the context of network engineering education at the undergraduate level. Broader impact relates directly to the potential for these activities to significantly increase education, workforce, and training opportunities in network research and engineering in real operational settings across EPSCoR jurisdictions.