Artificial intelligence and machine learning are among the tools studied in a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga academic program dedicated to preparing future professionals to meet rapidly expanding needs in the field of cybersecurity.
The UTC program, “Collaborative Research: CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service: Strengthening the National Cybersecurity Workforce With Integrated Learning of AI/ML and Cybersecurity,” is among seven American university programs awarded renewed funding of more than $24 million from the National Science Foundation earlier this year for its CyberCorps Scholarship for Service initiative.
The UTC program was launched in 2017 with funding of $1.5 million from the NSF initiative. After graduation, former scholarship recipients are required to work in the cybersecurity mission of a federal, state, local or tribal government organization or other designated entities for a period equal to the length of their scholarships. UTC program alumni have gone on to careers with TVA and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, among other federal agencies.
For more than 20 years, NSF’s CyberCorps SFS program has developed the U.S. cybersecurity workforce and aligns with the White House’s “National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy: Unleashing America’s Cyber Talent.”
Click here for the White House announcement of the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy
The UTC program is overseen by Dr. Mengjun Xie, a UC Foundation Associate Professor and director of the UTC Information Security (InfoSec) Center: A National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. The renewal of NSF funding for the CyberCorps Scholarship for
Service award is an impressive endorsement of the University and its cybersecurity programs, Xie said.
“Cybersecurity is critical to our nation’s economic and national security. Through this program, NSF has helped more than 4,500 students get the degrees they need to be part of the cybersecurity workforce and helped them give back through public service,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “With this announcement, NSF reaffirms its commitment to invest in institutions that have demonstrated exceptional success and innovative advancements to their existing projects with the aim of fostering a robust workforce and growing interest in cybersecurity careers.”
UTC is among 98 institutions participating in the CyberCorps SFS program from 39 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.