Beginning in fall 2023, the five CyberCorps Scholarships will be awarded to current ΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨ undergraduate and graduate students, as well as incoming transfer students.
In the nationβs ongoing efforts to thwart cyberattacks and scammers, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded ΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨ more than $2.4 million to fund scholarships for the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
Beginning in fall 2023, the five will be awarded to current ΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨ undergraduate and graduate students, as well as incoming transfer students. Recipients will receive funding for tuition, a stipend of $25,000 for undergraduate students and $34,000 for graduate students, as well as money for travel and supplies.
ΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨βs CyberCorps Scholarship has two aims, said Dr. Sergio Salinas, associate professor at ΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨βs School of Computing and principal investigator on the project.
βFirst, the scholarships will support exceptional cybersecurity students, and we hope they will encourage more students, especially those from underrepresented populations, to join our cybersecurity programs,β Salinas said.
Secondly, there is a dire need to expand the cybersecurity workforce in the United States, Kansas and local governments.
βCybersecurity professionals in government organizations protect the critical infrastructure that supports the country,β Salinas said. βWe wanted to help this crucial effort to protect our national security.β
Once they are awarded the CyberCorps Scholarship, students will have access to exclusive opportunities and resources to help them succeed β including professional mentoring, financial management, access to a government liaison who will help students connect with agencies for applied learning and full-time employment after graduation, and a career fair with hundreds of government agencies.
Interested students can email sergio.salinasmonroy@wichita.edu for more information.
Recently, NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas visited ΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨ and raved about the important work the university is doing to prepare students for the careers of the future.
βΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨ is doing amazing things,β Panchanathan said. βWhen I look at the convergence of what industry needs and what we need to train the next generation of experts, that fusion is right here in action β live β which is phenomenal to watch.β
Moran said the CyberCorps award is indicative of ΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨βs strong relationship with the NSF and the universityβs commitment to strengthening Kansasβ workforce.
βWichitaβs strong cybersecurity workforce is bolstered through programs and training opportunities at ΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨ that equip students to transition right into the workforce after graduation,β said Moran. βI appreciated the opportunity to show NSF Director Panchanathan what WSU has to offer last month and look forward to working with both the NSF and WSU to strengthen our nationβs cyber defenses.β
According to the award abstract, βsignificant efforts will be made to recruit and retain outstanding students, including those from underrepresented groups. As a result, the project will provide a steady stream of diverse workforce-ready cybersecurity professionals for government service.β
Salinas said prioritizing underrepresented groups of students promotes ΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨βs priority of making higher education affordable and accessible.
βThere are large segments of the U.S. population who are deprived of the opportunity to be cybersecurity professionals due to the underrepresentation of many groups in this field. Recruiting members of this groups can help reduce the gap,β Salinas said.
Additionally, he said, diversity gives teams an advantage when solving with the multifaceted issues of cybersecurity.
βIt has been shown that diverse teams are better at solving problems,β Salinas said. βCybersecurity is a complex field with more problems than we can solve with the current amount of cybersecurity professionals."
About ΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨
ΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨ is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling almost 22,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. ΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨ and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), ΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨ provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the ΊμΑμ½νΉΟ±¨ main campus, is one of the nationβs largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
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