CyberCorps Scholarship for Service at the University of Massachusetts Amherst

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal will inaugurate a CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) program at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) at Amherst, the Commonwealth?s flagship institution of higher education. This program will support and expand several of the University?s advanced programs that educate and train cybersecurity researchers and professionals. It will support four interdisciplinary cohorts of seven scholars across four nationally-recognized colleges and departments at UMass: computer science, electrical and computer systems engineering, mathematics and statistics, and business. The proposed program has several key objectives. It will create the CyberCorps® community that ensures their success through strong peer-mentoring, faculty advising, and academic and professional support. The program intends a 100% placement in government cybersecurity positions, leveraging the UMass faculty?s many relationships with various federal and state labs and offices. UMass?s academic programs in cybersecurity have and will continue to provide high-quality education and research opportunities, with instruction from and collaboration with leading scholars in the field. Its academic programs will address the multifaceted nature of cybersecurity by continuing to expand and integrating interdisciplinary material. The program will prepare students for successful careers in cybersecurity, through a combination of strong curricula, ample professional development, extensive advising, interdisciplinary enrichment, and access to recruiting opportunities. In addition, the program will continue and expand UMass?s existing mechanisms to recruit and retain women and underrepresented minorities into our undergraduate and graduate programs. This program will directly impact the cybersecurity workforce by training 28 cybersecurity professionals. Further, this program directly encourages interdisciplinary work between faculty. More generally, the developments under this program, including curriculum, professional development, broad interdisciplinary collaboration, and recruiting focused on women and underrepresented minorities will provide a broad and sustained base to attract more students into UMass?s cybersecurity programs into the foreseeable future.