A Scholarship Program for Security Assured Information Systems Track

通过该奖学金项目，匹兹堡大学为高素质的学生提供了成为保护网络空间，为国家和全球社会服务的高素质信息保障（IA）专业人员的机会。根据该计划，每个奖学金获得者都需要完成信息科学或电信和网络硕士学位，并具有安全保证信息系统（SAIS）的轨道选项。此外，在IA浓度的任何一个项目的博士生都可以要求支持他们最后两年的学习。该奖学金项目在四年的时间里支持三组4名学生。智力优势：奖学金学生受益于高度肥沃的多学科教育环境和强大而多样化的高质量IA课程，这是全国仅有的八所通过国家系统安全委员会（CNSS）制定的所有五项国家IA教育标准认证的学校之一。该计划建立了一个协调良好的管理和行政结构，以确保：(1)奖学金机会提供给竞争激烈的，来自IA中代表性不足的群体的学生；(2)奖学金学生在整个学术课程中得到适当的指导支持；(3)奖学金学生从事专业发展和协同活动，丰富他们的学术经验。更广泛的影响：通过与波多黎各大学、马亚圭斯大学和林肯大学等少数民族高等教育机构的联系，该项目非常重视从IA地区代表性不足的群体中招收学生。该计划还受益于大学内部各种IA和国土防御相关倡议之间的协同互动。

Through this scholarship program, the University of Pittsburgh offers highly qualified students the opportunity to become information assurance (IA) professionals of high caliber who will serve the nation and the global society by protecting the cyberspace. Under this program, each scholarship recipient is required to complete a Masters degree in Information Science or Telecommunication and Networking with the Security Assured Information Systems (SAIS) track option. In addition, Ph.D. students in either program with IA concentration can request support for the last two years of their studies. The scholarship program supports three cohorts of 4 students over a period of four years.Intellectual Merit: Scholarship students benefit from a highly fertile multidisciplinary educational environment and a strong and diversified, high quality IA curriculum, which is among the only eight in the nation that has been certified for all the five national IA educational standards set by the Committee on National Systems Security (CNSS). The program establishes a well-coordinated management and administration structure to ensure that:(1) Scholarship opportunities are available to highly competitive, students from underrepresented groups in IA,(2) Scholarship students are provided with appropriate mentoring support throughout their academic program, and(3) Scholarship students are engaged in professional development and synergistic activities that enrich their academic experience.Broader Impact: The program places significant emphasis on the recruitment of students from underrepresented groups in IA areas through its links with minority serving postsecondary institutions such as the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez and Lincoln University. The program also benefits from synergistic interactions among the various IA and homeland defense related initiatives within the university.