Collaborative Research: Engaging the Mississippi Delta in CyberCorps

Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena MS

Investigators

Abstract

Mississippi State University (MSU) proposes to build cyber security education capacity with Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU). MVSU is an HBCU in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. In this effort, MSU will conduct faculty development summer workshops on the MSU campus for MVSU faculty. Together, MSU and MVSU will develop curricula that support Security+ certification of MVSU students. MSU will also work with MVSU to enhance MVSU's high school computer science summer camp program. MSU's Center for Cyber Innovation proposes to work with MVSU's Mathematics, Computer and Information Sciences Department and MVSU's Center for Cyber Security. This partnership will provide commercial cyber certification opportunities for MVSU faculty and staff. MSU will facilitate this goal by developing and delivering a review course for the certification exam. By making the certification review material publicly available, MSU and MVSU seek to promote cyber security education capacity and economic development in the Mississippi Delta and beyond. A key early outcome of this effort is to establish a pipeline for MVSU students to be awarded scholarships through the CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service (SFS) program at MSU to pursue graduate studies. Longer term, MSU will assist MVSU in becoming certified through the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) jointly sponsored National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) program. The strategic goals are to position MVSU as an CAE-CD and ultimately establish an SFS program at MVSU to serve the Mississippi Delta region. 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.