The 2018 IASP Cyber-Leader Scholarship Program: Developing Human Capital in Cybersecurity for the Department of Defense

Abstract

Texas A&M University (TAMU) proposes an Information Assurance Scholars Program (IASP) cohort of 9 total students for the one year duration of the project. One of these students is a continuing graduate student. Of these 9 students, 6 are undergraduate, and 3 are graduate. Undergraduate students come from the majors of computer science and engineering, management information systems, sociology, and technology management. Graduate students are coming from the George Bush School of Government and Public Service and computer science and engineering. Students who have been recommended for the program at the undergraduate level will complete a minor field of study in cybersecurity utilizing either the engineering track or technology track. Graduate students will work in consultation with the Texas A&M Cybersecurity Center (TAMC2) and their chair to interpolate appropriate courses into their degree plans. The cohort will meet every two weeks throughout the academic year in a zero semester credit hour course that will focus on leadership development and tying concepts of leadership to their growing cybersecurity expertise. Individually, students will meet once a month with a faculty mentor, who will be monitoring for continued satisfactory academic progress. The program objectives are to: - Provide a quality group of trained and capable future employees to the Department of Defense with a 100% placement rate. - Facilitate development of cybersecurity skills in student-leaders that combine theory and application. - Augment traditional classroom experiences with co-curricular training in leadership through deployment of a zero semester hour leadership course for the scholarship cohort that will relate cybersecurity and leadership. - Require participation in extra-curricular activities through the TAMU Cybersecurity Club and cybersecurity-related activities (such as TAMU capture-the-flag, etc.) sponsored by the Texas A&M Cybersecurity Center.