In this project, a consortium consisting of Mt. San Antonio College, Long Beach City College, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Los Angeles, and Cal State Northridge are building educational pathways in cybersecurity in Los Angeles County and the surrounding area. The project builds on a previous grant that involved Mt. San Antonio College and Cal Poly Pomona (NSF Award No. 0302942). The project has four major concentrations:
(1) Workforce Development: The consortium is increasing the number of students who complete academic programs with coursework in cybersecurity, from certificates to baccalaureate degrees. It is also increasing the number of technicians and professionals in the field who are trained in cybersecurity. The project team is implementing a structured internship program and is working with employers to evaluate the success of consortium graduates after they enter the workforce.
(2) Curriculum Development, Revision, and Dissemination: The consortium is updating existing cybersecurity courses and disseminating proven models. It is developing curricula in secure coding and software assurance; developing educational pathways in network administration and security management and software/information assurance; working with K-12 schools on curriculum alignment and dual enrollment; and ensuring that new curricula are aligned with industry and national standards.
(3) Professional Development for Educators: The consortium is providing training and professional development for college faculty and K-12 teachers in the region. It is hosting workshops, symposia, "boot camps," and other activities focusing on cybersecurity trends and practices, and is supporting faculty to attend related professional conferences.
(4) Outreach and Partnership Development: The consortium is cultivating new partnerships with community colleges, universities, K-12 schools, industry, and professional organizations to assess regional needs and provide specific programs, activities, and curricula to address those needs.
All of the institutions in the consortium are Hispanic Serving Institutions, and all have a wide student ethnic representation. These large minority enrollments, combined with targeted outreach to underrepresented populations, ensure that the project is providing cybersecurity education for traditionally underrepresented groups in the STEM disciplines.
The project's Web site (http://rissc.mtsac.edu) provides links to new and enhanced curricula, information about conferences and professional development opportunities, links to vendor-neutral and vendor-specific certification programs, publications and presentations developed by project team members, and other resources.
