| |
EMBARGOED UNTIL: 8:30 A.M. EDT
NSF PR 01-45 - May 22, 2001
|
Media contact:
|
Bill Noxon
|
(703) 292-8070
|
wnoxon@nsf.gov
|
|
Program contact:
|
Harriet Taylor
|
(703) 292-4642
|
htaylor@nsf.gov
|
|
This material is available primarily
for archival purposes. Telephone numbers
or other contact information may be out
of date; please see current contact information
at media
contacts.
|
NSF Scholarship for Service Awards Announced at
Information Security Colloquium
NSF director cites need for the
most promising minds to focus on cyberthreats
National Science Foundation (NSF) director Rita Colwell
today announced NSF's first Scholarship for Service
program awards to six institutions as part of an interagency,
public/private effort to meet the nationwide needs
for computer security and information assurance professionals.
The new scholarships, which will be awarded through
Carnegie Mellon, Iowa State and Purdue Universities,
the Universities of Idaho and Tulsa, and the Naval
Postgraduate School in Monterrey, California, will
provide more than $8.6 million in first-year funding
to educate and develop these new professionals for
careers in the government or private sector.
Colwell made the announcement of NSF's scholarship
awards at the 5th National Colloquium for Information
System Security Education (NCISSE) being held at George
Mason University's Fairfax, Virginia campus this week.
The new scholarship program responds, in part, to a
1997 presidential commission formed to answer critical
computer and information system infrastructure protection
issues. The commission's conclusions led to a 1998
presidential directive that cited information and
communications infrastructure protection and security
as a national priority. The directive set broad guidelines
for meeting security challenges facing the nation.
The NCISSE was formed shortly afterward from government,
industry and academic representatives to address the
nation's information security and infrastructure challenges.
At last year's annual colloquium event in Washington
D.C., NSF was asked to take the lead in establishing
the Scholarship for Service program so that colleges
and universities could provide the education needed
to produce a cadre of information security and assurance
professionals who will commit to federal service after
receiving college degrees. The National Science Board
(NSB) approved an NSF plan for awarding the scholarships
at the July 2000 NSB meeting. A few months later,
Congress approved funding for the scholarships as
part of NSF's 2001 budget.
"These scholarships will encourage young people to
enter the field of information security and assurance,
and give them an opportunity to put their talents
to work at the front lines of government cyber security
efforts," Colwell said.
Under the scholarship program, students selected by
universities will be prepared to receive bachelors'
degrees in information assurance and computer security.
The students will have internship opportunities with
federal agencies, and then upon graduation, work for
the federal government on a basis of one year of service
for each year of scholarship education received. The
demand for information security professionals is becoming
so high that government officials expect that some
scholarship graduates may leave for the private sector
after their initial federal commitments. However,
many other graduates are expected to stay with the
government, providing a cadre of young professionals
to make a significant contribution to federal security
programs over the long term. The federal Office of
Personnel Management will manage the placement of
interns and graduates from the scholarship program.
The universities selected to receive the NSF scholarship
monies have been named Centers for Excellence by the
National Security Agency, as established by the presidential
directive.
NSF will announce another series of "capacity building"
awards by early summer. Some of the anticipated $1.6
million for these awards will be directed toward developing
faculty instructional capabilities in information
assurance and computer security. Another portion will
provide many institutions not currently certified
as Centers of Excellence the opportunity to develop
their own information assurance programs.
For more information see: http://www.ncisse.org
and http://www.ncisse.org/Conference
2001/agenda.htm
Attachment: Summary of
Scholarship for Service Institutional Awards
Attachment
Summary of Scholarship for Service Institutional Awards
Institution |
Description |
Four-year
Total Amount |
Carnegie
Mellon University |
Scholarships
to 32 master's-level students working toward
interdisci- plinary degrees. Intensive seminars
for current/ future faculty.
Principal Investigator: Donald McGillen |
$2,459,074 |
Iowa
State University |
Extends
an existing program by expanding student capacity
with 40 fellowships to graduates and undergraduates
and support infrastructure.
Principal Investigator: James Davis |
$2,626,027 |
Naval
Postgrad. School |
Scholarships
for 30 master's students in the science and practice
of information assurance. Thesis projects explore
individual topics in depth.
Principal Investigator: Cynthia Irvine |
$2,295,141 |
Purdue
University |
Scholarships
for 30 graduate Students in a dual-track program
leading to a Master's in computer science or
interdisciplinary master's with specialization
in computer security.
Principal Investigator: Eugene Spafford |
$2,360,722 |
University
of Idaho |
Support
to 30 graduate/undergrad students in a research
environment. Integrates students in existing
Research programs into information assurance,
and conducts cyber research seminars.
Principal Investigator: John Dickinson |
$1,403,728 |
University
of Tulsa |
Two-year
program will produce three cohorts of students
(36 total) that integrates information assurance
studies, research and community outreach.
Principal Investigator: Sujeet Shenoi |
$2,791,939 |
|
|
