CyberCorps(R): SFS (Scholarship Track): Renewal: An Interdisciplinary Cyber Security Curriculum

The State University of New York at Buffalo (UB), a designated National Center of Excellence (CAE) in cyber security education and a CAE in cyber security research (CAE-R) proposes to continue and expand its participation in the CyberCorps(R): Scholarship for Service (SFS) program to prepare highly-qualified cybersecurity professionals for entry into the government workforce. The primary goal of this project is to attract students from middle school through graduate school to become information security problem-solvers and security professionals. UB is uniquely positioned to build on an already successful program and develop a comprehensive cyber security curriculum based on best practices, experiential learning and grounded in research. The current Information Assurance and Cyber Security (IA/CS) will be expanded to the undergraduate level by developing suitable pathways to pursue IA/CS with the goal of recruiting some of them for graduate studies. The SFS program funds projects that address cybersecurity education and workforce development, including funding to award scholarships to students in cybersecurity. In return for their scholarships, recipients will work after graduation for a Federal, State, Local, or Tribal Government organization in a position related to Cybersecurity for a period equal to the length of the scholarship. This proposal aims to further develop the broad-based Information Assurance and Cyber Security (IA/CS) program by examining and building on existing research on the security of mobile devices, computer forensics, and privacy in social networks. The educational plan is to train scholars in both technical and managerial tracks, under one program. UB leverages state-of-the-art resources: the Regional Computer Forensics Lab (RCFL) located in Buffalo, and 15 NSA-accredited courses that include four new offerings - an integrative course in IA, wireless networks security, e-commerce security and digital forensics. The proposing team has active involvement with underrepresented groups through the local Minority Management Society, the SUNY Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program, and the Women in Management and Engineering and Science groups to recruit students and conduct IA awareness workshops in Buffalo. Partnerships with local industries will allow for educational opportunities and talent development on the emerging blockchain technology. These opportunities for stakeholder engagement will serve to further disseminate the efforts of the IA/CS community at large. 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.