Hampton University, a designated National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) proposes to continue and expand its participation in the CyberCorps(R): Scholarship for Service (SFS) program to prepare highly-qualified cybersecurity professionals for entry into the government workforce. This program will allow Hampton University to continue to produce highly skilled cybersecurity workers and address the lack of students (particularly from underrepresented communities) that are pursuing graduate degrees. The goal of the scholarship program is to support the development of cybersecurity professionals, both undergraduate and graduate levels at the Information Assurance Center at Hampton University (IAC@HU). The SFS program funds projects that address cybersecurity education and workforce development, including funding to award scholarships to students in cybersecurity. In return for their scholarships, recipients will work after graduation for a Federal, State, Local, or Tribal Government organization in a position related to Cybersecurity for a period equal to the length of the scholarship.
The SFS Hampton University Graduate Education and Training Scholarships in Information Assurance (HU GETS-IA) program aims to support the development of cybersecurity professionals. SFS scholars will work closely with highly qualified faculty mentors to contribute relevant and innovative cybersecurity research. As part of their training, participating students are expected to develop their own research interests in collaboration with a faculty advisor. Program components include: (i) promoting the SFS program and developing internship and employment contacts through participation in conferences and job fairs; (ii) requiring scholars to attend professional and skills development events in computer science and cybersecurity; (iii) providing mentorship to scholars; and (iv) requiring participation in at least one cybersecurity competition and publish/present at least one paper or poster with original research.
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.
