Broadening Participation in the CyberCorps(R) Scholarship for Service Program

尽管对网络安全专业人员的需求很高，但在招聘历史上在计算领域代表性不足的人口方面取得的进展有限。为了满足这一需求并确保强大的网络安全劳动力，需要更具包容性和多样化的劳动力。该项目旨在满足这一需求，并通过扩大参与NSF的CyberCorps®服务奖学金（SFS）计划来服务于国家利益。东北大学的包容性计算中心（CIC）将与SFS机构合作，建立包容性的环境，并增加所有种族，民族和性别的学生获得网络安全研究生学位的代表性。具体而言，CIC将授权SFS机构建立桥梁计划，将来自历史上在计算领域代表性不足的人群的研究生学位申请者与网络安全高级学位联系起来。这样的桥梁计划将使个人的参与，谁可能有他们的本科学位的学科领域以外的计算，追求在SFS项目网站的网络安全高等教育。为人口和社会经济更广泛的人群提供获得网络安全研究生学位课程的途径，对于加强和多样化网络安全劳动力至关重要。在三年期间，议会将与两批最多八所SFS机构（即，可能总共有16所机构），以确定和实施在吸引、留住和毕业自认为是妇女、黑人、非洲裔美国人、拉丁美洲人（a）、西班牙裔或土著人的学生方面已被证明有效的战略。CIC成立于2019年，是一项国家努力，旨在增加所有种族和民族的女性在计算领域的代表性。除了在财政上支持机构外，CIC还提供项目管理、技术咨询、数据收集和可视化服务。该项目的目标是利用加拿大信息中心在增加妇女参与计算方面的经验，并更广泛地加以应用，以增加参加SFS项目的所有学生的多样性和人数，特别注意那些寻求研究生学位的学生。为了实现这些目标，CIC将向所有有兴趣并致力于建立桥梁计划的SFS机构发出建议书。对于选定的机构，项目团队将进行现场访问，涉及当前的学生和SFS学者，网络教师，顾问，助教和相关的椅子（S），院长（S），或教务长（S）。项目团队将编写一份总结报告，与机构和NSF分享。该报告将总结CIC认为将导致人口多样性发生有意义变化的干预措施的调查结果和建议。CIC还将在两年时间内支持选定机构的实施，提供辅导和支持，并将机构与在相关领域具有深厚专业知识的顾问联系起来。顾问的专业领域将包括但不限于招聘，市场营销，学生辅导和支持，相关行业参与和课程开发。该项目通过STEM教育计划中的种族平等（EHR种族平等）资助。该计划支持研究和实践项目，调查种族平等因素如何影响科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）教育和劳动力的改善。获奖项目旨在集中STEM企业内受系统性不平等影响最大的个人，社区和机构的声音，知识和经验。该计划符合NSF的核心价值观，即支持来自全国人口群体，地区和组织类型多样性的优秀研究人员和创新思想家。EHR种族平等基金来自EHR各项目，以表彰其项目与董事会四个部门的集体研究和开发目标的一致性。该奖项反映了NSF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。

Despite the high demand for cybersecurity professionals, progress in recruiting members of populations historically underrepresented in the computing field has been limited. In order to meet this demand and ensure a robust cybersecurity workforce, a more inclusive and diverse workforce is needed. This project aims to address this need and serve the national interest by broadening participation in the NSF’s CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) program. Northeastern University’s Center for Inclusive Computing (CIC) will work with SFS institutions to build inclusive environments and increase the representation of students of all races, ethnicities, and genders earning cybersecurity graduate degrees. Specifically, CIC will empower SFS institutions to build bridge programs that connect graduate degree-seeking individuals from populations, who have been historically underrepresented in computing, to advanced degrees in cybersecurity. Such bridge programs will enable the participation of individuals, who may have their undergraduate degrees in subject areas other than computing, to pursue higher education in cybersecurity at SFS project sites. Creating a path for a demographically and socio-economically broader population to access cybersecurity graduate degree programs is critical to strengthening and diversifying the cybersecurity workforce. Over a three-year period, the CIC will work with two cohorts of up to eight SFS institutions (i.e., for a potential total of 16 institutions) to identify and implement strategies that have been shown effective in attracting, retaining, and graduating students who identify as women, Black, African American, Latino(a), Hispanic or Indigenous. The CIC was created in 2019 as a national effort to increase the representation of women of all races and ethnicities in computing. In addition to supporting institutions financially, the CIC provides program management, technical consulting, data collection, and visualization services. The objectives of this project are to leverage CIC's experience with increasing the participation of women in computing and apply it more broadly to increase the diversity and number of all students participating in SFS projects, with particular attention to those seeking graduate degrees. To achieve these objectives, the CIC will issue a call for proposals to all SFS institutions interested in and committed to building a bridge program. For selected institutions, the project team will conduct in-person site visits involving current students and SFS scholars, cyber faculty, advisors, teaching assistants, and the relevant chair(s), dean(s), or provost(s). The project team will develop a summary report to share with the institution and NSF. The report will summarize findings and recommendations on the interventions the CIC believes will lead to a meaningful change in demographic diversity. The CIC will also support the implementation of selected institutions over a two-year period, providing coaching and support and connecting institutions with consultants with deep expertise in related areas. Consultants’ areas of expertise will include but not be limited to recruiting, marketing, student mentoring and support, relevant industry engagement, and curriculum development.This project is funded through the Racial Equity in STEM Education program (EHR Racial Equity). The program supports research and practice projects that investigate how considerations of racial equity factor into the improvement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce. Awarded projects seek to center the voices, knowledge, and experiences of the individuals, communities, and institutions most impacted by systemic inequities within the STEM enterprise. This program aligns with NSF’s core value of supporting outstanding researchers and innovative thinkers from across the Nation's diversity of demographic groups, regions, and types of organizations. Funds for EHR Racial Equity are pooled from programs across EHR in recognition of the alignment of its projects with the collective research and development thrusts of the four divisions of the directorate.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.