Answering Idaho Governor Brad Little's recent to increase investments for cybersecurity professionals in workforce and education, the U of I Center for Secure and Dependable Systems has maintained its status as a National Science Foundation Cybercorps: Scholarship for Service Program participant for over 20 years, securing more than $20 million in total funding to train students to work at the highest levels of government. Since 2001, over 110 students have graduated from the program.
SFS participants are assigned to a faculty-led research project investigating cybersecurity and cyber defense issues. Undergraduate students earn a $27,000 annual stipend, and graduate students earn $34,000. Additional support funds are available to help offset student health insurance, professional development and books.
Students receive 1-on-1 mentorship from nationally and internationally recognized professional faculty with Ph.D.s in the field of cybersecurity, with expertise in power engineering, information assurance, industrial control systems and transportation. U of I Distinguished Professors Jim Alves-Foss, Ph.D. and Brian Johnson, Ph.D., P.E. lead the cybersecurity program.
Everyone knows what a computer is, but few understand how it really works. Taegan Williams' master's research aims to teach - from a young age - how these devices can be as tiny as a small box with the power to solve major challenges.
"For most kids, interest in computers starts very young," Taegan said. "They know what a computer is, but they don't understand these devices can make things happen, from making your coffee pot start to running a huge industrial system. It's understanding the mystery behind this box and its signals - that's the real kicker."
Williams, from Post Falls, graduated with his Master's in Cybersecurity this fall, locking in one of the rarest degrees in the region in one of the fastest growing job markets nationwide. He's participated in outreach events and other activities in Idaho Falls to help high school and middle school students learn more about the subject.
Students participate in lifelike hack and defend scenarios in U of I's Reconfigurable Attack-Defend Instructional Computing Laboratories in Idaho Falls and Moscow. These labs allow students to simulate cyberattack and defense protocols within an isolated environment.
Taegan started as an undergraduate at U of I, pursuing computer science, a comprehensive program emphasizing cyber defense. As a senior, he was awarded $22,000 toward an Undergraduate Certificate in Applied CyberSecurity from the SANS Technology Institute, the world's largest information security training and certification company. The scholarship and participation in U of I's Cyber Defense Club spurred his interest in cybersecurity and educating others on the topic.
Taegan chose to pursue his Master's in Cybersecurity on the Idaho Falls campus, working closely with Computer Science Associate Professor Michael Haney and researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory. Vandal engineers like Taegan train alongside 15 nationally and internationally recognized cybersecurity faculty with expertise in power engineering, information assurance, industrial control systems and transportation.
"U of I faculty and staff are extremely motivated to help students," Taegan said. "They see the need to move Idaho in the right direction for cybersecurity and the national need for more talent."
For Isabel Hinkle, cybersecurity is the perfect mix of criminology and computer science.
“Cybersecurity is all about fighting crime and criminals,” she said. “The people out there who need protection are the ones who don’t know how to protect themselves.”
The computer science senior spent the summer as an Idaho National Laboratory intern, developing cybersecurity-focused curriculum to help high school students build programming skills and a better understanding of cybersecurity concepts.
“It’s important to introduce younger students to all the fun aspects of cybersecurity, like capture the flag challenges and ethical hacking,” Hinkle said. “The younger generation is our future, so getting them interested in cybersecurity now and honing their skills early on is nothing but beneficial.”
Hinkle is a CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service (SFS) participant. U of I is one of a few universities to participate in the program, training students to work as cybersecurity professionals and leaders at the federal, state, local and tribal levels. Funded through the National Science Foundation, the program covers tuition and fees, and undergraduate students receive a stipend of $27,000 while earning their degrees.
Hinkle said the SFS program provides a strong support system made of faculty, undergraduate and graduate students who truly understand the importance of cybersecurity to protect the general population.
This fall, Hinkle said she plans to take the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) PenTest+, a certification course designed for intermediate cybersecurity professionals. CompTIA is known as a world leader in IT certification programs.
“Hackers are very smart. It's important to stay informed on all the latest and greatest cyber tricks and social engineering out there,” she said.
Direct Access to Labs and Industry Equipment
Through partnerships with leading industry, including global power systems protection leader Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Power, POWER Engineers and Avista, the U of I College of Engineering has developed a network of state-of-the-art equipment, labs and resources to give undergraduate students opportunities for lab exploration and undergraduate research aimed at strengthening cybersecurity and developing inherently cyber-secure industrial control systems.
Students have access to a Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) capable of simulating any modern high voltage power grid configuration. The College of Engineering is one of a few nationwide to offer this equipment to its students.
The RTDS Lab on the Moscow campus is also connected to a local control hub in the Integrated Research and Innovation Center, allowing students to mimic control operations and simulate what a cyberattack might look like as it occurs.
¹û¶³´«Ã½Â鶹Éç Named Academic Lead for DOD Cybersecurity Consortium
The ¹û¶³´«Ã½Â鶹Éç Center for Secure and Dependable Systems (CSDS) was recently appointed academic support center lead, representing community colleges and universities nationwide, for the newly launched Department of Defense University Consortium for Cybersecurity (UC2).
This is the second national positioning of U of I’s cybersecurity work in the past month, expanding opportunities for students and faculty in Idaho and nationwide to engage in cybersecurity solutions needed in the highest levels of government.
Cheers to our Idaho and Washington high school teachers who are now ready to train our next generation of cybersecurity professionals!
Educators across the region attended the ¹û¶³´«Ã½Â鶹Éç's Cybersecurity and Privacy and Computational Thinking and Problem Solving trainings in Boise, Idaho Falls and Coeur d'Alene!
These discipline-specific workshops, led by U of I faculty Jim Alves-Foss, Terry Soule, Jia Song and Robert Heckendorn, certify high school educators to teach dual-credit cybersecurity and computer science classes in their schools this fall. Teachers received a stipend for completing the training thanks to sponsorship from the Idaho STEM Action Center.
Thanks to these educators, students can get ahead on course credits needed to pursue cybersecurity and computer science degrees and fill job openings that have grown 160% since 2015 in Idaho alone.