RET Site: Research Experiences for Teachers in Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence

Computing and cybersecurity skills are increasingly essential across nearly every sector of the modern economy, yet many students in Mississippi and similar rural states have limited exposure to these fields, particularly in schools with fewer resources. Teachers play a pivotal role in shaping student interest in science and technology careers, but many lack the research experience needed to bring authentic computing content into their classrooms. This project addresses that gap by immersing high school and community college educators in hands-on cybersecurity research at Mississippi State University, enabling them to return to their classrooms with deeper knowledge, stronger confidence, and ready-to-use instructional materials. By strengthening teacher expertise in computing and cybersecurity, the project generates a multiplier effect that reaches hundreds of students annually, expanding access to computing pathways in communities. The project also supports workforce development by preparing a pipeline of students who are better equipped for careers in computing, national security, and related fields that are critical to the nation's economic strength and security. This award supports a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) site in which thirty educators participate over three years in a six-week summer research program at Mississippi State University. Participants are embedded in faculty-led research groups focused on areas such as machine learning for radio frequency interference detection, algorithmic resilience in wireless networks, software reverse engineering, adversarial attacks on robot vision systems, and cybersecurity of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The first week provides foundational training in computing concepts, research ethics, and laboratory practices, after which participants engage directly in ongoing research projects under faculty mentorship. Beginning in the fourth week, teachers develop standards-aligned curricular modules that connect their research experiences to mathematics and computing courses at the secondary and community college level. Academic-year follow-up activities include faculty classroom visits, virtual mentoring, peer collaboration through a shared digital platform, and presentations at state and regional teacher conferences. Program effectiveness is assessed through a mixed-methods evaluation framework examining teacher self-efficacy, curricular integration, and long-term changes in classroom practice. The project is led by faculty in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Mississippi State University, in partnership with the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District, Hinds Community College, and others. 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.