| NSF Org: |
DGE Division Of Graduate Education |
| Recipient: |
|
| Initial Amendment Date: | September 19, 2016 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | October 15, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 1564518 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Li Yang
liyang@nsf.gov (703)292-2677 DGE Division Of Graduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | October 1, 2016 |
| End Date: | September 30, 2023 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $4,097,801.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $4,097,801.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2017 = $722,569.00 FY 2018 = $994,605.00 FY 2019 = $1,146,497.00 FY 2020 = $840,899.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
|
| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
307 N UNIVERSITY BLVD MOBILE AL US 36608-3053 (251)460-6333 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
|
| Primary Place of Performance: |
150 Jaguar Drive Mobile AL US 36688-0002 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
|
| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
|
| Parent UEI: |
|
| NSF Program(s): | CYBERCORPS: SCHLAR FOR SER |
| Primary Program Source: |
04001718DB NSF Education & Human Resource 04001819DB NSF Education & Human Resource 04001920DB NSF Education & Human Resource 04002021DB NSF Education & Human Resource |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
|
| Program Element Code(s): |
|
| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
The University of South Alabama (USA) proposes to add four new cohorts of undergraduate and graduate students to their existing CyberCorps(R) Scholarship for Service (SFS) program in cybersecurity with strong emphasis on the cutting edge of critical cybersecurity research. The program is graduating skilled cybersecurity professionals with strong leadership skills and a commitment to public service. The project will have an immediate impact on the cybersecurity capabilities of the federal workforce by providing graduates with general computing and security skills. The University of South Alabama has a record of meeting the needs of a diverse student body and a high percentage of the students come from rural or financially depressed areas. In the current program, 30% of the SFS Cyber Scholars are female and 15% are members of underrepresented groups. The project team consists of 17 cybersecurity-focused faculty members providing education and research opportunities to the SFS Cyber Scholars. The expert faculty along with the state-of-the-art security laboratories allow students to be on the cutting edge of critical cybersecurity research issues facing the nation in one of the best cybersecurity research facilities in the country.
The project will continue the successful SFS Cyber Scholars program recruiting students throughout the Gulf Coast region and will enrich diversity and capacity in the national cyber workforce. The USA School of Computing is unique in this region, consolidating five undergraduate computing programs in information technology, computer science, cyber assurance, information systems, and health informatics. The project team brings both military service experience and experience in managing NSF's scholarship programs. Graduates of the USA Cyber Scholars program are skilled in research methodology, develop hands-on cyber knowledge, and are prepared professionally to enter the federal cyber workforce.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
Note:
When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external
site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a
charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from
this site.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The goal of the project is to leverage key institutional support to sustain a long-term NSF CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS) program. Our local program is known as the University of South Alabama (USA) Cyber Scholars, which has a continuing focus to recruit, educate, train, and place future cybersecurity professionals in the federal workforce. The key objectives of the USA Cyber Scholars program are to recruit highly qualified applicants, mentor them in cybersecurity curriculum and research, provide professional development opportunities for them, and monitor progress toward these goals. Our ultimate goal is to ensure timely graduation and suitable placement. This was accomplished through our major activities: 1) advertising the Cyber Scholars program in the southeast region and recruiting potential students, 2) recruiting and selecting a cohort of students through scholarship awards, 3) developing and implementing mentorship activities for awardees, 4) building a network of government agencies for internships and future employment opportunities, 5) overseeing cybersecurity curriculum and training opportunities within the School of Computing at USA, and 6) monitoring placement of graduating students in the federal cybersecurity workforce.
The USA Cyber Scholars program began in 2011 under award DUE-1241675 after participating in the CyberCorps program under a collaborative sub-contract with Mississippi State University. The program has been continued under this award (DGE-1564518) in 2016 and a second program renewal that started in 2022 under award DGE-2142948. Since inception, the Cyber Scholars program has awarded 63 scholarships total and graduated 50 students, with 10 students still completing their academic programs. All 50 program graduates have been placed in permanent cybersecurity positions across several federal executive agencies and approved Department of Energy Laboratories (82%), and the remaining with federally funded research and development centers as well as approved state positions (18%). Our overall program demographics to date have supported 32% female and 14% underrepresented groups.
Under this grant, award DGE-1564518, 31 scholarship awards were awarded. Of these awards, 27 students successfully completed the program and 2 students are completing their studies with funding from DGE-2142948. All 27 graduates were placed in permanent cybersecurity positions across several federal executive agencies and approved Department of Energy Laboratories (93%), and the remaining with federally funded research and development centers as well as approved state positions (7%). Of the scholarships provided by the grant, 39% were awarded to female students, with 16% of our recipients from underrepresented groups.
Professional development of Cyber Scholar students during the grant period supported a wide variety of opportunities, including participation in monthly cybersecurity colloquiums and engagement of K-12 students in on-campus cyber learning activities. Cyber Scholar students were active members of USA's Day Zero student cyber club, participating in various CTFs, coding hackathons, and cyber competitions including the Southeast Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (SECCDC), Atlantic Council's Cyber 9/12, Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC), DOE CyberForce, DOE Conquer the Hill, NCAE Cybergames, Hivestorm, and picoCTF among others.
The SFS program has allowed USA to forge new and sustained partnerships with numerous federal agencies. This started with our initial grant in 2012 and continued under this current award DGE-1564518 that started in 2016. During the award period we continued active engagement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ERDC in Vicksburg, MS, the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Aviation and Missile (A&M) Center on Redstone Arsenal, the USAF 46th Test Wing at Eglin AFB, FL, as well the 336th Training Squadron at Keesler AFB. We additionally forged new relationships and opportunities during this award period by partnering with the Naval Oceanographic Office located at NASA Stennis in MS, the Army Space and Missile Defense Command SMDC in Huntsville, AL, and have initiated joint work with the Air Force Research Lab Munitions Directorate at Eglin AFB, FL.
Regional outreach and long-term recruiting efforts were coordinated through our Center for Forensics, Information Technology, and Security (CFITS) partner school program. The partner school program is committed to K-12 outreach with the goal of recruiting future USA students who are science, technology, engineering, math and computing (STEM+C) capable. This approach provides a long-term investment strategy to attract future students, which further increases our Cyber Scholars application pool as these students advance in their studies. Current Cyber Scholars participate and assist in these recruiting programs.
Overall, the Cyber Scholars program continues to provide incredible opportunities for students that come from the southeast region and has provided a lasting impact on the curriculum, research, and professional development opportunities available at the University of South Alabama.
Last Modified: 11/27/2023
Modified by: Todd R Andel
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
