CyberCorps Scholarship for Service: Cybersecurity Research and Education for Service in Government (CREST)

南佛罗里达大学(USF)的网络安全研究和政府服务教育(CREST)项目将招聘和指导至少28名研究生和本科生，在联邦、州和地方政府以及其他公共部门组织担任网络安全专业人员。与USF的网络安全相关学术项目、校园专业发展活动以及联邦、州和地方实习机会相结合，CREST计划将建立一个变革性的实践社区，以培养下一代国家网络安全领导者。CREST学者将从前军事和联邦文职领导人以及一个独特的咨询委员会的机构和成员那里获得关于公共服务精神的广泛指导和指导。CREST计划的目标是将SFS奖学金的50%授予在计算机领域历来代表性不足的群体(包括女性和退伍军人)。USF的CREST计划围绕三个总体目标：招聘和选拔、专业发展和保留以及公共部门的网络安全安置。学生将从美国联邦大学两所学院的12个网络安全相关学位项目中挑选出来。CREST学者将完成与网络安全相关的学位课程，在教师导师的指导下进行网络安全方面的本科生和研究生研究，并参与结构化的USF和Cyber佛罗里达职业发展活动。该项目还将开发一个模拟安全运营中心(SOC)，使用真实世界的事件数据来培训CREST学者，以提升他们在网络安全运营方面的专业知识。将特别关注培养学生的公共服务动机。通过志愿者活动，CREST学者将通过与大坦帕地区的K-12学生分享STEM之旅以及在网络安全和人工智能方面的知识和热情，吸引下一代有抱负的网络安全专业人员。该项目由CyberCorps®服务奖学金(SFS)计划支持，该计划为建立或继续开展网络安全奖学金计划提供资金，并与美国国家网络战略保持一致，以培养一支优秀的网络安全劳动力队伍。毕业后，奖学金获得者被要求在联邦、州、地方或部落政府组织的网络安全工作中工作，时间与他们的奖学金支持相同。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Cybersecurity Research and Education for Service in Government (CREST) program at the University of South Florida (USF) will recruit and mentor at least 28 graduate and undergraduate students to serve as cybersecurity professionals in federal, state, and local governments, and other public sector organizations. In conjunction with USF’s cybersecurity related academic programs, campus professional development activities, and federal, state, and local internship opportunities, the CREST program will establish a transformative community of practice to produce next-generation, national cybersecurity leaders. CREST scholars will receive extensive coaching and mentoring on public service ethos from former military and federal civilian leaders, as well as from agencies and members of a unique Advisory Council. The CREST program will target 50% of SFS scholarships to be awarded to groups historically underrepresented in computing (including women and veterans).USF’s CREST program is centered on three overarching goals: recruitment and selection, professional development and retention, and cybersecurity placement in the public sector. Students will be selected from 12 cybersecurity-related degree programs across two USF colleges. CREST scholars will complete cybersecurity-related degree programs, conduct undergraduate and graduate research in cybersecurity supervised by faculty mentors, and participate in structured USF and Cyber Florida professional development activities. The project will also develop a mock Security Operations Center (SOC) with real-world incident data for training CREST scholars to elevate their expertise in cybersecurity operations. A special focus will be placed on developing a public service motivation in students. Through volunteer activities, CREST scholars will engage the next generation of aspiring cybersecurity professionals by sharing their STEM journey as well as knowledge and passion for cybersecurity and AI with K-12 students in the Greater Tampa region.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.