SFS@BAMA: Shaping the Next Generation of Cyber Professionals

该项目旨在满足国家对训练有素、全面发展的网络安全专业人员日益增长的需求，从阿拉巴马大学的三个学术项目：计算机科学、犯罪学和刑事司法以及管理信息系统招募不同的学者。该跨学科项目利用了三个学术项目的互补优势，并建立在该大学目前与地方、州和联邦政府组织的关系基础上。学者们将从计算机科学中发展深厚的技术知识，从犯罪学和刑事司法中理解网络犯罪的社会和行为方面，并从管理信息系统中掌握这些概念如何适应组织环境。由于学者们将接触到各自学术项目中通常不会出现的主题，他们毕业时将比同龄人接受更全面的网络安全教育。此外，他们将做好充分准备，以应对当今网络环境中的挑战，并成为未来网络安全劳动力的领导者，从联邦政府的职位开始。阿拉巴马大学被指定为国土安全部和国家安全局网络防御研究学术卓越中心。该项目利用了当前网络安全教育和研究计划的优势以及与联邦、州和地方政府组织的现有关系。该项目将通过每年向来自计算机科学、犯罪学和刑事司法以及管理信息系统专业的特殊和不同的学生颁发6个奖学金，帮助缩小所需的高素质网络安全专业人员数量与现有数量之间的差距。除了完成所选专业的核心网络安全课程外，入选的学者还将选择其他两个学术领域的课程作为核心课程的一部分。计算机科学系开设网络安全专业，包括为学生提供有关网络安全许多方面的深入技术内容的课程。犯罪学和刑事司法部开设了美国为数不多的网络犯罪学未成年人课程之一，重点是将社会和行为科学应用于研究网络空间犯罪的原因和后果。管理信息系统项目还提供核心网络安全课程，重点是在企业环境中应用网络安全概念。此外，学者在毕业后从事暑期实习和全职工作时将获得教师指导、职业发展机会和支持。该项目由CyberCorps®服务奖学金(SFS)计划支持，该计划为建立或继续开展网络安全奖学金计划提供资金，并与美国国家网络战略保持一致，以培养一支优秀的网络安全劳动力队伍。毕业后，奖学金获得者被要求在联邦、州、地方或部落政府组织的网络安全工作中工作，时间与他们的奖学金支持相同。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project seeks to address the growing national need for highly-trained, well-rounded cybersecurity professionals by recruiting a diverse set of scholars from three academic programs at the University of Alabama: Computer Science, Criminology and Criminal Justice, and Management Information Systems. The trans-disciplinary project leverages the complementary strengths of the three academic programs and builds on the University’s current relationships with local, state, and federal government organizations. Scholars will develop deep technical knowledge from Computer Science, an understanding of the social and behavioral aspects of cyber-crime from Criminology and Criminal Justice, and a grasp on how these concepts fit within organizational contexts from Management Information Systems. Because scholars will be exposed to topics not normally presented in their respective academic programs, they will graduate with a more well-rounded cybersecurity education than their peers. Furthermore, they will be well-prepared to take on the challenges in today’s cyber environment and to serve as leaders in the cybersecurity workforce of the future, beginning with positions in the federal government. The University of Alabama is designated as a Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research. This project leverages the strengths of the current cybersecurity education and research programs as well as existing relationships with federal, state, and local government organizations. This project will help close the gap between the number of highly qualified cybersecurity professionals needed and the number currently available by awarding six scholarships each project year to exceptional and diverse students drawn from the Computer Science, Criminology and Criminal Justice, and Management Information Systems programs. In addition to completing the core cybersecurity courses within their chosen major, the selected scholars will take courses from the other two academic domains as part of their core curriculum. The Computer Science department offers a Cybersecurity concentration consisting of courses that provide students with a depth of technical content about many aspects of cybersecurity. The Criminology and Criminal Justice department offers one of the few Cyber Criminology minors in the United States, which focuses on applying social and behavioral sciences to the study of the causes and consequences of crimes in cyberspace. The Management Information System program also offers core cybersecurity courses that focus on the application of cybersecurity concepts in a corporate environment. In addition, scholars will receive faculty mentoring, professional development opportunities, and support as they pursue summer internships and full-time employment following graduation.This project is supported by the CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) program, which funds proposals establishing or continuing scholarship programs in cybersecurity and aligns with the U.S. National Cyber Strategy to develop a superior cybersecurity workforce. Following graduation, scholarship recipients are required to work in cybersecurity for a federal, state, local, or tribal Government organization for the same duration as their scholarship support.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.