SFS AI + Cybersecurity: Securing America's Future Through AI-Empowered Cyber Talent

Cybersecurity has become the foundation for many functions of our society. The growing need for a strong cybersecurity workforce is an increasingly urgent concern, especially for defending the national interests. This project will recruit motivated scholars for government service in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity. The Scholarship-for-Service (SFS) program at University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) will expand security research and training into Machine-Learning/Artificial Intelligence (ML/AI) and Space Engineering programs to address emerging needs in these areas. This project will benefit an EPSCoR jurisdiction by contributing to development of a strong research and education team, enhance existing K-12 outreach programs for high school students and teachers, and prepare new future members of the AI and security workforce for the nation. This project will partner with George Washington University and other academic organizations to enhance the AI skills of cybersecurity faculty as a capacity building initiative for higher education institutions. The SFS scholars will actively conduct advanced research on challenging issues in various areas, including AI security, big data security, cryptography, space engineering security, smart grid security, and use of AI for security. In addition, the proposer team has long-term collaborations with government agencies, which help SFS scholars gain solid experiences through internships, collaborative projects, and job placements. A newly added AI concentration at the graduate level will offer AI-related course work and research opportunities. The team emphasizes individually tailored mentorship across the entire academic experience at UHM. A growing alumni network greatly facilitates recruiting and student placements. This project is supported by the CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) program, which funds proposals establishing or continuing scholarship programs in cybersecurity and aligns with the U.S. National Cyber Strategy to develop a superior cybersecurity workforce. Following graduation, scholarship recipients are required to work in cybersecurity for a federal, state, local, or tribal Government organization for the same duration as their scholarship support. This project is co-funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) careers. 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.