SFS@BAMA: Shaping the Next Generation of Cyber Professionals

该项目旨在通过招募来自阿拉巴马大学三个学术项目（计算机科学、犯罪学和刑事司法以及管理信息系统）的不同学者，解决国家对训练有素、全面发展的网络安全专业人员日益增长的需求。这个跨学科项目利用了三个学术项目的互补优势，并建立在大学目前与地方、州和联邦政府组织的关系之上。学生将从计算机科学中获得深厚的技术知识，从犯罪学和刑事司法中了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在各自的学术课程中通常不会出现的主题，他们将比同龄人获得更全面的网络安全教育。此外，他们将为应对当今网络环境中的挑战做好充分准备，并从联邦政府的职位开始，成为未来网络安全劳动力的领导者。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。该项目充分利用了当前网络安全教育和研究项目的优势，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杰出和多样化的学生颁发六份奖学金，帮助缩小所需的高素质网络安全专业人员数量与目前可用数量之间的差距。除了完成所选专业的核心网络安全课程外，入选学者还将学习其他两个学术领域的课程，作为其核心课程的一部分。计算机科学系提供网络安全集中的课程，为学生提供有关网络安全许多方面的深度技术内容。犯罪学和刑事司法部门提供美国为数不多的网络犯罪学未成年人之一，该部门侧重于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。管理信息系统计划还提供核心网络安全课程，重点关注网络安全概念在企业环境中的应用。此外，学者将获得教师指导，专业发展机会，以及在毕业后寻求暑期实习和全职工作的支持。该项目由CyberCorps®服务奖学金（SFS）计划支持，该计划为建立或继续网络安全奖学金计划的提案提供资金，并与美国国家网络战略保持一致，以培养优秀的网络安全劳动力。毕业后，奖学金获得者必须在联邦、州、地方或部落政府组织的网络安全部门工作，工作时间与奖学金支持时间相同。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.