CyberCorps Scholarship for Service: Graduating Workforce-Ready Cybersecurity Professionals

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The US economic competitiveness and security depend on the nation's ability to produce enough cybersecurity professionals who can secure its cyberinfrastructure. This project will award scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in cybersecurity programs at Wichita State University (WSU). Significant efforts will be made to recruit and retain outstanding students, including those from underrepresented groups. As a result, the project will provide a steady stream of diverse workforce-ready cybersecurity professionals for government service. WSU is the only urban-serving research institution in Kansas and is designated as a National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education. WSU offers strong cybersecurity graduate and undergraduate programs that accommodate students with diverse academic backgrounds. Scholarship recipients will receive individualized career advising focused towards transitioning to a government job and participate in mentored research while completing a cybersecurity degree. Students will have an opportunity to conduct research in areas such as biometrics, cyberphysical system security, mobile security, and wireless network security. The project team will leverage its existing close ties with minority-oriented and security-oriented student organizations on campus, as well as with community colleges and local high schools, to recruit students. The project also includes retention specialists who will develop support structures, including parent mentoring, to tackle challenges faced by students from underrepresented groups. To further improve the inclusivity of our programs, the project will train participating faculty on the academic challenges faced by students from underrepresented groups. 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.