CyberCorps Scholarship for Service: Secure Embedded Systems

Morgan State University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Connected embedded systems are prevalent throughout society and range from baby monitors to smart cars to critical infrastructure. Hackers frequently target embedded systems for exploitation, threatening individual security and privacy and critical pieces of infrastructures. As a result, there is a growing need for cybersecurity professionals prepared to protect these systems. To address this need, Morgan State University (MSU) will provide students with a unique educational program in secure embedded systems that integrates active learning experiences and mentoring. The Secure Embedded Systems Scholarship Program (SES2) will recruit, mentor, and financially support students pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees with a keen interest in cybersecurity. SES2 utilizes peer and professional mentoring, active and experiential learning activities, and a comprehensive, secure embedded systems curriculum to prepare students for government careers in cybersecurity. The establishment of a pre-freshman through doctorate student pipeline is a unique aspect of the program. SES2 will enhance MSU's efforts to prepare a workforce that can meet the government's cybersecurity needs and help to protect the nation's critical infrastructures. The Cybersecurity Assurance & Policy (CAP) Center at MSU is a university-wide research center hosted by the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. MSU students can pursue multiple academic program offerings in cybersecurity, including Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with Cybersecurity Track, Master of Engineering in Cyber Engineering, and Ph.D. in Secure Embedded Systems. . The proposed SES2 program will prepare students by combining an innovative curriculum in secure embedded systems, challenging research opportunities, active and experiential learning opportunities, and peer and professional mentoring. In addition, students will benefit from access to industrial relationships with partner companies and unique opportunities to engage in collaborative team projects with government partners, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, MITRE, and the National Security Agency's Laboratory for Telecommunication Sciences. MSU is a Historically Black College and is well-positioned to address the critical need for a skilled cybersecurity workforce. This project is supported by the CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) program, which funds proposals establishing or continuing scholarship programs in cybersecurity and aligns with the U.S. National Cyber Strategy to develop a superior cybersecurity workforce. Following graduation, scholarship recipients are required to work in cybersecurity for a federal, state, local, or tribal Government organization for the same duration as their scholarship support. 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.