RET Site: Research Experiences in Cybersecurity for Nevada Teachers (RECNT)

This RET Site renewal at the University of Nevada, Reno aims to explore unique ways to engage middle and high school teachers in summer research experiences that emphasize cybersecurity in modern systems. Cybersecurity research and its applications are highly relevant in all areas of society from cyber-physical infrastructures and defense-related applications to domestic sectors such as banking and health. This RET Site will continue to have a significant impact on the teachers who will be trained on such challenges and solutions and subsequently, the Nevada students, who as direct beneficiaries of this program will serve as the next-gen cybersecurity workforce. The participant teachers will spend six weeks participating in research experiences and developing modules and materials which will subsequently be implemented in their classrooms during the academic year. The project involves a partnership between the university, the school districts in the surrounding Nevada counties, and local industries. The project will further develop a community of teachers who are passionate about cybersecurity and who can translate this excitement to their students through engaging, high-quality hands-on learning experiences. This RET Site is anchored by cybersecurity research that is compelling and engaging for teachers and 8-12 students, driven by a faculty team that has demonstrated expertise in both cybersecurity research and education. The project goals are to: recruit a cohort of middle and high school teachers interested in introducing cybersecurity and CSE topics into their courses; engage the recruited teachers in cybersecurity research areas in modern resilient systems; develop instructional modules that can be incorporated in a variety of STEM courses and programs; promote and disseminate the results to a large group of middle and high school teachers; and create a student pathway from Nevada schools to UNR to the cybersecurity workforce. The site features projects that are teacher accessible as well as connected to current research and practice. The projects will build the technical capacity of teachers, so that they are capable of developing and implementing new, exciting hands-on learning activities at their schools. Teachers will further develop and enhance their research, communication, and presentation skills, all of which are essential to their professional growth and success. 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.