CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (Renewal): Expanding the Reach of Cybersecurity Training at Sacramento State

University Enterprises, Incorporated, Sacramento CA

Investigators

Abstract

The nation’s need for cybersecurity professionals with diverse training and backgrounds continues to grow. This project will further develop a competent cybersecurity workforce at California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State). Sacramento State aims to produce cybersecurity professionals for Northern California, which is a thriving center of computer technology development, the seat of California’s state government, and in close proximity to many federal agencies. The project builds on Sacramento State’s prior success in securing cybersecurity employment for SFS scholars, with a current goal of placing 85% in the federal executive branch. With its comparatively low state tuition rate, Sacramento State offers a cost-effective program for training cybersecurity experts. A Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI), with 45% Pell-eligible, and 32% first-generation students, Sacramento State is well positioned to prepare future cybersecurity talent for placement in government. The project will support students in computer science, computer engineering, criminal justice, and management information systems at Sacramento State over a five-year period. It will expand research and education innovation opportunities for Sacramento State students in critical cybersecurity infrastructure. All SFS scholars will take part in a faculty-mentored research project exploring an array of pressing topics such as AI, trustworthy algorithms using blockchain infrastructure, robust authentication, analysis of cyber-attacks on dynamic control systems, and design of resilient control systems. This will enable faculty to involve interested students in their research, disseminate their research results, and update the program’s cybersecurity curriculum to reflect the latest state of technology. The project will become more multidisciplinary, inviting students majoring in Management and Information Systems and Criminal Justice to participate. Finally, SFS scholars will conduct a survey of current trends and challenges in cybersecurity each year and make a presentation in a public forum, such as the State of California Cybersecurity Education Summit, to raise awareness. 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.