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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be out of date; please see current contact information at media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.
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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%202001/agenda.htm
Attachment: Summary
of Scholarship for Service Institutional Awards
Attachment
Summary of Scholarship for Service Institutional Awards
Institution |
Description |
Four-year Total Amount |
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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 |
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