Dakota Defenders Information Assurance Scholarship Program

Dakota State University, Madison SD

Investigators

Abstract

Dakota State University (DSU) proposes to create the Dakota Defenders Information Assurance Scholarship Program for undergraduate students in the Computer and Network Security (CONS) degree program and to host three cohorts of Scholarship for Service (SFS) students. This project increases national research and development capabilities in Information Assurance (IA) and produces new entrants to the federal government workforce. The CONS program includes extensive hands-on technical exercises in offensive security practices in hardware, operating systems, networks, databases, and software. All Dakota Defenders take part in innovative mechanisms of community building such as the Student Research Initiative (SRI), the Security Group of the ACM Computer Club, InfraGard meetings, and the North Central Region of the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. The Dakota Defenders program strives to serve women interested in Information Assurance by recruiting applicants from the University's 35 current members in the Women in Science and Technology group. Program graduates are well-versed in security policy, infrastructure operations, and defensive programming and exhibit strong oral and written communication skills.