CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (Renewal): SFS for ACES

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

The SFS for ACES program is focused on strengthening the federal cybersecurity workforce by providing funding for talented students to pursue a rigorous, multidisciplinary cybersecurity education. The program will steward students through a multidisciplinary academic minor focused on cybersecurity, while aiding them in developing professional skills through co-curricular activities and initiatives. The program prioritizes recruiting and retaining an academically high-achieving student body from diverse academic disciplines. The program also prioritizes strong relationships with governmental partners, exemplified by the Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the National Security Agency (NSA). The EPA allows for flow of information between the cybersecurity workforce and academia and provides meaningful networking and engagement opportunities for students and professionals. The SFS for ACES Program aims to build on the existing capacity of innovative cybersecurity education and continues to bolster cybersecurity workforce development. The SFS for ACES program will recruit an additional 30 students through the ACES Minor that features a 16-17-credit customizable curriculum including foundation courses, electives, and experiential learning courses. ACES strongly emphasizes applied learning by providing opportunities for individual and group experiential learning, including cybersecurity research, consulting projects, and academic year/summer internships. It also provides mentorship opportunities through the CyberConnect Mentoring program in which students are matched with cybersecurity professionals and engaged in mutual learning, emphasizing both technical and nontechnical skill building. SFS students will also complete a course in interpersonal communication. An enhanced suite of outreach opportunities with critical reflection components will help to increase the SFS students’ impact on the broader cybersecurity community. 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.