Collaborative Research: CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (Renewal): Strengthening the National Cybersecurity Workforce with Integrated Learning of AI/ML and Cybersecurity

网络安全专业人员在全国范围内日益短缺，特别是在联邦政府和国防关键基础设施中，这要求采取战略措施来加强国家的网络安全能力。田纳西大学查塔努加分校（UTC）和塔斯基吉大学（TU）正在继续他们成功的合作CyberCorps服务奖学金（SFS）计划。该更新计划旨在培养更多具备综合网络安全和人工智能（AI）能力的准备充分的SFS毕业生，并将他们安置在联邦政府中，以应对快速发展的AI技术所加剧的网络安全威胁。该更新计划的总体目标是招募和留住来自不同背景的优秀学生，为他们的网络安全职业做好准备，通过科学硕士（MS）学位课程成功地指导他们，并将他们安置在符合SFS就业要求的网络安全职位上。SFS的合作更新将包括一系列创新，例如跨网络安全和数据科学的多个程序路径，嵌入式AI组件的增强网络安全培训，为来自非计算背景的优秀学者提供包容性程序路径，招聘重点是联邦服务的能力，专注于联邦就业的职业指导，准备与不同的个人合作，以及团队建设活动。这些创新，沿着UTC和TU的互补优势，协同努力和积累的经验，将确保更新计划实现其三个目标：1）招聘和留住有才华，有能力和多样化的SFS学者; 2）通过支持服务实现学者成功;和3）提高SFS学者的劳动力准备。为了提高包容性，更新计划将在UTC和TU的三个计划路径中支持SFS队列：一个是3年制BS+MS学位，一个是2年制MS学位，一个是3年制MS学位。该项目得到了CyberCorps服务奖学金（SFS）计划的支持，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，以培养一支上级网络安全人才队伍。毕业后，奖学金获得者需要在网络安全工作的联邦，州，地方，或部落政府组织为他们的奖学金支持相同的时间。在TU的项目是通过STEM教育计划的种族平等（EHR种族平等）部分资助。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。

The growing nationwide shortage of cybersecurity professionals, especially in the federal government and defense critical infrastructure, has called for strategic measures to strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity capacity. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) and Tuskegee University (TU) are continuing their successful collaborative CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS) program. This renewal program aims to produce additional well-prepared SFS graduates with integrated cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) competencies and place them in the federal government to combat cybersecurity threats aggravated by rapidly advancing AI technologies.The overarching goal of this renewal program is to recruit and retain talented students from diverse backgrounds, prepare them for cybersecurity careers, successfully mentor them through a Master of Science (MS) degree program, and place them in cybersecurity positions compliant with the SFS job-placement requirements. The collaborative SFS renewal will incorporate a series of innovations such as multiple program paths across cybersecurity and data science, enhanced cybersecurity training with embedded AI components, an inclusive program path for outstanding scholars from non-computing backgrounds, recruitment with emphasis on aptitude for federal service, career mentoring focused on federal employment, preparation to work with diverse individuals, and teamwork building activities. These innovations, along with the complementary strengths, synergistic efforts, and accumulated experiences of UTC and TU, will ensure the renewal program achieves its three objectives: 1) Recruiting and retaining talented, capable, and diverse SFS scholars; 2) Achieving scholar success through supporting services; and 3) Increasing workforce readiness of SFS scholars. To enhance inclusiveness, the renewal program will support SFS cohorts in three program paths at both UTC and TU: one for 3-year BS+MS degrees, one for 2-year MS degrees, and one for 3-year MS degrees. 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.The project at TU is partially 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.