SFS Scholarships in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance

University Of Illinois At Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

With the goal of increasing the number and diversity of the Nation's cybersecurity workforce , the CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service (SFS) program at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) provides education, training, and financial support for approximately fifteen undergraduate (B.S.) and five graduate (M.S.) Computer Science students. Building upon the strengths of the CS Department at UIC, this grant employs a multifaceted approach to training the future cybersecurity workforce by: providing a concentration of classes in cybersecurity and information assurance; exposing students to state of the art research through its curriculum and faculty, the interdisciplinary IGERT program in Electronic Security and Privacy, and the Center for Research and Instruction in Technologies for Electronic Security; engaging students in hands-on experiments; and connecting them with the wider community of students, professionals, and government agencies through participation in job fairs organized by OPM, competitions, and summer classes. The number of cybersecurity incidents has constantly increased both in government and private sectors. Information assurance capabilities that prevent, detect, and react to threats on national infrastructure are part of a comprehensive national security strategy. Higher education has a pivotal role in this strategy that involves training highly skilled professionals in information assurance. The SFS scholarship program at UIC addresses this role by broadening the pool of talented professionals available to the government cybersecurity workforce. Building upon the CS Department's successes in recruiting and increasing the number of women and underrepresented minorities in higher education, this program increases their participation in higher education and the diversity of the cybersecurity workforce.