CyberCorps Scholarship for Service: Cybersecurity Scholar Incubator

辛辛那提大学的网络安全学者孵化器项目（CSI:UC）通过多学科方法为政府工作准备高技能的网络安全学者，解决了美国政府机构网络安全人才严重短缺的问题。CSI:UC项目利用从各种网络安全教育和研究项目中获得的资源和经验。其中包括一项创新的早期大学计划，该计划吸引并招收代表性不足的高中生学习信息技术（IT）和网络安全，与社区大学的成功合作，三个国家安全局（NSA）资助的退伍军人和政府过渡工人培训计划，以及国家科学基金会（NSF）资助的网络安全研究项目。被SFS项目录取的学者将得到从网络安全政策和法律到强大的实践IT技能以及基础和理论研究等各种专业知识的教师的支持。此外，加州大学还拥有两个被国土安全部和国家安全局指定为网络防御教育和网络作战学术卓越中心的中心。此外，加州大学还是俄亥俄州网络靶场研究所的所在地，该研究所促进了整个俄亥俄州的网络安全教育、劳动力和经济发展。CSI:UC为期五年的项目将招收并颁发奖学金给24名攻读本科、硕士或博士学位的学者。由信息技术学院、电气工程与计算机科学系和政治科学系主办的三个独特的网络安全项目为学生提供了多种选择，以选择文学学士、理学学士、理学硕士和博士学位的学习计划。该项目计划通过从代表性不足的群体中招募50%的学者来扩大网络安全领域的参与。除了完成学位课程外，学生们还将参加课外和基于经验的学习活动，以建立强大的动手能力，练习人际沟通和领导技能。学生成功团队和co-op顾问将监督学生的学位进展，支持他们的co-op和实习机会，并为他们准备工作面试。此外，学生们将参加暑期工作坊，练习网络安全技能，调查网络安全技术和研究论文，改进简历，为政府工作面试做准备，并了解SFS计划的期望。通过该项目，学者们将有多次机会参加现场或虚拟的SFS招聘会。CSI:UC项目是为政府工作准备合格的网络劳动力和推进网络安全教育和研究的关键一步。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。

The Cybersecurity Scholar Incubator project at the University of Cincinnati (CSI:UC) addresses the severe shortage of cybersecurity workforce at US government agencies through a multidisciplinary approach to prepare highly skilled cybersecurity scholars for government jobs. The CSI:UC project leverages resources and experiences gained from various cybersecurity education and research projects. These include an innovative early college program that engages and admits underrepresented high school students to study Information Technology (IT) and cybersecurity, a successful collaboration with community colleges, three National Security Agency (NSA) funded veterans and government transitioning workers training programs, and National Science Foundation (NSF) funded cybersecurity research projects. Scholars admitted to the SFS program will be supported by faculty with diverse expertise ranging from cybersecurity policies and laws to strong hands-on IT skills, and to fundamental and theoretical research. In addition, UC is home to two centers designated by the Department of Homeland Security and the NSA as Centers for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education and Cyber Operations. In addition, UC is home to the Ohio Cyber Range Institute that advances cybersecurity education as well as workforce, and economic development across the State of Ohio. The CSI:UC five-year project will recruit and award scholarships to 24 scholars who are pursuing undergraduate, master’s or doctoral degree programs. Three unique cybersecurity programs hosted by the School of Information Technology, the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and the Department of Political Science provide students with various options in choosing a study plan in Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and doctoral degrees. The project plans to broaden participation in cybersecurity by recruiting fifty percent of its scholars from underrepresented groups. In addition to completing their degree programs, the scholars will participate in extracurricular and experience-based learning activities to build strong hands-on competence and practice inter-personal communication and leadership skills. Student success teams and co-op advisors will monitor the scholars’ degree progress, support their co-op and internship opportunities, and prepare them for job interviews. Furthermore, the scholars will participate in summer workshops to practice cybersecurity skills, survey cybersecurity technologies and research papers, improve resumes, prepare for interviewing for government jobs, and understand SFS program expectations. Through the project, the scholars will have multiple opportunities to attend onsite or virtual SFS job fairs. The CSI:UC project is a critical step toward preparing a qualified cyber workforce for government jobs and advancing cybersecurity education and research. 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.